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
