In a hypothetical situation, I am approached by a 11 year old Christian church attending boy who confesses to being gay, and that he fears he will go to hell as a result. He doesn’t want anyone, especially not his family to know. What would you do?
We have all heard that homosexuality is an abomination to God. However, has anyone every done a search of the Bible to see what else is an abomination to God. Most people don’t take the time to do that. Here are a few things which the Bible says are an abomination to the Lord: (using King James Version)
- Lying (Proverbs 6:17)
- Pride (Proverbs 6:17)
- Violence (Provebs 6:17)
- Evil Thoughts (Proverbs 6:18)
- Discord (Proverbs 6:19)
- Dishonest Business Practices (Dueteronomy 25:13–16)
- Various Other Sexual Practices (Leviticus 18:18–30)
- Prayer from a Wrong Heart (Proverbs 28:9)
- Our own Righteousness (Luke 16:15–16)
For those actually interested, here is a bible search in the KJV on the word abomination. Even eating the wrong kind of fish is an abomination to the Lord in the book of Leviticus.
Basically any sin is an abomination to God because as the Bible says in Hebrews 1:9 that Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Abominations are simply things God hates, which is any sin. We as humans tend to grade sin on a scale of really bad to not so bad, but in the end all sin is wrong and violates Gods standards. As such, there are many people who will not find themselves in Heaven on judgement day despite them thinking so.
So when a boy comes to me as says he has a terrible problem with being gay – this is GOOD NEWS. It’s good because a heart that is aware of its sin is in the perfect place to receive grace from the Saviour Jesus Christ.
Why should I be apalled when someone says He is gay but not be apalled when someone says he is a sinner? Or apalled at my own sin? In God’s eyes both are apalling. But in God’s eyes both people are equally loved, and Christ died for both.
So I can really work with someone who is concerned about the condition of their heart and wants to do something about it. There is help for people who want help, and the grace of God is ready to flow.
My response would be to pray for the young man, and to talk him through the issues to discover what he knows, what he believes and to help him find help in whatever way he needs it. This boy is probably closer to heaven, than most “straight” boys of the same age. Probably Option B is the closest option to that which I would take. – David Alley
