“If you stepped outside and got hit by a taco truck, where would you go?”
My close friend has been struggling lately. Struggling with physical pain, anxiety, and in relationships. I know Jesus didn’t die for her to live in bondage, so I asked her the taco question. She said didn’t know where she’d go. Her family tells her she’s going to hell because she’s gay. I’ve assured her many times that although the Bible says arrogance, gossiping, overeating, homosexuality, and more are sins, we don’t go to hell for them.
We go to heaven because we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart Jesus died for all the places we fall short of God’s holiness and perfection (which is everything we do, good (Isaiah 64:6) or bad (Romans 3:23).
I told my friend that following Jesus isn’t about what we do or don’t do, it’s about what Jesus already did. She asked why anyone would stop sinning if being a Christian isn’t about what we do. I told her Paul answers that in Romans 3. I also told it’s hard to articulate, but that something supernatural starts happening in us when we accept, believe, and continue to trust that
Jesus fully knows and fully accepts us, as we are.
I told her that when we FIRST come to understand and believe Christ’s love and acceptance for us, as we are (Romans 5:8), we begin to trust Him. Out of that trust, our love for Him deepens. As it deepens, we begin to believe the Bible’s commands are for our good. But as I reminded my friend, the
order matters.
Until we FIRST know in our heart (not just our head) God first loved us (I John 4:19), nothing else matters. I told her I’m praying she’d know God’s unconditional love, as she is, because that’s not only how God loves us, it’s also the best way I can love her.