Does God love everyone, even LGBT people?
God hates fags! This is the sign that the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) members hold up as they protest at armed forces service members funerals. How distasteful! No matter what your beliefs, its wrong to protest at a funeral. The WBC is not affiliated with any Baptist organization. In fact, they are routinely condemned by pastors and all denominations, especially Baptists ones, across America.
Let me answer this question in two parts:
1st…does God love everyone?
2nd…does God approve of everything people do?
To the 1st question…anyone who reads the bible can answer this question easily. Romans 5:8 says that while we were still sinning, Jesus died for us. In essence, it says that while we didn’t believe in Him, He believed in us.
John 3:16 says that God loved the world (that’s us) so much, that for all who will eventually believe in Him, He gives them eternal life in heaven. Incredible!
John 1: 12 says that everyone that received Jesus, He gave them the right to be children of God. What is noticeably missing from these verses is anything about LGBT people. God loves everyone (John 3:16) and wants everyone to be in a relationship with Him, no matter what you’ve done or who you are.
The answer to the 2nd question is also easy to answer. Of course, God doesn’t approve of everything that people do. He doesn’t approve of murder (Exodus 20:13), adultery (Exodus 20:14), stealing (Exodus 20:15), etc. God does NOT approve of homosexuality (Romans 1:18-32 & 1st Corinthians 6:9,10). So, what does this mean? To quote an old cliché, “God loves the sinner but hates the sin”. Read https://bsssb-llc.com/blog43-homosexuality/
Can we make judgements about certain actions/behaviors? Yes, we can. And Jesus told us to (John 7:24). One of the marks of maturity is that someone will do the right thing, no matter what he feels like doing. It’s why many Christians can pray for their enemies, in spite of being mistreated by them. https://bsssb-llc.com/blog30-can-our-enemies-find-christ/
Can an LGBT person accept Christ? Yes, they can. But over time, God will convict them that committing homosexual acts is wrong. And with God’s help, they will be able to stop (see below for support ministries). The same goes for a thief or a gossip. You don’t clean up your life and then invite Jesus into it. You invite Him in and together both of you clean it up.
So yes, God loves LGBT people. Yet, He loves them enough that He doesn’t want them to stay where they’re at. From the moment we become Christians, we and Jesus started on a journey to transform us, to make us look more like Him.
So, how do we treat LGBT people? Just like anyone else that God brings into our lives. Rosaria Butterfield puts it wonderfully at https://bsssb-llc.com/blog22-lesbian-feminist-professor-meets-jesus/ .
May God increase your love for all people, including LGBT people, as you journey with Him on the path He has set before you.
Support ministries:
www.exodusglobalalliance.org
www.narth.org
www.restoredhopenetwork.com
http://ex-gaytruth.com
www.pfox.org
For His wonderful Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com