Pride Month and Jesus’ command to wash other’s feet—oh, how things can change.
Today our pastor kicked off a series about the seven deadly sins, beginning with pride.
The message ended with the need to humbly wash other’s feet. I can think of no better way to wash another human’s feet than to tell that person his or her sin is not a sin but a blessing. Clarity washes feet. Opening eyes, ears, and healing limbs was Jesus’ ministry. It’s this kind of clarity.
When I began to see how Jesus saves everyone according to the Law (2 Tim 2:5) and realized nobody was left out, I also wondered how it would impact the mental health of the LGBTQ+ community if the Bible proved God’s love for everyone.
This question came up when my church was going through ‘discernment’ as it planned to leave the UMC, but that’s another story.
Christian Pride – Conservative Support for LGBTQ
Pride month could change if we look at the Bible more closely. It may just allow a different perspective. One that is inclusive and caring. This is a quick review of high-level perspectives using Scripture as the basis.
Unfortunately, pride (on both sides) makes things difficult to see. It blinds us, but both sides are proud—one of the seven deadly sins.
I recently wrote a book (not yet released) about strange things in the Bible, but one of the major topics is marriage, sexuality, and spiritual union. Since this is Pride month and so many people are using Christ and God’s word against others, I feel compelled to share a sliver of what God opened my eyes to see.
Be Who You Are
Has anyone told you that you must change? That’s against Jesus’ teaching.
Jesus’ final command in Revelation 22:11 says to let people be who they are. This bookends God’s first rule: don’t know the difference between good and evil—you can’t judge righteously anyway. Don’t change people. Paul also said to let people be who they are, which is in the context of marriage, virginity, slavery, and freedom (1 Cor 7:20-24).
Connecting this back to family lines, Jesus also said there are multiple kinds of eunuchs (people incapable of children). They are made by God, man, or themselves, but we should accept them (Matt 19:12). It doesn’t say to deny, but to accept them. If we, as Christians, want to be accepted, we must accept others (Matt 7:1-2).
This played out in Acts 8. The eunuch was baptized. It’s biblical. Accept it because God does. Feet were washed.
Transgenderism
The Lord promised to turn an entire class of people into women. These are foreign fighters. Jeremiah 50:37 explains this before 50:43 tells us of the birthing pains these transgendered people will endure. Isaiah 26:18 says men will be pregnant and give birth while enduring that pain—like a woman. There are many places like this in the Bible where transgenderism is portrayed. The world is hard-wired, however, to miss this.
Even though the Bible promises transgenderism, as I read it, it does not support transitional medicine or surgery. Specifically, Jesus teaches us to accept people for who they are, but Jesus also taught that person should accept themselves as they are. Do not change. Apparently, life is a lesson. Certainly, do not change a child. Accept them. Don’t change them.
Homosexuality
Sodom is long thought to be about gay sex of some sort. It’s not. Ezekiel 16:49-50, but more specifically, Ezekiel 16:61-63, says what happened. Sodom did not share and the only one to block anything was the righteous Lot (2 Pet 2:7).
The word for flesh in John 6:51-56 also means penis and homosexual sex. That is the passage where Jesus tells people he is the bread, and they will eat his flesh. It is the basis of Holy Communion (leading to the Last Supper). The people were shocked and left (like Lot). What would the church do today if they knew what that word meant? Of course, Jesus reminds us that the ones to eat his bread lift their heel against him (Jn 13:18).
Lev 18 and 20 as well as 1 Cor and Romans 1 have nothing to do with homosexuality in the temporal sense. Paul even said his letters were not about this world (1 Cor 5:10).
I mentioned how this can be a blessing earlier. Read Lev 20:3-5, 13, Matt 5:8, and Lk 14:27. Someone who commits this atrocity will die, but it will be by facing God. That is judgment. To be sure, Matthew says a person who sees God will be blessed. A person who carries his own cross, therefore blood is on them, can be a disciple. Now flip to Romans 1:26-27. The word translate to penalty also means reward. That reward is the blessing of seeing God face to face. Maybe it is not a sin, but a blessing. For the pure of heart.
