“If someone is gay can they get into heaven?”
Can a gay person get into heaven? What if they are currently struggling and haven’t stopped? I get asked that question a lot, and here’s my answer.
To me, this is the equivalent of asking can someone who struggles with alcohol get into heaven. What about the one that struggles with lust? What about anger? Disobedience to parents? Arrogance? Boastful? Gossiping? Most of these are listed in Romans 1:29-30.
The real question that should be asked is “what saves us”? Faith in Jesus Christ saves us. Not getting mad doesn’t save us. Avoiding getting drunk won’t do it. Not looking with lust won’t do it. And not being gay will save humanity. In other words, how good we are at avoiding sin has zero connection with our being saved. Yes, behavior is important, but not as a means of activating salvation.
Heaven is not about behavior. Heaven is about new birth. It’s about our identity. We are either dead in Adam, or alive in Christ. This only comes through faith – not perfect human effort.
The ‘flesh’ is weak and some may struggle with any of the above sins for many years. Now, if someone is saying God doesn’t care about homosexuality (or any other sin) and that He just wants us to be happy, well then I’d have to say that person has good cause to question whether he/she has a new identity. There’s a huge difference is struggling with sin, and flat out denying that God hates sin to the point of saying it’s what God wants. Once saved God promises to give us new hearts, new spirits, and new desires. Sin, no matter how much we struggle with it, shouldn’t feel right anymore. So while a Christian who is an alcoholic might continue to drink for many years, he knows deep down it’s not what God wants for him (though he is COMPLETELY forgiven of it).
So yes, gays and/or practicing homosexuals can get into heaven, and they get there the same way we all do. Through a genuine faith in Christ.
By the way, real faith says “Lord I CAN’T do it on my own. Even on my best day, my self-righteousness isn’t enough. I am ONLY looking to Jesus to save me. I call upon His name”
Sadly many people are saying they have real faith in Christ alone, but when pressed they will ignore someone’s profession of faith and instead look at their struggles with outward sin to decide if they are saved or not.
Something for us all to think about. Share your thoughts below.
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
16 Comments
Good day sir, I can’t help but disagree with your teaching. A sin is a sin regardless of if someone is struggling with it. You don’t go to heaven just because you received Jesus into your life. It’s because you live your life , honoring God and obeying him everyday. The grace to live righteously has been given, we enjoy it through faith and live above sin. For homosexuals and gay, these are sins like adultery and fornication and if found in one’s life , at the time of rapture or call to heaven, he won’t make heaven. Jesus called them “workers of iniquity” and that they depart from him. Let’s not water down the truth of God’s word.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 KJV
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
So you see , chrstians practicing gay or homosexuality need to get their acts together and seek help from the holy spirit. It’s your live for Jesus that makes you decide to let go of sin. After all, we choose to do them till they become an habit. Same way we can undo it.
Let’s be thoroughly guided here. The scriptures is filled with many instances where Jesus gave criteria of those worthy of the kingdom mark 8:34 . Deny yourself ,take up your cross and follow me!!!!
A sin is a sin whether you struggling with it or not and no one should assume that God will overlook such attitude of the heart towards His love.. Be not recurved, for God is not mocked, for whatever a man does, he will reap. God has already dealt with sin through his son and went further to grant us His righteousness by faith. Sin shall not have dominion over you. If it does, you need to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. If you still practice gay, you are not yet fully obedient to the cross even with the tremendous grace given us through Christ Jesus.
Bless God……
My friend, I’m not sure where you’re getting this doctrine from, but you won’t find anything in the Scriptures that teach us we are saved because of the “way we live our life”.
That would works-based salvation.
Nor does anyone in here of salvation because they ‘obey him every day’. What you just described is a Jewish man’s problem. The Jews strived for salvation by being obedient to 613 miles. That is not the method under the new covenant.
Today we received a hearing in believing. By calling on the name of the Lord. Through faith. It is not of our obedience every day, less anyone boast, it is a gift.
