WHO MAY BE SAVED? 

The clear message to the gay community from the modern Church has been one of rejection.  Gay people, like many other minorities or small eccentric groups, have been labeled as unacceptable to the kingdom of God.  In the same way that the Jews considered Gentiles as unclean, gays have been treated as filthy; rubbish to be thrown out.  Some have rejected this blanket statement and have attempted to reach out; understanding that Jesus’ mission was not one of condemnation, but salvation.  Even so, one Christian leader writes, “homosexuals are dogs.”  This terminology, he believes, is a slang expression used in scripture to refer to homosexuals.  In his point of view, “hate” and “prejudice” are justified.  Terms like “family values” are used in such a way to exclude gay families; gays are presented as though they are people without any redeeming value.  This makes it seem as if rejection is the only proper Christian response to homosexuals.  But, nowhere in scripture can anyone justify hate as a proper response to homosexuals or anyone.  All people are the creation of God.  Instead, James says to treat all alike without discrimination (James 2:1-4). 

The early Church, beginning from Jewish roots, had an ethnocentric view of who they were to God and at first did not believe that any non-Jews had any part of God’s family.  This bigotry was clearly broken by an incident that occurred in Acts 10.  This lengthy story tells how Cornelius, a Roman centurion and devout Gentile man, received the message of the gospel from Peter and subsequently the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  After witnessing the event, Peter declared to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem when they questioned him about his actions in going into the house of the “uncircumcised”, “who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17).  And later, Peter reiterated the conclusions drawn from the incident (Acts 15:8) that it is God who “knows the heart” and shows who he has chosen by giving them the Holy Spirit.  This same message is still true today, that it is God who chooses and shows his choice by the giving of his Holy Spirit. 

Paul’s later clarification of the law of grace clearly says that God’s free gift of grace (unmerited favor) is extended to all who by faith receive it (Romans 5:2).  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  “Everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32)  Paul teaches “there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:12-13)  "All the Father gives me will come to me, and WHOEVER comes to me I will never drive away." (John 6:37)  A person who is seeking God cannot even do so unless God draw him.  So it is by God's invitation that anyone comes to Him. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44) 

These important passages paint a picture of no matter what the Church's sins are: God's love is extended to WHOEVER will respond to His free gift of grace.  Jesus did not come to bring condemnation to anyone, but so that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17).  Therefore, those who do not extend the free gift of God's unmerited favor to everyone as it was extended to them, are not abiding in the clear teaching of the New Testament.  The witness of the Holy Spirit is all anyone needs (Romans 8:16) to come to the inward security of knowing who they really are: a child of God. 
Previous Next