Question: Can homosexuals and lesbians go to heaven?

Answer: Thanks for your important question about homosexuality.

Concerning this issue, the Bible is absolutely clear. Homosexuals do not go to heaven. There is hope for homosexuals, however. Christ can convert homosexuals and lesbians and make them true children of His. Let me go into more detail to help you. First let's start with the fact that some people who have become believers were homosexuals prior to being converted. This passage of Scripture tells us that some former homosexuals were actually members of the church in Corinth. Read what Paul said:

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6: 6-9)

So, you see, there is hope for anyone, homosexual, adulterer, drunkard, etc., to become one of God's family. But when a person does become a believer, the homosexuality ends. "Such were some of you," Paul says. Paul understands that there may be some person who is a true Christian who has come out of homosexuality but fails temporarily out of weakness, but a true believer in Christ is radically different that what he used to be. He is substantially changed, but not perfect yet. Christ in the person makes a huge difference.

What the Bible is saying is this: A person does not become a Christian by cleaning up his or her life and making it perfect. Rather, he becomes part of God's family by putting his trust in Christ. You may read some of the articles on this site to study this issue. When a person does enter God's family, the Spirit of Christ comes into the life of the person, making him different than he was before. His motives, attitudes, and actions are substantially different. He is not perfect, however, until heaven. In the mean time, the fruit of a changed life is evident. And if he fails temporarily, he does so not out of the old rebellion or apathy, but simply because he is overcome through weakness. One should be able to see the difference in a true Christian's life. A persistent lifestyle of sin would indicate that God had not yet given salvation to the person for all Christians are changed and made new in a decisive way.

The Bible states that homosexuality is a deadly sin, harming your soul and body because it is against nature. Read Romans 1 to find out the details of this. He ends by saying this:

"For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their own error." (Romans 1: 26-27)

The truth is that people who are homosexual are that way, not because of genes, but because of sin. The potential to be homosexual is in every person. We are born as sinners, and have potential to do any kind of sin, including homosexuality. According to the Romans passage, a person may move from stage to stage, permitting themselves to do more and more sins, until he finally comes to a much worse place than he realized. This particular sin has the effect of harming your body. Homosexuals not only die of AIDS fairly often, but most die of other diseases that are sexually transmitted. Most homosexuals do not tend to live to be old people. Homosexuals are used to attending funerals. I believe this is just a fulfillment of the word spoken in this Romans passage.

Finally, let me say that everyone who thinks he is homosexual is not necessarily that way. It is true that sometimes people take advantage of boys when they are young and tend to turn them a certain direction. Also, some men or boys have a few thoughts about the same sex at a point in their lives and then believe that something must be permanently wrong. They become preoccupied about this problem, which has the effect of producing an increased secret desire to mentally envision what they should not think about. It is strange how humans tend to think in the very direction they are telling themselves they should not think. They then believe they are destined to live a homosexual life because of the way the concept of homosexuality is portrayed in our society. It is not true that such a person is destined to such a lifestyle. If this is your case, please don't think that you are bound to be anything outside the normal, just as some thoughts about girls bodies or stealing does not necessarily mean you are an rapist or a thief. These are sinful thoughts, but do not tell you that you are doomed to a certain lifestyle. Remember, homosexuality is not in the genes, even though the homosexuals try to convince people of this, but is rather a series of wrong choices and twisted thinking about one's identity. All of this may tell you that you need Christ, however. Christ can sort all of this out and make any person whole.

Some people have gotten a great deal of help from an organization called Exodus International, I understand. The main thing, however, is to put your trust in Christ and turn from the desire to live a life separate from Him. Again, read carefully through the material on this site to help you in this search. Don't ever doubt the power of God to make you entirely new, and to forgive you totally.

I hope this helps you.

Jim

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