What you are teaching is that we are saved from sin…….unless we sin.
My friend, you were watering down the gospel message. God said he remembers our sins no more. That would include a believing homosexual. God said as far as the west is from the east he has taken our sins away. That would include a believing homosexual. God said on the day of judgment day all who believe will not be judged. That includes a believing homosexual.
Next, you cited 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. You cited it out of context because you’re not understanding what’s actually being said. First, let see the verse:
“You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, 10 thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God”.
You may have noticed that’s a pretty long list. But you don’t honestly think that’s where it ends? This is just a sample. And here’s what Paul is teaching the Corinthian’s…..
We see in this letter that the Corinthians are using their freedom in Christ to commit all kinds of sins. There are divisions and factions between them. They’re having orgies, they were drunkards, and guilty of all types of sin. Yet calls them Saints. Paul calls and brothers in the name of the Lord.
Then we come to this verse that you cited where Paul list a bunch of sins that referred to their old identity.
Paul has a heart for the Corinthians and doesn’t want to see them indulging in behavior that is not consistent with their new identity.
Paul lists all these sins because he’s reminding them that BEFORE they got saved these very things would prevent them from inheriting the kingdom of God. Paul is saying how can you live a lifestyle that once condemned you to hell? He wants them to remember that they were rescued from these things, and it makes no sense to go back to that life.
He’s showing them they have a new identity.
And if you would simply read the very next verse you would have seen that. Paul literally tells them that this was their identity before they got saved, but he wants to remind them about what happened. Let’s see what happens to them.
[1 Corinthians 6:11] That is what some of you WERE! But you were WASHED, you were SANCTIFIED, you were JUSTIFIED in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and by the Spirit of our God.
So, Paul says that identity is what they WERE. Past tense. And he’s reminding them that Jesus sanctified them, he justified them, he washed their sins away. Paul is saying stop living out your old identity and remember what happened to you at salvation.
And if we even read one more verse, Paul is going to remind them that he too is free to do ANYTHING he wants, including the things in this long list he just cited, but he doesn’t use his freedom to do those things and nor should the Corinthian’s.
[1 Corinthians 6:12] EVERYTHING is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me.
So Paul, nor myself, is condoning a life of sin. But we refuse to ignore our FORGIVENESS of ALL sin. We are free, and 100% forgiven of all sin. However, we should not use our freedom to indulge the flesh.
About Mark 8:34 ‘Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me’
How do we ‘deny ourselves’. We acknowledge that we cannot be saved through our own human effort. We can not be saved by being obedient to 613 laws. That’s exactly what you’re pushing to hear. Salvation through obedience to rules and regulations.
The end of the verse says to take up your cross and follow him. When Jesus took up his cross where did he go? He went to be crucified. How many times did he do it? He did it one time, because the first time worked. When we take up our cross and follow him, he’s talking about salvation. We are buried with Christ one time. We are not taking up our cross day after day after day.
You said “no one should assume that God will overlook such attitude of the heart towards His love”
You are literally mocking God with that statement. God sent his Son to be brutally murdered on the cross and shed his blood to be the propitiation sin. And then you turn around and suggest somehow that maybe that blood is not sufficient if someone commits the sin too many times. My friend, the blood of bulls and goats was better than that. The Jews would have an entire year of sins cleansed. Year after year they would have the same sacrifices. And you’re literally suggesting that the blood of Jesus is somehow less effective.
Bulls and goats were killed year after year. Jesus died once. Because it worked.
The way you mock God is by implying that someone who has believed that Jesus is the son of God and has the power to cleanse us of ALL unrighteousness, and then turn around and try to put Christians back under the Jewish law for salvation. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. You are either saved by obedience to the laws and regulations, or you are saved by faith.
I’m not hearing you mention anything about what Jesus did for us on the cross. I feel like I am responding to a religious Pharisee who is calling me to look at my performance as a means of measuring my forgiveness.
