In his Book, Issues Facing Christians Today, the English Anglican presbyter and Time Magazine 100 most influential people in the world, John Stott, discusses the topic of same sex relationships. As he concludes the last chapter, he asks, “If we should therefore call homosexually inclined people to abstain from homosexual
practices and partnerships, what advice and help can we give to encourage them to respond to this call?” Put in another way, now that some Christians will eventually describe their patterns of attraction to be oriented towards their same sex, what word does the Christian have for them apart from, ‘don’t
engage in gay sex’?

After asking this he proceeds to take Paul’s triad, Faith, Hope and Love and works to see how they may apply to the same sex attracted/oriented Christian (you should in fact consider checking out this chapter of his book).

Here, I want to borrow a few of his thoughts and speak
to many of us who have FOUND a personal faith in God or are seeking to find one
and are not sure how to process our same sex attractions.

In this first piece, we shall in a brief way delve
into the topic of FAITH and then we will follow up with the other two- hope and
love- later.

FAITH

When Jesus comes into the scene of the New Testament, we see Him having a myriad of faith interactions. In the Gospel of Mark alone, in the very first chapter, we are met with Jesus being tempted, immediately
after His Father’s affirmation that ‘You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased’. The next forty days seem to be an all-guns-out trial of faith. He is either to trust God or not-and that happens again and again. And He comes out victorious, re-writing a different script than that of Adam and Eve. One of Faith, victory and eternal union with the Father, no being chased out of his presence again.

A few days later, He is walking alongside the sea of Galilee, and He meets some fishermen and tells them, “follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they leave their nets; their occupations and
livelihood, and they follow Him.

We may go on and on but of interest to me is an encounter that Jesus has with a known Tax collector, a social outcast. His name is Levi. Jesus asks him to follow Him, and he rises and does so. Later that day, Levi is hanging out with his newfound friend Jesus, and all his squad is with him. This scene makes the Pharisees uncomfortable, and they question
Jesus. In response He says, “those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” God’s
son is seated with those who have believed Him and is doing what He alone does best, to save them.

We pause there and make some inference, what does the
Christian FAITH look like? It can be defined in many other ways, but I will borrow Stott’s words to describe it as, ‘ Faith is the human response to divine revelation’.

Now, in our particular experience, as Christians who testify to a continued experience of same sex attractions, what should be some of our best responses to the divine revelation?

First, is that FAITH calls us to agree with God, who He says He is and who He says we are. God has said many things about Himself, what are some that you can recall? As you think about them let me mention just but a few. He is God the creator, the Lord, the Savior, the Holy One, the Great I AM and many others. And who are we?We arecreated in his image, his beloved (He has set His affection upon us), the objects of His salvation, even to spend an eternal fellowship with Him. We do not form our own opinion of who God is and who we are, rather we seek to understand from what He has revealed in His word. This is the call of faith.

Faith also calls us to receive God’s instruction for us as the best thing we can ever have. That his ‘NOs’ are not given out of malice but out of love and that His ‘YESs’ are the best that we can ever have. I say this because God’s word to many of us especially on how we should give and receive love sounds oppressing. We cannot
enjoy same sex sexual relations not because it is disgusting or feels unnatural but because God’s best counsel guides otherwise. Faith is trusting that God sees, God feels with us and God knows the best for us, we can trust Him. And haven’t we already found much life by trusting His other instructions? If yes, even in this, we can trust what He says is His best for us.

Faith also receives
God’s grace. For by His grace we have been saved through faith, and this is
not our own doing, it is the gift of God. Nothing has made me understand and receive God’s grace as my continued experience of same sex attractions. Some while back when they became intense and started disrupting this self-righteous CU boy and could not take it anymore, I asked the LORD to take me home (kill me).
I considered that I would rather be safe in heaven than in a sexuality crisis here on earth. And when the Lord seemed to delay, I felt unfit to be regarded as a Christian let alone being involved in serving the Lord. Our good LORD however helped me understand what salvation by His
grace meant; it meant that what gave me right standing before God had nothing to do with my good deeds. I was free thus, not to sin, for His grace is training me to renounce all ungodliness and wordly passions, but to approach God in faith knowing that I will always find mercy and grace to help in all my times of need. Because of how homosexuality is talked about, I know many of uscould feel too far from God’s grace and continually struggle to receive it
especially when we fall off. The gates of grace are wide, the stores of grace
are rich, the table of grace is open for us all. Let none be left out.

I have many more things to say about faith, but in conclusion I will say this, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. And since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely. Running with endurance the race that is set before us; looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter ofour faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despised the shame and is seated at the right hand of God.

And yes, we who have FOUND faith in God or are seeking
it and confess to a continued experience of same sex attractions are able to flourish in our FAITH journey. May we never turn back but keep on in the LORD for he is worth
our ALL.

AMEN