Daily Devotions
Reaching the Homosexual with Grace & Truth
Reading for November 7th: John 7-8
Weekly reading for November 1-7: John 1-5
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
How should Christians deal with homosexuality (and all sin) in our co-workers, neighbors, friends, family, or even ourselves? Jesus came to save sinners and John says that there were two foundational principles that defined Him on Earth as He dwelt among us: Grace & Truth. Is that not exactly what we all need to overcome the problems of this world? The cure for every sin and problem of Humanity is the same-the good news that Jesus came here, full of Grace & Truth.
We must treat others with the same Grace Jesus showed. He never rejected people because they had problems. Prostitutes, tax collectors (a group considered so evil that they were mentioned as a separate class of "sinners"), adulteresses among all other sinners were shown Grace by the Savior. These people were rejected by society, and in part they deserved it because of their evil actions, yet these people knew that they could come to Jesus. They knew they could come to the One who drew all to Himself in the Grace He ultimately displayed in the Cross (John 12:32).
Do sinners around you know you are a place where they can find Grace? We need to extend grace through kind words, genuine interest, sacrificial service and Christ-like friendship to the people around us.
But Jesus did not overlook sin and neither can we. He always truthfully shed light on sinful behavior (John 4:17-18) and would never condone or accept it. Instead He told sinners to "go and sin no more" (John 8:11). He let people know they were slaves to sin and that they needed to be liberated through His teachings (John 8:31-32; 14:6).
Jesus was certainly loving, kind and gracious, but He understood that part of grace is helping people see their problems (even when that process is painful). Grace always comes at the costly price of the Truth. Jesus' death on the Cross testified of the Truth that all people are hopeless without Him (John 18:37).
So when someone asks you: "What do you think about homosexuality?" (or any other issue), we must answer like Jesus did: with Truth. But remember as you share Truth that it is not meant to put down others, nor has it been given to you to make you seem morally superior. The Truth of Jesus was given to liberate and give life. May we always use it to God's glory in this way.
Father, homosexuality is merely another reminder of the control the Enemy has in this world. Help us remember that our fight is not against the people of this world that we can see, but with the people of the other world we cannot see (Ephesians 6:12). Help us to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might" (Ephesians 6:10), full of Grace and Truth.