Should believers practice homosexuality or any other kind of sin? Of course not, and we have not suggested otherwise. But we will not water down the goodness of Jesus and what he has done for anyone who will call on his name to rescue them. We are not saved by any amount of human performance.
My friend, you are not saved because you perform well. You are safe because Jesus performed well. I honestly feel like you need to reread the new covenant message. Because right now you are still pushing an old covenant Jewish man’s gospel. It’s like reading a great mystery book, and stopping halfway through it. You missed the greatest conclusion.
Thank you! This message is so helpful in untangling the knots in my mind about salvation by Grace or works. I have, for many years, wanted to believe that Jesus’s sacrifice was all I needed to hold on to for salvation, but the message of works always tangled me up. I kept hearing that yes, Jesus died for my sins, and once I believed that I was MOSTLY saved, but I had to do good in order to maintain that salvation. If I didn’t, I would be “forfeiting the kingdom”. I am slowly learning that Jesus’s sacrifice washed me clean once and for all, and his Grace is lavish and abundant, and in no way tied to how good I try to be. Thank you!
Thanks! I am glad you are discovering to goodness of God 🙂
Sir you are right. Thanks for sharing. I don’t know the bible very well, but I am learning.
You’re working for your salvation, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Faith in Christ is the key sinner!
It would most certainly appear you did not watch the video. You were welcome to join the conversation but we would appreciate it if you would watch the video before commenting.
i am gay i want to make it to heaven what am i supposed to do i can’t just stop being gay people are born that way i’ve known i was gay since i was a child i’ve always had an attraction towards men should i just not act on the sin i’m lost at this point and don’t know what to do
In addition to a Christian response, you’ll also have to be prepared for an honest one.
People tell me they are ‘born that way’ I’m gonna have to get pushback and say I disagree. First of all no child knows what his/her sexual preference is. This is not something shocking and think about.
I office acknowledged that most men have this desire to have sexual relations with more than one woman. It does not mean God made us that way. Does not mean that God wants us to indulge ourselves.
He basically asked me said you say no to sin. My answer would be you should say no to any type of sin, not just sexual.
Now, if you do have faith in Christ, Jesus, I do believe you should know that you are forgiven, and will inherit the kingdom. I also know that you really are a believer, the downside you know that you should be saying no to any type of sin. Be careful not to hyper focus on the specific sin. Without your identity in Christ. I wish you the best
Luv, I’m not trying to come across as judgemental (but I am judgemental) because I am not perfect. But God doesn’t make mistakes. You being gay is a choice, we are all born with free will. One thing people dont realize is that satan is the God of this earth not the world. His job is to seek and destroy. He knew also that you had those feelings so what does he do? He tempts you, he tempts all if us. I struggle with cursing I mean my mouth is horrible, especially when upset. I recognize that I had a problem so I prayed to God for help. I am aware of this is so I made the choice to work on it. God knows we are imperfect which is why he tells us to call on him because we are weak. Our flesh wants what it wants. The purpose of God creating man and woman was for the purpose of uniting as one reproduction. When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah its because he was against it. You are stronger than you think especially with God leading the way. You are not a bad person just lost and Jesus can deliver you and save you. Repent of your sins and turn away from them before its too late. Start by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Ask the Holy Spirit to work in you. I wish you the best and will be praying for you. God bless ❤🙏❤
Thank you lately I have felt attraction to the same sex and read an article that says I will go to hell for continuing to sin even if I’m saved and I don’t want to feel the attraction but can’t help it sometimes
Thank you so much for this message I’ve known I am gay for a couple years now and I’ve been told I’d go to hell but this really opened my eyes
Awesome. While I do not condone any kind of sin, I’m sure you’re comment will offend the religious eager. If only more of us could be honest openly confess our struggles. Some are gay. Some are addicted to alcohol. Some struggle with lust. I think God will have favor on those who have knowledge there sin, as opposed to those prideful people who act as if they have no struggles at all, and view themselves as being without sin.
