Recently,
Trey Pearson, the lead singer of Christian band Everyday Sunday, came out as
gay to his fans. He said that he had tried to not be gay for more than 20 years
of his life. Now, by coming out, he says he is finally able to be authentic and
real with himself and others.
Mr. Pearson has
not changed his religious beliefs. He still professes to be a Christian.
Pearson
recently stated, “There are millions
of people out there going through what I’ve gone through that I can be a voice
for, and I can hopefully help and make an impact in their lives.”
Vicky Beeching, also a professing
Christian musician, came out in 2014. She said, “What Jesus
taught was a radical message of welcome and inclusion and love. I feel certain God loves me just the way I
am, and I have a huge sense of calling to communicate that to young people.”
These quotes
are examples of the fruit of Hyper Grace teaching. An overwhelming population
of professing Christians with Macklemore as their worship leader singing, “I
can’t change even if I tried, even if I wanted to. … My love, my love, my love…
keeps me warm … keeps me warm.”
But before
everyone on the other side of the isle rallies together to bash the seed of the
sexual revolution, consider this: How many times have you heard an older member of your church
dismiss someone calling them to repent by declaring that’s just the way he or she is and they’re never going to change?
If sexual
preference doesn’t qualify as an adequate reason to reject the regenerating
power of the Holy Spirit, neither does old age.
Let me
assure you that the early Christians did NOT teach that God loves us so much
that He continually accepts us just the way we are. Instead, the early
Christians believed wholeheartedly in God’s ability to transform sinners. Though
many churches today give lip service to the need to be born again and the power
that follows, the second birth was fundamental to the early Christians’ belief
system.
“And dipped
himself,” says [the Scripture], “seven times in Jordan.” It was not for nothing that
Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being
baptized, but [it served] as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin,
we are made clean, by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord,
from our old transgressions; being spiritually regenerated as new-born babes,
even as the Lord has declared: “Except a man be born again through water and
the Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” –
Irenaeus 180CE, Volume 1, p. 968 [CD-ROM]
Do you
believe that the same God who turned an idolatrous leper into a fully-healed
worshipper of the one true God does the same works today in the lives of those
who receive His Son? A simple reading of Paul’s letter to Titus says that’s the
case.
For we
also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various
lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one
another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of
deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out
upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His
grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. – Titus 3:3-7
Regeneration
literally means new birth. Renewing means a change of heart and life that is achieved
by God’s power. Put those together, and a large part of salvation involves receiving
a brand new life, a new heart with new desires, and a new power to say ‘yes’ to
the commands of God, and ‘no’ to the lusts of the flesh.
In a sense, Jesus’
spiritual DNA begins to grow within you, empowering you to choose God’s choices by His power.
Though I
don’t struggle with homosexual desires, as someone who has dealt with
addiction, I know how it feels to wonder why God would allow me to have strong
urges for something that He says is wrong. In those situations, it’s so
tempting to surround yourself with people who will tell you what you want to
hear, and to push away anyone who challenges you to not let your feelings be
your guide. It’s a tough place to be, so I feel for Trey and Vicky.
But, I also
know the regenerative, grace-filled power of the Holy Spirit that transforms
slaves into victorious sons and daughters. Additionally, I have experienced the
tremendous support of Christians who loved me enough to hold me accountable and
use various spiritual shepherd’s crooks to keep me on the right path when my
heart would start to stray.
I tell you
the truth, some of the times in my life that I have felt loved the most have
been when a Christian counselor kept on calling me out for being feelings-oriented
in my thinking, then implored me to rely on God’s grace and demonstrate love to
my family by submitting to God’s commands.
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