“Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
Romans 2:2-4 (NIV)
Dear friends,
Pride Month is here again. The LGBTQ+ community is celebrated, LGBTQ+ identification is championed, and those who believe Gospel of Transformation are chided. Whether you have a loved one who identifies as LGBTQ+, you have children who are impacted by the bombarding message of LGBTQ+ normalization, or your employer mandates LGBTQ+ celebration, Pride Month is hard to ignore. You may be tempted to be like an ostrich with your head in the sand, ignoring those who need to encounter the real Jesus. Or perhaps you feel pressured to be like some Christians who attend Pride parades with signs that read, “We’re sorry,” bowing to the rage and coercion of our loved ones and society. Maybe you just feel angry about the current state of culture and wish that people–those in the LGBTQ+ community or Christians–would “get it together.”
Rather than those approaches, how can we navigate this Pride Month compassionately without compromising? Here are five activities I suggest we endeavor to do as Christians this month to engage with the world around us without abandoning God’s truth.
Examine ourselves. Paul’s words in Romans 1-2 are extremely clear: all people, religious or irreligious, are separated from God without His intervention. Followers of Jesus are not saved because they are better people than those who aren’t yet followers; they are saved through God’s sheer and utter grace. Those of us who are Christians are no better than members of the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, Paul is clear in Romans 2: our sins may look different on the surface than the LGBTQ+ community, but they are actually very similar at the root. Sin is ultimately rooted in self-centeredness. Even we who identify as Christians tend towards self-centeredness and self-justification without God’s grace. Before we step into biblical compassion without compromise this month, let’s take the time to confess our sins and to seek connection with God for who He is rather than what we get out of Him.
Remember the Gospel. Examining ourselves must be done in light of the Cross. Jesus has “canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). As followers of Jesus, we must experience afresh God’s love for us through Jesus’ finished work. We are accepted and loved by God because of Jesus, not because of how well we’ve loved others. We can address our sin and pride because we have already been made alive in Christ. Once we have more fully experienced and trusted God’s love and grace, we can begin to truly be compassionate without compromising.
See people through Jesus’ eyes. Every person you interact with, in-person or over the internet, is made in the image of God. They have infinite dignity, worth, value, and purpose. This includes people with different beliefs than you, and even those who hate you. Jesus saw everyone, including those who crucified Him, as both image-bearers and as those who needed the Gospel. Jesus was a man of sorrows who saw people’s hurts and needs, and He did something about it through the Cross. As we interact with members of the LGBTQ+ community this month, let us come back to seeing them through Jesus’ eyes: people just like us, who have hurts, gifts, joys, and a deep need for Jesus.
Root ourselves in God’s Word. While rooting ourselves in God’s design for sexuality and identity is crucial, I believe we need to go a step further. As I wrote in an article last year titled “Truth, Love, and Pronouns,” truth and love are more like two sides of the same coin than they are two separate but overlapping things. Supposed truth without love isn’t truth, and supposed love without truth isn’t love. Biblical compassion without compromise means we are deeply rooted in what it means to speak the truth in love. As Paul wrote, “Love rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6).
Pray. As we do everything in the Christian walk, we must seek God through prayer. Rather than seeing the LGBTQ+ community or our culture as a threat, we should pray for God to open hearts to His truth and love. Beyond that, how might God be leading us to engage with the LGBTQ+ community or LGBTQ+-identified loved ones this month? How might we tangible engage in biblical compassion without compromise with those who need Jesus’ grace? I urge us as a community to seek how God is calling us to engage in grace and truth instead of withdrawing or being angry or hurt.
In a culture that gives only one choice—to embrace and take pride in a life opposed to God—we have chosen a different way. The world says there is no way to change, but our participants understand the power of God’s transformation and restoration. I pray that as each of us seeks to apply these five ideas during the month, we would navigate this charged time filled with grace and compassion, rooted in God’s truth. God is faithful, and He will do a good work in the lives of many.
To Him be glory in Christ Jesus forever and ever! Amen.
