1 Corinthians 6:9 (NIV): “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals.”
I embrace all of God’s word, even the hard verses that seem to “discriminate” against people who choose a lifestyle different from my own. The above verse certainly seems to do that. Now don’t get me wrong. Please hear me out. I have some questions that I must answer of myself:
- Why can’t I simply live and let live?
- Why can’t I just be okay with how others “interpret” the bible to support alternative lifestyles and sexuality?
- Why can’t I just avoid this subject so that I won’t be labeled a hater or worse?
Well, here is my logic of why I can’t just ignore the above verse:
- I believe the evidence is overwhelming that Jesus was raised from the dead, proving that He is God (check out The Case for Christ).
- I believe that Jesus died on the cross because I have a sin problem and that He took punishment for me.
- Because I have made Jesus Lord of my life, I follow Him and His truths as found in the bible.
- Jesus embraced God’s creation, to include the creation of male and female, and the establishment of the marriage relationship between a man and woman (see Matthew 19).
- Paul encountered Jesus and was called by Jesus to minister to the Gentiles, which includes me. Therefore Paul’s letters in the bible are truth to me.
The above verses are therefore truth to me because I follow Jesus. But let’s not just focus on the homosexuality issue. The above verse includes everything sexual outside of a marriage relationship between a biological man and a biological woman, stating that the “wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God.” My goodness, that includes me! I have been “sexually immoral.” I dare say that most people I know have been or are. That means that I am headed to hell! Indeed, I believe we are all heading there. Only because I have declared that “Jesus is my Lord” am I saved from that destination (see Romans 10:9-10). By making Jesus, Lord, I now choose to embrace His truth.
Since I have embraced how God has created the world, and I believe that God loves me, and desires the best for me, then I am able to trust Him with how He created me and that the best for me sexually is to be in a marriage relationship with my wife.
As far as how I relate to those who differ from me, I want to do what my Lord, Jesus, has commanded. Jesus wants me to love others the way He has loved me. As part of that love, I accept the truths found in the bible and don’t ignore any hard verses no matter how society feels about them. But I also love others, even those who are different from me.
So there you have it. If you don’t agree with me, that is okay with me. Please know that I respect your right to believe what you believe (or as the picture states, your “Right to be Wrong”). I hope you can also respect my right to believe what I believe. I share this difficult Wednesday Word because I firmly believe that God loves the world and wants the best for His creation (see John 3:16-18).
Prayer: Lord God, help me to speak the truth with love. I want to love all my neighbors as myself. As I do, may I love and encourage all people to follow You and embrace Jesus as Lord of their lives.
