A Love That's Better Than Sex

In our previous post, I shared a promise that God makes to those who are non-heterosexual, that they would be given a name and a monument that is better than sons or daughters in His Church.

Jesus and Paul affirm that those who are “eunuchs for  the sake of the Kingdom” are partakers of this promise if they remain celibate and devote themselves to the concerns of Christ.

But where does that leave the lonely disciple who longs for physical love?

Whether gay or straight, those who are single and celibate in the Body of Christ must wrestle with a very real need to love and to be loved by others.

Jesus knows this. He already knows what we need before we ask, and so He has a plan to address this need. What Jesus has in mind involves a complete redefinition of family and friendship.

“Who are my mother and sisters and brothers?”, Jesus asks.

Are they not those who love Him and put His words into practice?

In his ekklesia, everyone finds a safe place to be who they are, without shame. In the Body of Christ, everyone finds a friend who will lay down their life for them. In the Church that Jesus builds, everyone discovers a house full of mothers, brothers, and sisters who all embrace them, welcome them, and love them – not only in words, but in action and in truth.

The community of Christ is designed to provide everyone with a family that won’t forsake them; with brothers and sisters who will bear one another’s burdens; with deep friendships that are stronger than death, and better than a wife or husband, or sons or daughters.

In the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Father has promised that everyone – especially those who are alone – will be cherished, and valued, and profoundly loved.

Granted, not every church fellowship has fully realized this yet.

But when the church fails to do this, everyone suffers. Not only the single and celibate, but those who are married suffer, too. Because everyone in the Body of Christ is intended to be welcomed, and at home, and embraced, and loved.

In the Jewish culture there is a concept of “Shalom” that extends to include everyone in the community. If there is even one person who does not enjoy “shalom” – which means having the food, clothing, shelter, warmth, and love, that every human being requires – then none of us has “shalom”.

In the Body of Christ, we are meant to ensure that everyone in our community is loved. Jesus commanded us to love one another. Paul told us to bear one another's burdens. John told us to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

If one of us in the Church doesn't have love, then none of us really has it.

"If anyone....sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." - 1 John 3:17]

This means loving one another as Christ has loved us. It means opening our homes if need be. It means sacrificing our free time. It means sharing our meals, and our hearts, and our money, and anything else that is necessary to meet the needs of everyone in our Church family.

If we don’t live in His love, and experience His love, and share His love freely among those within His Body, how can we call ourselves the children of a God who is love?

-kg


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IMAGE CREDIT: Scott Laumann

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READ MORE?

*NOT A SIN?
*THE NEW SAMARITANS
*OUR MISSED OPPORTUNITY
*BLESSED ARE THE EUNUCHS