Flee from sexual immorality. (1 Cor. 6:18)
IF YOU ARE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS, you are not defined by your sexuality. Your identity is found in your status as a son or daughter of God. Your main label is not gay or straight, Republican or Democrat, male or female. It is Christian, and Christians are people of hope.
The easiest road to reconciling homosexuality with Christian living is simply to make it an acceptable practice, as many institutions have done. However, some hope is false hope. Scripture offers a different way forward. The first step is confessing sexual sin of any kind, including homosexual practice. Next is to radically depend on the power of the Spirit for the strength to live rightly. We can devote ourselves to cooperating with the Holy Spirit in order to help bring changes in our own lives. This may involve new habits, new thoughts, new relationships, and a new life direction. These changes are often costly, painful, and emotional, but we are not alone as we make them.
A full picture of the gospel of Jesus shows us that He can free us from our bent toward sin and help us live differently. He can give us a new heart, a new mind, and a new normal. That kind of hope is bigger than our efforts and relationships. It is the divine power at work in us.
Pray for God’s power to transform those who struggle with homosexuality.
Jarod Osborne is the lead pastor of Warsaw Wesleyan Church. He is also the author of Jaded Faith (WPH).
