Should I Like my LGBTQ Friend’s Post on Social Media?
As a Christian, this can definitely be a tricky topic to navigate. On the one hand, I want to show Jesus’s love to others (especially to my non-believing friends), but on the other hand, I don’t want to endorse or encourage lifestyles of sin that go against God’s commands.
So what should I do? How should I react when my LGBTQ friends post romantic things about their same-sex partners?
Non-believers can’t be expected to live up to Christian standards
The first thing that I like to remind myself when considering this topic is that I can’t expect non-believers to live up to God’s standards.
Scripture describes believers on earth as foreigners who are just visiting a country that isn’t their homeland. As a Christian, I am a citizen of a foreign kingdom, and my time on earth is just as a visitor.
Here’s a parallel: as an American, when I travel to a foreign country I can’t expect the people in that country to live by the same laws that govern my own country. After all, I’m the one who’s visiting THEIR country, and I’m the one who’s on THEIR turf. In the same way, just because homosexuality is outlawed in God’s kingdom doesn’t mean that I should expect people outside of God’s kingdom to live by those same standards. Even though the laws of God’s kingdom are better than the laws of this world, the world’s citizens might not want to accept God’s law (especially if I’m trying to force it on them).
As a Christian living in a foreign kingdom, it wouldn’t be fair to impose the laws of God’s kingdom upon people who are citizens of a different kingdom.
Homosexuality is just as much a sin as any other sin
Everyone sins
Romans 3:23 teaches that EVERYONE sins. That includes members of the LGBTQ community, and that includes members of the church community. The only difference between the two communities is that church members tend to be better at HIDING their sins.
I need to remember that I am just as much of a sinner as any member of the LGBTQ community.
Open sin is better than hidden sin
Jesus criticized many of the church leaders who had their Bible memorized and actually preferred spending time with people who embraced some of the most sinful lifestyles. He was known for hanging out with thieves and prostitutes—people who recognized how unbiblical their own lifestyles were.
It seems like Jesus would rather work with people who are open about their sin more than people who hide their sin. Maybe the fact that the LGBTQ community doesn’t try to hide their unbiblical lifestyles means that God can work with them even more than the church members who try to hide their sins.
I shouldn’t treat people differently just because their sins are different than mine
Another thing I like to remind myself when considering this topic is that homosexuality is just as much a sin as any other sin.
Of course homosexuality is a sin, but so are many other things: like pride and self-centeredness for example. (And the sins of pride and self-centeredness show up A LOT in social media posts!) If I am willing to like a self-centered photo of my straight friend’s spouse, then why do I hesitate to like a photo about my LGBTQ friend’s spouse just because that relationship is same-sex?
BOTH posts are rooted in sin.
BOTH sins are strong enough to separate people from experiencing the life that God has to offer.
BOTH kinds of sinners are in equal need of Jesus.
And thankfully… BOTH sins are equally forgivable by God.
It doesn’t seem fair to treat people differently just because their sins are different. As sinners, we’re all in the same boat no matter if my sin is homosexuality, self-centeredness, or anything else.
So what should I do?
I should treat sinners the same way that Jesus treats sinners
When the church community asked Jesus why he spent his time hanging out with prostitutes and thieves, he responded:
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” —Mark 2:17 (NIV)
The fact that Jesus hung out with prostitutes doesn’t mean he endorsed prostitution. Even though Jesus obviously didn’t agree with their lifestyles, he still showed them love and compassion. When he sees sinners, he sees sick people.
Thankfully, when Jesus sees someone with a deadly disease, he doesn’t look at them and say, “Ew, get rid of your disease so that we can hang out.” No, instead, he has compassion on them and loves them DESPITE the deadliness of their condition.
That’s what Jesus did with ME, and that’s what he does with members of the LGBTQ community. If Jesus treats sinners with love and compassion, then that’s how I should treat them too.
Marked by love
The one thing that everyone in the LGBTQ community is looking for is LOVE.
Interestingly enough, scripture teaches that God himself is love.
What if my LGBTQ friend is actually looking for a love and acceptance so strong that it can only be found in God?
As God’s child, I have already received the exact same kind of overwhelming, powerful love that the LGBTQ community is looking for. Now that I’ve experienced that love for myself, my job is to share it with others. Not only does Jesus tell the church to love its neighbor, but he also tells the church community:
Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. —John 13:35 (NLT)
Isn’t that interesting? That verse doesn’t even mention loving people OUTSIDE of the church… it only talks about the church loving the members of its OWN community. The citizens of God’s kingdom are supposed to love each other so deeply that it catches the attention of outsiders and makes them want to join God’s kingdom.
Isn’t that beautiful? As citizens of God’s kingdom, our purpose is to live as visitors in this foreign kingdom (called earth) and show its inhabitants how much love citizens of God’s kingdom have for each other.
This makes me think that the best way to change the LGBTQ community’s mind about Jesus is to show them the deep, supernatural love that only God’s kingdom can offer. They should be looking at the church and be desiring to be a part of it because of how brilliantly we love each other.
Conclusion
Everyone needs love and acceptance. The LGBTQ community offers that to people. The only way that people would leave the love and acceptance they find in the LGBTQ community is if they found a different community that offered them a love that was even stronger. God’s church was designed to be that community marked by love.