Homosexuality is one of the biggest challenges for Christian families. Homosexuality challenges the very nature of creation and the ordinance of marriage set up by God. But, in an act of condemnation, we often cause ourselves to sin. So there is a paradox. The following is one of the passages which suggests that homosexuals cannot be saved. Is that true?
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NIV).
Notice first that it does not say homosexuals, rather it says homosexual offenders. An offender is someone who violates or transgresses, so there is an action required. In order for a homosexual to be saved, they have to be willing to repent of their sin just as we do with any other sin. To back this statement up, we can look at the King James which translates as, “abusers of themselves with mankind”. See, abuse is also an action and so if there is no action taken on the homosexual condition, there is no sin. Make note, Christians, they will likely stumble and fall at times just as most do when repenting from sin. Let God judge their heart. There are many homosexual Christians who are repentant of the sin, however they are still homosexuals as their sexual preference has not changed. Preference does not denote sin. A homosexual who is repentant of sin, is still a homosexual, but can be saved. It is the product of the preference which is sin. Don’t we all, by our sinful nature, gravitate toward sin in some way?
I like to relate this to drinking or drugs because it is something more common and in many ways easier to talk about. If someone is a drug addict or an alcoholic, they will struggle with it thier entire lives even after repentance. For this reason, we never remove the identity of alcoholic or adict. We simply say that they are recovering even if they have not partaken in the sin for months, years or more.
The challenge that the Christian family has is in preserving the sanctity of marriage, without condemning the homosexual to hell. We must hate the sin, but love the sinner.
Homosexuals Can Be Saved
