As many are increasingly adopting and embracing same-sex relationships, we are left to wonder if gay people have a place in heaven. In the past years, this was something that was done in secret. Gay people never declared their relationship status publicly because it was viewed as an obscene act. However, the case is very different in the modern world. People in same-sex relationships hide nothing concerning their relationships. Some have held grand weddings and others are dating openly.
This has led to so much confusion since many do not know if this is right or wrong. Others have already passed judgment on gay people and concluded that they cannot go to heaven. Some countries have legalized gay relationships while in others these relationships are said to violate the laws of the country. Many churches condemn this act too saying it is a sin. But how does God view gay people? Does He allow them to go to heaven?
The answer to whether gay people go to heaven or not is not upon us to answer. We are all human beings and we are prone to sin.
“Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”
Ecclesiastes 7:20
We all sin and we all fall short of God’s glory in one way or the other. The problem with us is that we often judge too much and we label people based on their kind of sin. We judge people based on the sins they are struggling with without looking at the condition of their hearts.
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Some may desire to pursue holiness and purity but find it hard to overcome the temptation. We do not know that before God, a lair, a gossip monger, a thief, or a person with evil thoughts are all sinners just like a gay person. Every action that does not align with the will of God is a sin. But how we respond to God’s call for repentance is what determines whether we will go to heaven or not regardless of the nature of our sins.
So, Do Gay People Go to Heaven?
When we go back to the Scriptures, we find out that God is against gay relationships. In Leviticus 18:22, God says, “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” God warned the people of Israel against same-sex sexual relationships. When we read Leviticus 20:13, He says that people who engage in these types of relationships are sinning. We all know that the Bible is very clear about the destiny of sinful people.
“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men.”
1 Corinthians 6:9
This is the Word of God informing us of the people who will not go to heaven; sinful people will not see heaven. While it is not in our place to judge, we can see that gay people are mentioned too. We don’t know what happens in their lives before death, but if they die while still in these relationships, they cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
Furthermore, the Scripture warns us against being deceived by false teachers who entice us with false teachings to attract us to their churches. These false teachers falsify God’s truth and lead God’s people astray.
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
Romans 1:25-27
Let us not be deceived by false teachers who are afraid of losing numbers in their churches. They lie to us that what we are doing is not sinful yet the Bible clearly terms it as a sin. God’s Word does not lie. And, if we really want to go to heaven when the time comes, then we should walk in line with its principles.
Gay people are considered sexually immoral people who do not align with God’s design for sex. When God created the world and everything in it, He saw that it was not good for man to be alone. He felt in His heart that man needed a companion. So for this purpose, God created a woman who would make man feel complete. God did not create another man to offer companionship to Adam, but a woman.
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He blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful in the land through their companionship. When we engage in same-sex relationships, we demean God’s original plan for sex. Going against God’s plan and will does not come without its consequences. And, one of these consequences may involve missing out on the list of the names in the Book of Life.
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Revelation 21:8
Heaven is not a place that is related to a fiery lake of burning Sulphur. Yet, this is the place that God has designed for sexually immoral people. When the Bible talks about sexually immoral people, what type of people do you think it is referring to?
The Bible refers to all people who are engaging in sexual activities against His will, including gay people. They will not go to heaven but will die a second death where they will burn in the lake of fire forever.
As mentioned earlier, sexual immorality is like any other sin and the consequence is the same. Every person who fails to do the will of God will not see heaven. Jesus says that on that day, He will deny us. If the things we are doing right now do not reflect His image, He will not identify us when He is welcoming other people into heaven.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
Matthew 7:21-23
Even if we preach day and night or perform miracles every hour, if we do not do the will of God, we will not see heaven. Even those who approve of things that do not align with the will of God will not go to heaven.
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Even though we may find it pleasing to engage ourselves in gay relationships, we should consider having the fear of God in us. We should ask ourselves if the things we are doing reflect the image of Jesus or not. Do our actions edify the name of the Lord in the world we live in? The laws of our countries may allow us to engage in gay relationships, but does God allow it?
“Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
Romans 1:32
We must consider finding out what God’s righteous decree concerning gay people is before we engage in such relationships. This way, we can make wise decisions regarding the relationships we engage in.
What determines if gay people or people who commit any other sin will go to heaven is their finish line. People who repent and turn back to God are forgiven and will go to heaven. In the Old Testament, God used prophets to warn the people of impending terror if at all they continued sinning. Those who continued sinning faced God’s wrath and were destroyed.
However, those who heard God’s message through the prophets and repented were saved. They escaped terror and destruction. The same applies to us today. If we can read God’s Word, understand His message, and repent, He will forgive us. He will also welcome us in heaven when the time comes.
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“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
If we can repent today and ask God to cleanse us from all our unrighteous doings, we will go to heaven. It doesn’t matter how long we have been sinning, but if we genuinely repent and turn to Him, He will forgive us. This is what will save us from going to hell or burning in the lake of burning Sulphur.
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