You are Not your Sexuality.

You are not your sexuality.

I know what the world says. Trust me, I know. It says that you must pursue your sexual desire, because it defines you. It says that if you feel an urge, that is who you are. That if you dabbled in physical affection for someone of the same gender, clearly you must be homosexual. Don’t fight it. That as long as the other person consents, you’re fine. Go do it. After all, you are your sexuality.

They are wrong.

Many Christians send the same message; they say that you are your sexuality. If you indulged in same-sex physical affection, well, you make God sick. And clearly that’s who you are. They say that you must remain sexually pure, because that kind of purity is the most important purity there is. That if you have failed to keep that kind of purity, you must repent because oh, it is so, so evil, and that kind of evil clearly defines you.

They are wrong.

You are not your sexuality.

What You Were

Listen to what God says:

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

I Corinthians 6:9-11

That is what you were.

Your sin did define you. Didn’t matter what the sin was, whether it was sexual or addiction or lying or pride. You were wicked.

But then something changed. And that something was you. The Holy Spirit changed you.

Who You Are

Jesus has washed you. All the brokenness of your sexual sins has been washed away. You are clean.

You have been sanctified. You are now holy. You have Jesus’ own record. Jesus wasn’t defined by his sexuality, was he? He was defined as the Son of God. He faced your sexual temptations, and he overcame them all. And he has given you that record. You are holy.

You are justified. Jesus has declared you not guilty of whatever you have done.

But… but what if I am still that? What if I still sin sexually?

Oh, my friend, you are not your sins, whatever they are. You are not your sexuality. You are Jesus’ brother, his sister. He’s not ashamed of you.

So be who you are. See your sins for what they are: Sins. And be encouraged and empowered to be what you are: God’s forgiven child.

So step away from what you’re doing. What you have done does not define you.

I don’t care what the world says. Jesus says that’s what you were. I don’t care what Christians may say to you. Jesus says that’s what you were.

But not anymore.

Your sexuality no longer defines you. You are free.