One Man and One Woman
It’s not in the Bible. It’s just not. A person leaves their mother and father (Matt 19:4-5) to be married to a wife, but the term for wife is suspect. There are a number of reasons why.
The simple answer is a wife is a spiritual union. It’s your other half (left and right hand). Ezekiel is told not to mourn the death of his wife. He can only grumble. That’s not humane because it’s not a temporal spouse.
Marriage in our church today is effectively forbidden in the Bible. You cannot take a vow (Matt 5:34-36). If you are married, you should act as though you are not (1 Cor 7:29). Jesus taught that it is bad if only five virgins come when the bridegroom arrives (Matt 25:1-13). His lesson is all ten – this is not one man and one woman. It’s one bridegroom and ten virgins.
There are so many problems with modern interpretations of biblical marriage.
Gay Marriage in the Bible
There is also an example (possibly more) of Jesus making two men into one. If we must remain in the mindset that marriage is a temporal fleshy union involving Christ somehow, we can look to Ephesians 2. This is about union with Christ and coming alive as the circumcised and uncircumcised are reunited. Ephesians 2:14-16 tells us the two become one through Christ. This is two men becoming one man. That is one flesh. Marriage is, therefore, not one man and one woman, but one person and another person coming together.
I still maintain this is a human body as one flesh. That said, if we must maintain that marriage is a temporal relationship, one could easily conclude that homosexual ‘marriage’ is depicted as a good thing in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
Love your Neighbor
One of the biggest key points behind the Law is to love God and Love your neighbor as yourself. What is never explained is how this is a summary of the Law. I’ll try to explain:
We are not to know the difference between good and evil (Genesis 3:5). If we do, then we can judge. On the other hand, if we cannot see the difference, we cannot judge. If there is no difference, a righteous judgment is no judgment. Jesus taught us to judge righteously (John 7:24). Righteous judgment becomes non-judgment. This is why Jesus taught us we judge ourselves when we judge others (Matt 7:1-2). It is because we are judged by the same measure; therefore, zero judgment means we have been judged the same way.
Leviticus explains the valuation system that drives this teaching, but it is complicated. The summary, however, is if we do not judge, we are measured by the same level, which is love. Love your neighbor. Find a way to wash his feet.
The Church
The way this works for the Church is incredible and masterful. So long as the Church denies someone unity with Christ, it denies itself unity with Christ.
Consider these points:
– The rules must be followed to win (2 Tim 2:5).
– Ephesians 5:31-32 says marriage is a mystery. It also says it is between Christ and the Church.
– The Church was built upon Cephas, the rock. That is Peter, whom Jesus called Satan, and satan means accuser or adversary (Matt 16:18-23).
– We are judged and measured by the same measure by which we judge others (Matt 7:1-2). That’s an accusation or adversary.
– When the Church releases someone in the earthly realm, they are released in the heavenly realm (Matt 18:18).
– The Church denies some people marriage.
Therefore: The Church denies itself the spiritual marriage to Christ by denying temporal marriage to anyone. Further, it denies Christ his own Church.
The Church, it seems, must turn before it can be healed (Matt 13:13-17, Matt 18:33-35). The self-righteous Church must become righteous or forgive in its unrighteous state (Luke 16:1-18).
Righteous Judgment
The Church must love its neighbor as itself. That is the Law boiled down to very simple rules. Don’t judge until your judgment is mercy and peace. Until then, the judgment is unrighteous. The pride of Christians keeps the door locked. Perhaps unlocking the door is the apostasy that allows Christ to return.
Clean Your Own House
To both sides, clean your own house by denouncing the extremists on your side. Don’t denounce the ones on the other side. It won’t work. We are hard-wired to be defensive. We are also hard-wired to be willfully blind to our own transgressions. Find where you can improve and see if others can do the same. Start with lending a hand of support. Wash feet.
Remember, both sides have a neighbor to love. Start by loving the other side before asking them to love you. Loving your neighbor also means you can recognize that they also struggle. Forgive them. They may be bigoted but loving them as yourself means you can still accept them. After all, if you were the bigot, you would want them to accept you. Candidly, we are all bigots in some way, so let’s settle down.
Pride with love and humility is God’s cure for the fallen. It’s courage. That is washing the feet of the human experience.
