Reparative Therapy or Redemption.

 

Recently the local news has been running a series of reports about Churches offering “Reparative Therapy” for homosexuals.  They used a reporter with a hidden camera to film the practices that some Churches and Ministries are adopting.  It was all very cringe-making as it seemed like men were taking God’s and applying it to his own thinking rather than allowing God’s word to change the thinking of man. 

 

The use of terms like reparative therapy by Churches and ministries brings a distortion to the truth of God’s amazing redemptive work.  Those advocating the use of a “therapy” are in danger of putting themselves above God and in judging an individual as more sinful than others.  It is important to remember that God doesn’t have a grading system of sin and say “gossip” as a lesser sin than “homosexuality”.  It is not possible for God to love us any more or any less because of what we have been done or been involved in through our lives. And the salvation of one person is no more miraculous than the salvation of another.  The scripture seems to be very clear on this:

 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”

Romans 3:23

 

“For the death, He died, He died to sin once and for all, but the life that He lives, He lives to God”

Romans 6:10

 

“For Christ died for sins once and for all, the just for the unjust so that He might bring us to God,

having been put to death in the flesh and made alive in the spirit”

1Peter 3:18

 

‘I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents

than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance”

Luke 15: 7

 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is a gift of God”

Ephesians 2:8

 

Read also Titus 3: 1-7

 

Once we have come to Jesus for our salvation our human spirits become alive to God, our place of true identity comes alive. This does not mean that our lives are suddenly perfect or that we suddenly become free of the habits and behaviours of living life our own way (in the flesh).  Nor does it mean that our lives suddenly fall into God’s order and align fully with His word. But it does mean that we have chosen to become His disciple or follower of Jesus, a path of great adventure and battle, as we become obedient tenth truth in His word.  We will always have a struggle with sin and a desire to live life our own way, but the deeper in the relationship with God we go the more we also desire to live our life for Him.  The more we choose to live life God’s way the more it becomes a more instinctive way of living.  Salvation is not just a one-time thing and you are done it is a life-changing discipleship and relationship with God. 

 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Matthew 28:19

 

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.

John 8: 31b-32

 

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”

Matthew 6: 33

 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled”

Matthew 5:6

 

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”

1Corinthians 10:13

 

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”

Romans 12:2

 

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” 

2 Corinthians 3:18

 

When we become a true believer and disciple of Jesus Christ our desires and focus change, we no longer need to have our needs met by anything or anyone else. A young gay Christian man was asked what it was like being a gay Christian, his response says it all: 

 

“I believe and follow what the bible says about marriage only being between a man and woman and also sex should be within the bounds of marriage.  Because I believe this I knew that gay marriage and sex was no longer right for me once I became a Christian so I now live a celibate life. People need to understand that God is real and is a living presence in my body and provides intimacy for me. Although our society seems to think sex is intimacy it isn’t. I am saying I have fallen in love with Christ, the living incarnate God and that He’s fulfilling me”He went to say that it was a hard journey but also joyous and glorious.

 

You see this young man is in the business of dyeing to Christ so that he might have life, this is what the Christian life is all about, it is the process of redemption in the whole person. It is not a therapy that is at work it is the redemptive work that only God through His Holy Spirit does. We are to take God’s word and use it as a plumb-line in our thoughts, words, and deeds.  This journey is the same for all of us it is that some of us have more obvious things that need to be brought in line with God. As the body of Christ, we are not to think that the more obvious things are worse than the more hidden things they are all the same to Jesus, it was the same blood He shed for all sins. If a person says they are a Christian and there is no evidence of a changed life then we have to question the validity of their conversion. When we a truly walking in relationship with Jesus our lives can be nothing but changed. We may not be able to fully comprehend the things of God but we are called to be obedient in faith to Him.

 

“There are a great many things in Christianity that cannot be understood until after you’ve gone a certain distance along the Christian Road”. CS Lewis

 

So let us not take up terms like “Reparative Therapy” but promote the redemptive work of God in our lives, whatever that might be for us!

 

“We must apply our lives to God’s word and not God’s word to fit our lives”