Can One Be a “Gay Christian”? Yes and No.

This comes up a lot in online and in-person conversations. Can one be gay and a Christian? 

Understand that I have no formal theological training. I am answering from the perspective of a layman. I read and study the Bible and I look to Christ for answers to questions I have. In response to anyone with the question about being a gay Christian, my answer is yes and no.

Yes, one can think of themselves as gay and still be a Christian. I know this because I myself am a sinner. I struggle against sin every moment of every day. 

Also, no, one cannot be a gay Christian. No more than one can be a lying, cheating, thieving, murdering, fill-in-the-sin Christian. Not if one is willfully, unrepentantly practicing the sin.

I am a Christian but I am still a sinner. I am a saved sinner who struggles against my sinful thoughts. I am not saved because I am perfect or sinless; I am saved because I have asked for forgiveness. I am saved because I am repentant. 

I am a Christian because I follow Christ and live for him. If I were sin-free, I would not need Christ and his forgiveness and mercy.

In looking for a way to better state how and why Christians are not - and can not be - sin-free,  I found that (as is usual) Got Questions explains it best for the layman.

Before I was saved and born again, there were times I didn't even realize some of my sins. I may have felt bad for my actions hurting others and I knew right from wrong. I just didn't think of my wrongs as sins. 

As a Christian, I am able to sin less - in some ways - but I can never be sin-free in this earth-bound body. Even when I don't put action to a sinful thought, the thought is there, no matter how fleeting. 

I have never struggled with my sexual identity and I imagine it can be a strong hold on a person. I have - and sometimes still do - struggle with envy, pride, anger, and forgiveness. Forgiveness! Me! The person who has been forgiven for so much.

So, to those who struggle with their sexual sins, I would say the same thing I say to myself: repent and turn over to God your heart, mind, body, and soul. Trust in him, lean on him. Pray, pray, pray. 

When we say the Lord's Prayer, we are asking that God not permit us to be tempted. (God Himself does not tempt us to sin.) I read somewhere (probably on Got Questions) this explained well. God doesn't allow us to sin and He has control over tempters. That makes a lot of sense to me.

Finally, I think that when we truly commit to following Christ, we know when we are doing something that displeases him. We may sometimes try to pretend we don't know. When I do wrong, I feel like hiding my face from God. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, when I fall into temptation, I want to cover myself. That's my sign, as one comedian jokes. 

I hope that this helps anyone who has these struggles. Read your Bible, study your Bible, and pray for understanding.

Peace

--Free

Thinking About the Lord's Prayer

I am trying to pay more attention to things in life because I have tended, in the past, to rush through. I noticed this about myself when I thought about the Lord's Prayer.  I have been saying this prayer (both before and after I accepted Christ) since I was a child.

What I am trying to do now, each time I say the Lord's Prayer, is to be aware of what I am saying. I really want to better apply the words to my life and keep them close to my heart. Here is how I now think of the lines in the prayer:

"Our Father who is in heaven, (Because He is in heaven - not some imposter living here on earth)

Hallowed be Your name. (Do I reverence His name? Do I keep it holy?)

Your kingdom come. (Not "kingdom now" as some people want. I need to be sharing the gospel and spreading the Word so that more people will be ready.)

Your will be done, (Sometimes, I resist this and want what I want instead of wanting what God wills. I need to know that His will will be done - whether I want it or not.)

On earth as it is in heaven. (Again, His will is the final authority. I need to want this for my life.)

Give us this day our daily bread. (Not bread for today and tomorrow - which may not come for me - and not riches and wealth and health abundant. Just my daily needs. He has always been faithful in this. )

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (This is the big one for me! I have to remind myself over and over to forgive as I have been forgiven. And I think of the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor in Matthew 18:21-35.) 

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

I think the main thing for me is to realize that God really is in control - of my waking and breathing and the existence of all of us. We have free will but He is in control.

So, yes, I really do need to be more - what is the trendy word? "mindful"? I need to not take living for granted. 

Peace

--Free

** I am in no way a Bible scholar or expert. This post is just to show my experience as a Christian who is trying to be better today than I was yesterday. 

Goals, Maturity, Life and Lessons

 I used to think of age as a sign of maturity. Finally, at 62, I realize that maturity is a lifelong process. Most of us think of levels of maturity as a set of milestones that we reach at the ages of 13, 16, 18, 21, and so on.

What I have learned - finally - is that we become fully "mature" when we learn how to behave better. So, for all the young people out there, here are some milestones of behavior that we all should strive for (and it's a lifelong process):

When you 

• Become more of a peacemaker than a troublemaker
• Become better at loving and listening than being lewd and loud
• Learn to be more gracious and less rude
• Get better at being more thoughtful and giving than grasping and wanting
• Try being understanding as much as you want to be understood
• Try thinking deeply and critically rather than being quick at the mouth
• Listen more than you talk
• Can disagree with others without hating, belittling, or disrespecting them
• Practice more humility than indulging in pride
• Learn patience and endurance instead of going for the quick wins
• Appreciate beauty in the world without photobombing it with selfies
• Learn to slow down and savor moments and experiences without rushing to the next one
• Accept that you have some of the same flaws that you see in others
• Are happy in peace in stillness
• Can be grateful for every breath you take
• Can recognize when you are wrong and not gloat when you are right
• Realize how much your actions - no matter how small - can have a negative or positive impact 
• Want to be a better person today than you were yesterday - even though you can never be "perfect".

If I could go back in time and change one thing in my life, it would be to know what true maturity is. When I was young, if I had realized that I was building my past, I would have done so many things differently. 

Every breath is a blessing. Every mistake can be a lesson. We are here for such a short time, but we do matter. Live as if you know that.

Peace

--Free