Gaychristian asked: We pray that you will find Christ and come to Him and reject the Ex-Gay heresy. And whatever you do, while we know it is hard to live repressed, don't harm yourself. God loves you regardless of sexuality and he can forgive the people who abused your spirit and told you need to "change". Actually I don't talk like this at all. Many ex-gays expect this tone though from what I've seen. I am praying that you do come to Christ, however and that you embrace His truth. God save you! -Ian
I replied: Ian, I truly thank you for your concern. However, not only am I NOT repressed but in Christ I have found a liberty that I hope you come to know someday. I truly have never known such love, peace, and joy in my life and it is only by the freedom of the Holy Spirit which has liberated my soul from the bondage and oppression of my flesh. As far as hurting myself, why would I do such a foolish thing. I have been bought with a price. Christ was slain that I may have life and that more abundantly. What reason could I possibly have to inflict harm on a temple of God’s Holy Spirit? I am not repressed or in some sort of self loathing bondage as you seem to think. I love my life, my wife, my family, and my God. I agree that God loves me despite my sin and brokenness and it was that very love that drew me to repentance. Despite what you may think no one abused my spirit or told me I needed to change. I never loathed myself or was told I needed to alter myself in order to be a recipient of God’s love. I was never told to reject homosexuality or face hellfire. It was God’s Holy Spirit that regenerated my heart and drew me to repentance in His sovereign grace and mercy. The Gospel I was preached was not change yourself and then be saved but that God’s grace is sufficient to save to the uttermost all who have gone astray. It was God through His glorious grace who made my heart aware of my depravity and my overall need for a Savior(not just from my homosexuality, but my blasphemy, idolatry, drunkenness etc.). God in His mercy imparted to me His Holy Spirit which turned my heart of stone into a heart of flesh. The fact of the matter is that we must all recognize the depths of our depravity and how gravely we need salvation. Apart from God’s saving grace we are completely separated from truth. Upon facing God’s light I saw my darkness. I saw my need for His truth. It was upon being justified that God began to sanctify my understanding. No one had to tell me homosexuality was sin or convince me to repress my identity. Upon receiving a new heart, right spirit, and renewed mind I no longer identified myself by who I thought I was but who Christ is. In Christ I seek my identity. Christ in His glorious gave me freedom from the bondage of drunkenness, profanity, anger, homicidal and suicidal thoughts, and also homosexual sin. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ the Righteous and Just. I pray that Christ in His freeing love would grant you such sweet liberty. Homosexuality is not a greater or lesser sin than any other sin. In Christ however there is victory over all sin. Its not that we will be completely sinless or without struggles or wrestles with sin, but in Christ there is victory and dominion over sin. No longer shall we be slaves to sin but we have freedom to resist and conquer sin.In Christ there is the freedom and liberty to overcome sin. Becoming heterosexual didn’t save me. It didn’t gain me access to heaven. Only salvation in Christ does that. My desires and orientation changed as a result of salvation in Christ. Not in order to be saved by Christ. #ex-gay #savedbygrace
I replied: Ian, I truly thank you for your concern. However, not only am I NOT repressed but in Christ I have found a liberty that I hope you come to know someday. I truly have never known such love, peace, and joy in my life and it is only by the freedom of the Holy Spirit which has liberated my soul from the bondage and oppression of my flesh. As far as hurting myself, why would I do such a foolish thing. I have been bought with a price. Christ was slain that I may have life and that more abundantly. What reason could I possibly have to inflict harm on a temple of God’s Holy Spirit? I am not repressed or in some sort of self loathing bondage as you seem to think. I love my life, my wife, my family, and my God. I agree that God loves me despite my sin and brokenness and it was that very love that drew me to repentance. Despite what you may think no one abused my spirit or told me I needed to change. I never loathed myself or was told I needed to alter myself in order to be a recipient of God’s love. I was never told to reject homosexuality or face hellfire. It was God’s Holy Spirit that regenerated my heart and drew me to repentance in His sovereign grace and mercy. The Gospel I was preached was not change yourself and then be saved but that God’s grace is sufficient to save to the uttermost all who have gone astray. It was God through His glorious grace who made my heart aware of my depravity and my overall need for a Savior(not just from my homosexuality, but my blasphemy, idolatry, drunkenness etc.). God in His mercy imparted to me His Holy Spirit which turned my heart of stone into a heart of flesh. The fact of the matter is that we must all recognize the depths of our depravity and how gravely we need salvation. Apart from God’s saving grace we are completely separated from truth. Upon facing God’s light I saw my darkness. I saw my need for His truth. It was upon being justified that God began to sanctify my understanding. No one had to tell me homosexuality was sin or convince me to repress my identity. Upon receiving a new heart, right spirit, and renewed mind I no longer identified myself by who I thought I was but who Christ is. In Christ I seek my identity. Christ in His glorious gave me freedom from the bondage of drunkenness, profanity, anger, homicidal and suicidal thoughts, and also homosexual sin. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ the Righteous and Just. I pray that Christ in His freeing love would grant you such sweet liberty. Homosexuality is not a greater or lesser sin than any other sin. In Christ however there is victory over all sin. Its not that we will be completely sinless or without struggles or wrestles with sin, but in Christ there is victory and dominion over sin. No longer shall we be slaves to sin but we have freedom to resist and conquer sin.In Christ there is the freedom and liberty to overcome sin. Becoming heterosexual didn’t save me. It didn’t gain me access to heaven. Only salvation in Christ does that. My desires and orientation changed as a result of salvation in Christ. Not in order to be saved by Christ. #ex-gay #savedbygrace
