Sexuality can be an uncomfortable subject, but Scripture doesn’t avoid it. In fact, the Bible gives us a beautiful framework for understanding our bodies, our sexuality, and our relationships. Let’s start with this: God made you.
Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and Psalm 139 remind us that we are intentionally created by God, made in His image, and fearfully and wonderfully made. He gave us a body, mind, and spirit. You were created on purpose, for a purpose. That means our bodies aren’t ours to define or use however we want. If God is our Creator, He is our ultimate authority. And even when we struggle with our bodies, we can remember: God makes no mistakes.
In Genesis 2, we see that God created male and female and created sexuality as a good gift. He designed sexual intimacy for the covenant of marriage, a relationship of faithfulness, unity, intimacy, and self-giving love. Proverbs 5, Hebrews 13, and Song of Solomon all reinforce that sex is not dirty or shameful; it is something God created and intended to be honored.
But when we separate sexuality from God’s design, people can become objects rather than people. Lust, pornography, fantasy, exploitation, abuse, infidelity, and shame can all grow when we use people rather than love them. Reminder: you don’t use people, you don’t consume people, you don’t manipulate people.
Every person is made in the image of God and deserves dignity, kindness, and compassion. And 1 Corinthians 6 reminds us, “You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Our bodies belong to God. But here’s the other side of this conversation: sex will not complete us. Marriage won’t complete us. Being desired won’t complete us. Our sexuality doesn’t define us.
Only Jesus can do that.
And that’s why the gospel is so important here. Some of us carry sexual sin. Some carry shame. Some carry wounds from what someone else did to us. But Jesus brings redemption to the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Our past does not have the final word. Jesus does.
So what should the church be? A place where truth is spoken clearly, sin can be confessed without shame, people are treated with dignity, and grace is freely offered.
That includes how we love our LGBTQ+ neighbors, friends, and family members. We don’t get to treat someone as less valuable because of their sexuality or gender identity. We love them because they are people made in the image of God. We listen to them, care about them, serve them, and treat them with the same dignity and compassion we want for ourselves. At the same time, loving someone doesn’t require us to affirm everything they believe or everything they do. We believe Scripture teaches that certain sexual relationships or behaviors fall outside God’s design, we can hold that conviction without hatred, mockery, or rejection. We love the person without calling sin good, and we speak truth without withholding love. Ultimately, our goal isn’t to win an argument or change someone’s behavior, it is to introduce people to Jesus, because He is the one who transforms hearts.
We don’t compromise God’s truth, but we don’t use truth as a weapon. We love people, we tell the truth, and we point them to Jesus, trusting God to convict and transform hearts. Because ultimately, our sexuality isn’t our Savior. Jesus is.