February 22, 2009

Can GLBT People Lose Their Salvation?

That question is addressed in an article from "The Epistle" online magazine titled "Am I Really Saved." Here's an excerpt:

We all know the gospel of the Lord and we’ve even witnessed to others of the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of the world. But does it apply to us? GLBT Christians? Many of us, still think not.

Well, I have good news for those doubters.Yes Jesus still loves us and we are really still saved. You see, the day you decided to accept the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, you allowed the Lord to cleanse you of your sin. This includes your past, present and future sin. When you accept the Lord, you are born again. Christ has cleansed you with His blood. God’s salvation is not conditional on your behavior. It is Jesus Christ who saves you. Not you saving yourself. Self-salvation is impossible. And just as there’s nothing you can do to save yourself, there’s also nothing you can do to lose the grace that Christ has bestowed unto you. This is why it is called “grace”. And grace doesn’t mean that if you have a bad day and fall into sin, that suddenly you’re off the guest list to Heaven, but then the next day you’re OK with God again. Your salvation doesn’t bounce around like a ping-pong ball. One moment you’re saved, the next hour you’re not, in ten days saved again, but in 6 months unsaved. Saved, unsaved, saved…think about it. Just as you are the son/daughter of your earthly parents…the blood of Christ has made you a child of God. That fact will never change. If salvation were based on our behavior no one could ever be accepted into the Kingdom. And what would be the point of Jesus dying on the cross? Jesus paid the price to free us from the bondage of death & sin. What a great and wonderful gift!

So why do we still fear that we will lose our salvation? Well being gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, we’ve been told our life is incompatible with the Christian walk. Well it is incompatible, but so is the straight life. You see…no one…GLBT or straight is compatible with God without the forgiveness of Christ that comes through faith. And it is not whether we are gay or straight, but whether or not we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver us from our sin. There is also a little bit of us that is afraid because we are used to being rejected because of our sexuality. Perhaps you’ve lost the approval of a parent or have been rejected by someone you cared for. Rejection is a fact of life for us and we think that even God will reject us, though the Bible says that “while we were yet sinners Christ died for us”. Regardless of your sexuality…God has accepted you through the blood of Christ. When you can come to accept that the sacrifice of the Lord was done for you once and for all, you can breathe a sigh of relief that you no longer have to feel uncertain of your salvation.

But Jesus said to “Repent”…that means I have to give up being GLBT before I am able to receive God’s grace…Right?By “Repent” Jesus means for us to turn away from our rebellion against God and turn our lives over to Him. And many of us DID try to repent from being GLBT because it was what we thought He wanted…but IF it was what He wanted of us…WHY are we still gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender? Why would God, in all His mighty power, NOT change us from being GLBT especially when we so desperately asked Him to free us?

Many of us did voluntarily give our sexuality over to God, … and what happened? Well …He gave it back to us. And yes He wants us to surrender ourselves for His use. And guess what? God IS using us…as gay, lesbian, bisexual, & transgender Christian men and women to witness the love of God to…who else…other gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender people. You see we are the only people who can reach out to those like us. We are a living witness that despite our sexuality…God still loves us and still offers His plan of salvation: Jesus Christ.How great is the Lord! Love beyond measure is His love for all mankind. And nothing, not even your sexuality, can prevent you from receiving the love and forgiveness of God.

Even if, and I strongly believe this is not that case, homosexuality was inherently sinful, that would not of itself keep anyone out of heaven.

Jesus said in John 3:16 (KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

GLBT are just as much a part of whosoever as I am, and any fundamentalist that says otherwise is missing one of the basic fundamentals of the Bible.

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