Inseparable

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

—Romans 8:38-39

Romans 8:38-39 are verses that every true Christian, especially LGBTQ+ Christians, should keep in their hearts. This is especially true of those that f us who were grew up in conservative and unwelcoming churches. When churches are unwelcoming, they drive people away when they should be opening their arms to all people, no matter their sexuality or race or any other defining characteristic that some people who call themselves Christians claim separate us from fellowship with God.

Oh, many of those same Christians will say, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner,” but those words mean nothing. It is still a hateful rejection because they are passing judgment when only God can pass judgment. In Matthew 7:1-2, Jesus says, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” James in James 4:12 says, “There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?”

God clearly tells us that man cannot and should not judge us by their own rules, and likewise, those man-made rules “nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” People may try to separate us from God’s love and try to make us believe that we are not worthy of God’s love, but nothing can separate us from God’s love.

Too many LGBTQ+ Christians have been driven from churches, have had hate shouted at them, or laws passed against them by people claiming to be doing God’s work while they are doing the opposite. When hate in any form becomes the defining character of a person or a church, they have not separated us from God, but they’ve have separated themselves from God.

Remember, nothing anyone says or does can separate us from God’s love. His love is as everlasting and unwavering as our love of God should be.