Jesus Wins

I have never publicly written anything about homosexuality. I am no expert on the topic, other Christians have far better articulated my same general beliefs, and I know that just because I believe in the objective truth of Scripture does not mean that everything I say about a cultural issue will be absolute truth. I don't want to say something inaccurate, and most inhibiting of all, I don't want to be classed as one of those alienating people who fulminates to like-minded people about how horrible another segment of society is. However, given the significant impact of today's Supreme Court decision and the fact that I will be growing up in this rapidly changing cultural climate, I feel that it is justifiable to address this topic right now.

Modern day America greatly distresses me, and I privately rant about the gushing, sycophantic reactions of the media and general culture, but I do not hate individuals who identify as gay. I simply can't, because I see them as human and feel compassion; more importantly, I cannot expect people who do not believe in the gospel of Christ to follow Biblical mandates for a holy life. I believe that according to the law of God, homosexual practice is objectively wrong, and I see it as damaging to society and family, but I do not feel hatred or dismissive disgust with real-life people who believe that they are a certain way and cannot change. The proper response to homosexuality is not hatred or sycophantic fawning, but the gospel: the message of a Savior who offers grace and mercy to all who turn to Him in repentance and faith. 

When I got on Twitter today and saw the "Love Wins" hashtag celebrating the legalization of same-sex marriage in America, my initial reaction was depravity wins, but that's not true. Love does win, but it is not the love of two men or two women: it is the all-consuming, sacrificial love of a Savior who was willing to die for our depravity. The federal government did not legislate love into victory. Love won when Jesus Christ gasped out "it is finished." 

Hope for love and acceptance rests not in a rainbow-striped flag, but an empty tomb. The love of God is greater than anyone's sin, and He has provided a way out from the hollow, dissatisfying dogma that we can only find happiness and fulfilment through living consistently with our desires. We find ultimate satisfaction and wholeness not through being ourselves and following our "inner truth," but living as new creations in Christ.

All people fear at times that if everyone in their life knew what they were really like, no one would accept them. Since homosexuals are often are ostracized and mocked, all those feelings are intensified beyond anything that I can even imagine, and some teenagers would rather kill themselves than tell their parents that they are gay. It makes me sick to think about how often a Christian upbringing can contribute to that kind of despair, because the church should not make anyone struggling with same-sex attraction feel inferior, alien, or worthless. We must display the vast, astonishing, overwhelming grace of God, which speaks directly to these types of fears.

Some people may see you differently if they know who you really are and what you are dealing with, but even if the people in your life cannot maintain love and acceptance, God provides grace to sinners, willing to forgive everyone who turns to Him in faith. No sin is so great that you are forever scarred and worthless, because in Christ, your sin is swallowed up into death and you are made alive into a whole new identity. God hates sin, but He provided a way out, and instead of feeling like your sin sets you apart from other people and makes you worthless, a Christian can rest in the knowledge that God has washed them clean. Redemption turns depravity into a story of grace. 

As a young Christian who will live out her adult life in a country increasingly hostile to her faith and values, it would be easy to despair, but I believe that God is sovereign and know that the federal government has no power to dethrone the Lord of heaven. Nothing the Supreme Court can decide will ever overturn the ultimate victory of Christ, and instead of getting angry or feeling victimized by the society which wants to overturn tradition and truth for the interests of a minority group, I want to have greater compassion for everyone who believes that their only hope in life is following their desires wherever they take them. I want homosexuals and their supporters to see the grace of God and know that true joy, worth, and satisfaction can only be found in Him.