Are gay people going to heaven?

Sincerely,
Looking To Judgment

Dear Looking To Judgment,

Living an actively homosexual lifestyle will send you to hell (1 Cor 6:9-10).  However, you aren’t born forced to live a homosexual lifestyle.  God doesn’t force anyone to act upon same-sex attractions, just like God doesn’t force an alcoholic to the bottle or a wrathful husband to strike his wife.  How we act is a choice, not a genetic equation.  There is a lot of debate over why some people have same-sex attractions, but at the end of the day, those temptations need to be mastered.  When Cain was angry, God told Cain to rule over sin, or it would devour him (Gen 4:7).  Same-sex attractions are temptations that stem from within a person – just like anger, unhealthy opposite-sex attractions, and a thousand other temptations (Jas 1:13-14).  The key is that there is always a way of escape from those unhealthy desires (1 Cor 10:13).  God didn’t make a mistake when creating us; it is when we turn from the path He has designed for us and follow our own desires (which are often unhealthy) that we sin (Jer 10:23).

      The Bible says that certain angels sinned against God and were cast down and reserved for judgment (1 Pet 2:4).  Aren’t we being judged as well?  If you believe in past lives, don't you think we were those angels, and we are being judged?

Sincerely,
Past Lives

Dear Past Lives,

The Bible makes it clear that we only have one life; reincarnation doesn’t happen.  Heb 9:27 says that we are appointed to die once, and then we face the judgment.  Each human is given one life to live.  The angels that are reserved for judgment are the angels that serve and work with the devil (Matt 25:41).

     I am going through a mental breakdown: I am talking to myself, I am hearing voices, and now I am seeing things in the sky (like little orbs floating telling me to do stuff)!  What should I do?

Sincerely,
Scared

Dear Scared,

Take a deep breath and seek help - a faithful church and a good physician are a good place to start.  God tells us that two are better than one (Eccl 4:9) and that we need to seek help when things get difficult (Pr 15:22).  When burdens and trials increase in our lives, we need to turn to God and His people.  We are so sorry for the immense turmoil you are going through.  Others have faced this same level of strain that begins to play tricks on your mind.  The key is to lean upon a faithful church that can help you through this.  Please e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, so we can help you find a faithful congregation to provide you with relief and the hope in God that will anchor you through the trials of life (Heb 6:19).

     When God confused those who were building the tower of Babel, He gave them all their own language.  Was that mixed language perfect because God gave it to them?  God is perfect; man is flawed.  How could fallen builders understand and use perfect language?

Sincerely,
Linguist

Dear Linguist,

The word 'perfect' simply means that something is 'suitable or fit for the task'.  A perfect car part is the part that fits your car.  Sometimes, we get confused into thinking that perfect always means that something is without any flaw or problem, but that isn't true.  Two people can get married and be a perfect marital match... but that doesn't mean they won't have struggles or that they both don't sin at times.

The languages that God created at the Tower of Babel were perfectly suited to the task at hand – confusing the crowds and getting them to scatter (Gen 11:9).

     What is truth?  Please explain John 8:31-33.

Sincerely,
Define It

Dear Define It,

Jesus says that if we live our lives in the truth, we will be free.  In Jhn 17:17, Jesus says that God’s Word, the Bible, is truth.  The truth that will set us free is the truth that can only be found in the Bible.  Rom 1:16 says that the Bible is God’s power to save mankind.  When we use the Bible as our instruction manual for life, we will be saved.  If you would like to know what the Bible says you must do to be saved, please read our post, “Five Steps To Salvation”.  The Bible is God’s roadmap for our lives.