Hi
Thank you for your article
I’ve been same sex attracted my whole life
I’ve been married to a lovely lady for 17 years
I am still same sex attracted and used to rush off to cruising areas for a quickie
I haven’t done that for years but wish I could just be gay but I know it’s not father gods way, the better way.
Please pray for my ongoing battles and to stay on the narrow way
Getting married is great but it won’t change your man attractions
First of all, you are not going to Hell for being gay if you have a relationship with Christ. Our Father loves all of His children and if you love Him, then you will receive the gift of salvation. It’s a gift, not something that you can earn by good, Christian behavior. Christ came to save us. It’s not something that we can do on our own with good behavior. I hope this reassures those on this stream that are questioning or worried. God loves you. Secondly, being gay is not a choice. It has been proven that genetics are linked and there is a biological basis for it and also exposure to particular hormones in the womb is a factor. Gay Christians that are committing suicide because they can’t pray the gay away did not choose to be gay. Please stop telling our gay Christens that they can just pray this away as you are adding to the suicide rates. They can pray this away as easily as we can pray away being born autistic, or being a brunette or blonde, or being smart or challenged. And as Christians, we are to love everyone, regardless of their appearance, beliefs, etc. It’s our job to love, not judge.
I’m assuming you are aware that I made it very clear that no one will go to hell because they’re gay. We only go to hell because we reject Jesus. I think you know that. I just wasn’t clear on who you are addressing in your comment.
I do want to give a little pushback on your comment that being gay is not a choice. Let’s say for the moment you’re right, which I don’t think you are. Also, there is no legit scientifical literature out there that could support what you said. Nonetheless, does that negate acting on sin? That is in direct contradiction to what the scripture says.
If I were a betting man, I would say 80% of every man on the planet has desires of being with more than one woman. So one could argue, men naturally wired to be physically attracted to more than just our woman. And I’m pretty sure we could scientifically prove that. So does that mean every man should just go and cheat on his wife? After all, we didn’t choose to be attracted to more than one woman, we’re just made that way, right? You see, your logic falls apart very quickly. Sin is sin, and we don’t get to excuse it simply because it feels like a natural desire to us. We live in broken bodies, which have all kinds of desires that are not consistent with what God wants for us. With all due respect, there is a big difference in me, saying that we are totally forgiven of sin, and you basically saying sin doesn’t matter if you’re gay.
But this idea, the gay people can’t overcome that lifestyle is total nonsense. I’m not saying they have to do to be saved. I’m not even saying it’s easy. In fact, I would assume it is extremely difficult. And I’m not too worried about what somebody is doing. I’m really only worried about their eternal destination.. However, I personally know several Christians who previously practiced the homosexual lifestyle, and completely and fully overcame it.
Your example comparing praying for a brunette to be blonde to a gay person choosing to act on those desires falls apart very quickly as well. Your hair color is your hair color. There’s nothing you can do about it. But you can be gay and choose not to act on those feelings, in the same way that I, as a married man, choose not to act on desires and cheat on my wife. If married men all acted on our feelings, we would be breaking world records for sin, and none of us would be married anymore.
Lastly, this idea that Christians are not called to judge is completely not founded on any scriptural basis. Indeed, we are not called to judge someone’s salvation. But we see clearly in the Scriptures that Christians are called to judge other Christians who make serious poor choices. Yes, we should do it in love, but we are not call to just ignore it. You may recall the apostle Paul’s letter writing to the Corinthians, where they judge this man who apparently was committing a sin it even the Gentiles did not do, and they threw him out of the church.
You are bringing a very dangerous doctrine to the table. But the one place that you did get it right is that if a person is a homosexual, and they are in Christ, they are secure and safe, and will inherit the kingdom just as the rest up as will. But let’s not use the grace of God to encourage everyone to go out and just do whatever the heck they want to. Do not use your freedom to poison the flesh. All things are permissible, but all things are not beneficial. Let’s not be mastered by sin.
God Bless