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December 21, 2003
Question
DEAR PASTOR MALONE:I am gay. I believe that I was born this way. I also believe that I am a Christian. Most traditional churches refuse to accept me as I am or that I could be saved. have tried to fit into what people consider normal but keep going back to the gay lifestyle. I know you don’t believe this but I was born gay and also fully believe I am saved. God is love and I can’t believe He would send me to hell for a lifestyle that He made me for. I wish I was interested in the opposite sex but it’s not in me.
THANK YOU
Answer
Thanks for writing me. I won't debate
whether or not you were born homosexual. You and I will just have to
disagree on this. But that's not important to your issue. What is
important is this: God is against all sin, which includes fornication, adultery,
or homosexual lifestyles. People who practice these things, according to
the scriptures, will not inherit eternal life (Galatians 5:19-21, I Corinthians
6:9). The short answer is God abhors all sex outside of marriage.
I would like you to take a moment and consider
why you believe that your sexual preferences are even that important.
In other words, why have you allowed yourself to define your existence in
sexual terms? If I felt for one minute that I could spend an eternity in hell
due to my sexual preference, I’d remain a virgin.
Frankly, anyone who understands what the torments of hell are would do
the same. I ask you to consider
this, please.
The Bible actually encourages those who get
saved before they get married to stay unmarried (I Corinthians 7:7-8).
That means sex will not be a part of your life, but your life will be
devoted to the work of the Lord...and God wasn’t just talking to Catholic
priests when He said this.
Of course, in the same breath, it says if you
can’t restrain yourself, you should get married. Better to marry than commit fornication, and, as Paul says,
burn in hell. However, homosexual marriage is never considered righteous by God.
The Bible contains passage after passage and
situation after situation where homosexual activity is referred to as sinful and
the results are the same without exception.
God either destroyed homosexuals or said they would be destroyed in the
end (Genesis 13 & 14, Judges 19 & 20, Romans 1).
If you can come up with any Bible scripture that states that God is even
indifferent regarding homosexual behavior, I’d like to read it.
The argument that God made you this way, and, therefore, He must approve
of your homosexuality, just isn’t Biblical. Besides, if I had any doubts at
all that I was not going to heaven or that I would miss the rapture because I
was involved in these lifestyles I would do everything in my power to flee
from them. Yes, God is love, but He
is Holy and will not stand for sin in His presence. That's why we need a
Savior. But of course, that doesn't give us a license to sin.
I’m afraid many people are going to hell
(but think they’re going to heaven), because they refuse to believe the
literal Word of God. I would
hate for that to be your final destination.
I'm sorry, but according to the scriptures,
you’re not saved (I must tell you the truth for your own good) no matter how
good you feel about your spiritual well being. There are Muslims all over
the world who feel very good about their religious beliefs, but unfortunately,
will one day be cast into the lake of fire for an eternity. For Jesus is
the only way anyone can get to God (John 14:6).
God is love, but He won't accept your sin.
You are deceiving yourself if you believe anything else.
Deliverance
If
you really want to be delivered, your first task is to recognize that the
homosexual lifestyle is a sin. Second, my advice to you is to go to the Lord in prayer and
ask the Lord to
save you,
cleanse you, and deliver you. Then get away from this lifestyle. Do
not despair if you cannot succeed all at once.
This problem is a lot like alcoholism. You can get sober, but if
you continue to go to bars or places where people are drinking you will be back
to square one. God can deliver you but you must stay away from temptations
that will lead you right back down that road.
Find the support of a church which will help you through these
ordeals. Be patient, pray a lot,
and if you fail, come back to God and try again.
I
hope I was able to help you.
Pastor Malone