Our default as humans is hell

It’s always a privilege to be asked to speak about my faith and personal testimony, it’s usually the Q & A session that I find the most fun as I get a chance to really hear what’s on people’s hearts.  In a couple of weeks I am speaking to a youth group and have been furnished with their questions in advance.  One question that popped out of the page to me was this, “Will LGBTQ people go to hell?

Well, that person certainly isn’t messing about and wants a direct answer, and of course that’s what I’m here to give.  Fortunately for me, I’ve heard some good teaching on this, one of which stood out to me in a kind of eureka moment as I recognised that we all start from the same default.

Our default as humans is hell.  What I mean by that is that we were all destined for hell from the moment we were born into this sinful world.  So whatever your sexuality, whatever your gender, race or even your religion, you were on a path to hell.
 
BUT, and it’s a huge BUT!  God sent his only son so that anyone who believes in him, will not go to hell but will have eternal life (read John 3:16 to see how the Bible puts it).  So anyone, no matter who, has the opportunity to believe in Jesus and go to heaven for eternity.  The challenge here is to consider what does believing in Jesus really mean?

Demons believe in Jesus, Satan believes in Jesus, so it doesn’t simply mean believing that he exists.  For many his existence is a given, but it doesn’t save them from hell. What we are talking about is people who want to get to know him and are prepared to say that no area of their life is off limits as they develop their relationship with him. Those who recognise that he is not a god that they make in their own image and likeness, but Almighty God who created us and loves us. The people it is talking about are those people who believe in him and as a consequence change their behaviours to try to be obedient to his teaching.  They are the ones who will have eternal life.
 
So if you are asking me if LGBTQ people will go to hell, I will answer you that they are no different from the rest of the population.  They need to look at their own behaviours and consider whether they are treating God and his word seriously.  There are many areas for all of us to consider, lying, cheating, deceiving, thieving, blaspheming, pride, greed, lust, idolatry, to name a few.  Are they surrendered to God enough to recognise that these things are not part of God’s plan for their life?  Are they open to working with God as they explore the Christian faith?  Are they prepared to see their sexual identity as irrelevant to this journey, they are no different from their straight friends.  God asks all of us to search our hearts, and offers all of us the same precious gift of salvation if we choose to accept it.

I am privileged to work with many adults who have already wrestled with God over their identity and beliefs and who have come to a place where they have laid down their own agenda in their pursuit of truth.  The truth that says, all are lost, but Jesus died on the cross for each and every person.  The truth is that everyone has that opportunity, so if you are in the LGBTQ community, find a church that will give you time and space to learn more about Jesus, so that you too can make your own, informed decision about following him and receiving the eternal life that he so freely gives.