As followers of Christ, our lives are to be lived in worship to God every day. To worship Him, we need to be righteous. We cannot do that on our own. That’s why He sent us Jesus. But once we’ve accepted Jesus, we must tune our hearts to His and live in ways that please Him. How we ever got the idea that Jesus is accepting of any/all lifestyles is beyond me. It certainly isn't in the Bible.
Despite popular belief, being a follower of Christ is extremely exclusive, not inclusive. Jesus invites people from all walks of life to know the Father through Him, but that truth has been twisted into, “Jesus accepts any way I want to live.” Jesus invites us to come to Him so we can be cleansed and live in our true identity, which is holy and pure, just like the Father.
I’ve noticed that people have separated Jesus from God as if Jesus is in and God is out, but the two are one. When Jesus spoke to anyone, He pointed them to the Father. “The Father and I are one”(John 10:30, NLT). Jesus always gave glory to the Father. The Father has made His ways known.
Rebelliousness against God is not celebrated; it is punished. God gives His people countless opportunities to come back to Him and be forgiven, but not once has He ever told a soul to continue rebelling against Him.
Years ago, I remember discussing same sex marriage and trying to understand how it fit in with God's plan. I remember reasoning that sin is sin, and we all struggle with sin, so I guess homosexuality is covered under the blood of Jesus? Here's the truth. Homosexuality or any sexual sin is covered under the blood of Jesus, but it requires repentance, just like all sin.
For instance, when we lie and ask for forgiveness, God doesn't say, “Okay great, now you are clear to lie again.” No. He desires that we not lie again. The core of any sin is that we choose to put our desires above God's plan.
The Israelites chose their way time and time again, and they were severely punished or even killed for it by God. This is why it baffles my mind that it's even an argument. Jesus never taught that sin was okay or that living the way you want is okay.
The media’s push on sexual immorality and making everything acceptable doesn’t change what God says. The push we’ve seen is what provoked this article. People need to know the truth about God because someday we will all answer to Him.
Another truth that must be stated is, God created us, man and woman. There are only two genders. There doesn't need to be more because God is perfect and He knows what He's doing. No one is a mistake. No one was put in the wrong body. God doesn't make mistakes. Beyond that, creating genders doesn’t help anyone. For instance, it’s not kind or loving to affirm that someone is a fox instead of an 11-year-old boy. It doesn’t fix anyone. Maybe somehow their delusion is fun to live in for a while, but there’s no way it can create lifelong satisfaction because it’s a lie.
Living a lie will never bring fulfillment. Only in Christ can we truly live. “Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'” (John 14:6, NIV). Why does it matter if we come to the Father? Because He is our Creator! If it’s purpose and identity we are looking for, He’s the one who knows it.
Jesus does not accept any/all lifestyles as holy. During His ministry on earth, He made it clear that we are to live our lives in a manner that pleases God. To simplify, a life that pleases God does not flow with the current of our world; it goes against it.
When we say we believe in God and His love, that means we submit to His ways. We can find those ways in His Holy Word. Saying that you don't read the Bible is not an excuse that God will listen to. God has given us everything we need to live holy lives.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness" (2 Peter 1:3, NIV). This means that through faith in God and understanding of His will, believers are equipped with the necessary resources to live a life pleasing to Him.
It is challenging to live a holy life because the world is going in the opposite direction. The Kingdom of God is truly upside-down. Even though living a holy life is challenging, it's what we are called to do. God knows what's best, and if we deviate from what is best, then we are showing God and others that He doesn't know what's best and that we do, which is extremely arrogant.
Matthew 25:31-34 (NIV) says, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'"
Never in the history of the Bible has sin been accepted. We are told over and over again to stay away from sin, to put on our God-given armour. We are called to live in the new creation that we are.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). The old referred to in this text is our old way of living. In Christ, we now have a new way to live!
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:7, NIV). Submitting to God and resisting the devil are not concepts or words to merely read; they are actions we must take.
Sin cannot enter God's presence, so to continue living in sin is to reject God and condemn our soul. In Revelation 21:27 (NIV), we are given the wonderful news that sin will not enter heaven: “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.”
Submission and repentance to God are essential to have our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life. This is why Paul writes about dying to ourselves. We die daily to live in Christ. I wish it were an overnight job, but it takes a lifetime of commitment.
We don’t like to commit to things because of fear or disappointment, but a commitment to Christ is the most important thing we could ever do, and we must say yes to this commitment before it’s too late.
Many believe they are saved because they said a prayer one time, and maybe if their story is like the thief on the cross, they are right, but most stories don’t go like that. A life that honors the Lord is a sacrifice. We must take our lives before the Lord and lay them at His feet for examination because our lifestyle and the choices we make matter.
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Vanessa Luu is a wife, mother, and faith-based writer. She speaks and writes to believers to encourage them to live authentically with God.