I.C.M. - SW MN WordAlone

Preventing Spiritual Damage

Related to Homosexuality

Dottie Ludwig

Many within the Body of Christ are concerned that we avoid spiritually damaging or abusing people, with the biblical position on homosexual behavior. Too little concern about this can lead to being unloving, uncaring and not at all Christ-like. Too much concern can lead to accepting a person with no message of the need for confession of sin, repentance and transformation in daily living. Is there a middle ground that is both loving and truthful?

Let’s first look at what the term “spiritual damage” or “abuse” means. An unknown author writes: “In spiritual abuse/damage, it is a finite person telling me that an infinite God with whom I will live forever and who knows all about me, is dissatisfied with the core essence of who I am.”

One of the major problems in this matter has to do with the person who has same sex attractions/behaviors taking on the core identity of “Gay is who I am!” This becomes his or her most important identifying reality. Thus their thinking is: “Since God is a loving God, He created me gay, you are cruel and unloving to tell me anything different.” However, if we separate the attractions from the behavior we can give a different yet truthful message as the body of Christ.

This is at the heart of the Church’s dealing with gay persons in a biblical way. As we work to uphold biblical standards, it is important to remember that people who deal with this issue need truth spoken in love and compassion. This means we must make a critical distinction between homosexual behavior and the psychological condition of homosexual attraction. When speaking about homosexuality, the Bible speaks against homosexual behavior (including lust), which is chosen. It does not condemn people for having homosexual attractions, which are not chosen. The truth is that God loves homosexuals just as much as He loves all other people. However, the reality that He loves us all does not mean He approves of all of our behaviors. He wants us to line up our behavior, which is controlled by our will, with His word. The only biblically approved sexual behavior is within the confines of a covenant (marital) relationship between one man and one woman.

The reality is that taking on a gay identity must never supersede the true identity a person has in Christ. A person cannot take on a core gay identity and find his/her core identity in Christ too. God is very clear in Scripture that He will not tolerate double-mindedness. The Scriptures call us to repentance when anything takes priority over His Lordship in our life. If we choose not to, then we are in rebellion, and that is a work of the flesh because it rejects God’s ultimate authority and defies the work of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:19-20). The essence of rebellion is the rejection of the righteous, legal, and legitimate government of God in one’s personal life, and that includes our sexuality.

Being a new creature in Christ (core identity) means becoming all Christ has created and called me to be. I line my will up with His, allow Him to heal anything within me that He knows needs healing, repent of the things that are contrary to what His word says, and give Him permission to transform my life in every way. This is to be so regardless of my struggles, temptations, sexual orientation, or anything else. Anything less is limiting His Lordship in my life.

Dottie Ludwig is a retired RN, a former lesbian,

and a former lay counselor with Eagles’ Wings Ministry,

an organization that helps people leave the gay life,

based in the Twin Cities