When it comes to “who really loves homosexuals and lesbians more?” the only answer is those who also love the divine revelation of God and are willing to speak the truth in love to their homosexual and lesbian family members and friends.
With a month of national promotion, embracing and engaging in “Pride Month,” it’s an opportune time to ask the question: “Who really loves whom more with regard to homosexuals and lesbians?” Do those who approve of sexual lifestyles and sexual acts that God’s divine revelation reveal as immoral, sinful, and clearly against God’s will love them more than those who abide by and accept the biblical admonitions and principles?
The question, of course, relates to relationships, doesn’t it? What is one of the most prominent pieces of evidence of love toward another? It may help to examine other human relationships.
Let’s begin with the family and parents and children. Which parents genuinely love their children more? Is it the parents who dote upon their children, who fail to train them in moral principles related to others, who never discipline their children, and who only praise them and give them their every wish? Or is it the parents who lovingly teach their children moral principles to build character for their future, who provide for their genuine needs but not every want or wish, who praise their children in moderation as opposed to lavishly, and who discipline them when they lie, steal, disrespect others, and more because they want them to grow up to be decent adults? Wouldn’t we choose the latter parents as those who love more than the former parents?
Let’s consider friendships. Which friends love their friends more? Is it the friends who never offer opposing and wise counsel to a friend who may be making a wrong decision, or is it the friends who are willing to speak the truth in love? For instance, your Christian friend has decided to move in with a romantic partner before marriage. Isn’t it the friend who counsels such a move does not please God because sexual relationships are only righteous within marriage? Isn’t that speaking the truth in love? Or consider if your friend confides he or she has become sexually involved with someone other than his or her spouse and plans to divorce their spouse in order to be with another. Wouldn’t a genuine friend lovingly and truthfully counsel to seek marriage counsel and forgiveness from one’s spouse and remain true to one’s marriage vows?
Lastly, let’s consider church relationships. Which churches love believers more? Is it the churches that no longer believe the Scriptures to be God’s holy and divine revelation and have decided some parts of the Scriptures no longer apply to modern-day believers? Or is it the churches that remain faithful and true to what they believe are eternal truths God has privileged both Jews and Gentiles to know? Isn’t the latter more evident?
These are just a few examples of the complexity related to genuine love. Genuine love does not exclude resistance to that which is immoral or biblically unwise.
Facing a month of pride related to acts and relationships God has clearly revealed to be seriously against His will and are actually abhorred by Him is a challenge to believers who love others but love God more.
Here is a passage of Scripture that we all do well to consider and embrace, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar. . .” (Romans 3: 4). The King James Version of this verse perhaps states this most powerfully. When it comes to “who really loves homosexuals and lesbians more?” the only answer is those who also love the divine revelation of God and are willing to speak the truth in love to their homosexual and lesbian family members and friends. Though there are Old Testament passages that communicate God’s truth, the New Testament makes it abundantly clear:
“Therefore, God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” (Romans 1: 24-27, NASB)
Let’s be those Christians who genuinely and truly love homosexuals and lesbians more than those who approve and embrace live styles and deeds that God has clearly revealed to be against His will. Let’s be like the parents, the friends, and church people who love in truth enough to be honest because we want what is best for them in God’s creative plan for human relationships.
Helen Louise Herndon is a member of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. She is freelance writer and served as a missionary to the Arab/Muslim world in France and North Africa..