LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AND CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES

The Bible says, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” So how should we love LGBTQ people?

 

LGBTQ is an initialism that stands for “lesbian gay bisexual transgender” and Q for those who identify as queer and are questioning their sexual or gender identity. Group members find it hard to be accepted because their practices go against the Christian faith.

The Bible says in Leviticus 18:22, “You must not lie down with a male in the same way that you lie down with a woman. It is a detestable act.”

This statement condemns homosexuality, which is the core foundation of the LGBTQ community.

Also in Genesis 1:27–28, God made man and woman and instructed them to go forth into the world and multiply. This means the LGBTQ community violates this rule because there’s no way for natural birth to occur in a union of LGBTQ individuals.

Furthermore, the bible says in Colossians 3:5 that “deaden therefore your body members that are on earth as respects sexual immorality, uncleanness, and uncontrolled sexual passion. Hurtful desire and greediness, which is idolatry”. In contemporary English, “don’t be controlled by your body; kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex.”.

However, the Bible condemns discrimination just as much. There should be no discrimination within the body of Christ because there is no discrimination in God. Since God made man in his own image, you as a person, especially as a Christian, must not discriminate, for you’re to be a reflection of God himself. The Bible has taught us that every individual is significant and important to God and included in his plan of salvation, so we should not discriminate against and treat others unjustly.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he wrote: There is neither Jew nor Greek slave nor free male nor female, for you are all one in Christ.” Paul teaches Christians in his letter not to have any ill feelings towards a fellow human. No matter the tribe’s status or gender, all are the same in God’s eyes. The Bible also teaches that it is not the place of any man to judge his fellow man.

(Matthew 7:1-2). “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Shortly after becoming the pope, Pope Francis made this statement:

“If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” Pope Francis said this in July 2013, four months after becoming Pope. The pope has often shown compassion and even advocated for leniency towards the LGBTQ community several times.

The Bible says in Matthew 22:37–39, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment: “And the second is, like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

This passage talks about the first and second commandments. The first talks about loving God, which is very important, and the second is said to be just as important, which is loving your neighbour as yourself. This means you cannot claim to love God as a person or as a Christian and discriminate against other humans, no matter the circumstances. Also, the pope’s comments about LGBTQ people can be considered a result of these first two commandments.

In Luke 19:1–10, Jesus called out Zacchaeus, the tax collector, to come down from the tree he had claimed to see Jesus. Jesus followed him to his home, laughed, and ate with Zacchaeus, who was still a sinner at the time.

Also, Jesus made Matthew, who was also a tax collector, his disciple, and when he had dinner at his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Jesus and his followers. The Pharisees, confused by this, asked Jesus’s followers, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  Jesus heard this and responded, “It is not healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means. I desire mercy, not sacrifice. ‘ For I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:12–13).

This situation and Jesus’s reply to the Pharisees teach us that as much as we surround ourselves with fellow Christians, we must extend our love to people who are outside Christianity, and we don’t necessarily have to preach to them but show the love in Christianity and the joy in togetherness. This alone will bring them closer to you, thereby bringing them closer to Christendom.

Also Read: Love Your Neighbour As Yourself Blog

Jesus has shown us that being able to love our fellow humans unconditionally, no matter the circumstances, is one of the most important parts of being a Christian. God demonstrated this to us by giving his only begotten son to cleanse us of sin, and Jesus himself further demonstrates this by not refusing his father’s will and willingly dying for our sins. So as Christians, you have no reason to be different from your Lord and Savior.

The LGBTQ just want to exist, and as long as they aren’t trying to impose themselves on you as a person, you have no reason to hate or discriminate against them, for discrimination goes against the will of God.

 

• As a Christian, do you share this view?
• What are your opinions about the LGBTQ community?
• Do you think the Church of God can coexist with the LGBTQ community?
• What do you think of Pope Francis’s relaxed attitude towards the LGBTQ community?

 

Content Credit / Ajibola Emmanuel Adebayo

Picture Credit / https://www.futurechurchnow.com/2015/07/16/best-books-to-read-on-christians-the-bible-and-homosexuality/