It's so confusing in our world. There's so much division between people politically and we get confused about truth. Can a sinner be a Christian? Can a consistent lifestyle sinner like a gay person be a Christian? Is it better to associate with conservative non-Christians then liberal Christians? Can a liberal even be a Christian? What does the Bible say about all of this?
In the diagram above, you can see the dividing lines. On the top are Christian people. Both liberal and conservative.
Acts 16:29-34
"The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household."
The qualifications for being saved are pretty straight forward and laid out in this verse. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Therefore, sinners (and we all are sinners), gay people, liberals, murderers, adulterers, liars, theifs, abusers, addicts, and any other flavor of sinner is welcome and able to be saved. That means that yes, you can be a Christian as long as you recieve Jesus as your Savior. And for us already Christian people, yes the drug addict sitting next to you at church can be a Christian! The gay person can be a Christian. Even a liberal can be Christian.
Check out the dividing lines again. Above the horizontal line are the Christians. Salvation is a veritcal step, going from unbelieving to believing.
Politics is a horizontal step. The diving line is vertical. We even call it left (liberal) and right (conservative). So we as Christian people need to understand that politics is not a determining factor in our salvation! We as a conservative Christian population seem to forget that God died for ALL of us, not just the ones who agree politically with the Bible.
And I say this to make it clear, Biblical values do overall agree with conservative politics. Examples include conservative mentality that life is precious and aborting a child in the womb is murder.
Psalm 139:13-14
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
Leviticus 18:21
"Do not permit any of your children to be offered as a sacrifice to Molech, for you must not bring shame on the name of your God. I am the LORD. "Don't give any of your children to be burned in sacrifice to the god Molech - an act of sheer blasphemy of your God."
Another example of Biblical values aligning closer with conservative politics is marriage of a man and woman, not a man and man or a woman and woman.
Gensis 1:27
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
Leviticus 20:13
"If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
That does not mean all conservatives are Christians however. It also does not mean that a person who is liberal can not be a Christian!
The trouble with truth in our world is that we are focused on the wrong thing. God doesn't care if you are gay or you've had an abortion! He doesn't care about your right to bear arms or your self-righteousness. If Salvation is the main goal, that is accomplished simply by believing in Jesus and accepting him as your Savior. So you can be a gay Christian or you can be a conservative non-believer.
God is not satisfied however to leave us where we are. He is always drawing all of us towards Himself, because He loves us. He died for us and that should mean something to us. He is never satisfied to leave anyone where they are and longs for a close relationship with Himself.
This does mean that God will be drawing us always towards Biblical values. There is so much mercy and grace for His beloved children though. He doesn't force a person who loves someone of the same sex to just "cut it out". But He will gently love and convict and put us through refining fires to bring out more of who He designed us to be. Sin is not an identity. Sin is an action. Identity is found in Christ. We are His. He is I am, so I am I ams.
Even those sitting squarely in the conservative Christian, Biblical values-following camp need to be careful. Self righteousness is a sin and being politically far right can be dangerous. I've had first hand experience with friends who are so intolerant of others specks that they can't notice their own plank. It's not your job to fix everyone nor is it right for you to judge another persons life. It's God's job to draw people to Himself and you are not God. Protests that turn into shouting matches are not counter-cultural, as Christian people are called to be. Being unloving and intolerant, not allowing sinners to come to the hospital for sin (the church) and pointing out every persons flaws will not win them over for Christ. Being loving, having mercy and grace is how Jesus won over tax collectors and prostitutes for His Kingdom. Not tolerating the sin, but loving the sinner.
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