But I like your reading moree, “I think Jesus asks three times ‘Do you love me?’ Because he wants Peter to Hear that it is That which Ultimately counts, that the cross HAS dealt with ALL the sin.” Just lovely. Thank you!

The passage you quote in Galatians 5 Lindsay, which lists sins of which we are all guilty, says in verse 21 that if we continue in those sins we will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The context for that passage of scripture, is that as we surrender to the Holy Spirit, we will not live out the lusts of the flesh. (v16,17) It's not saying “here's a bunch of sins of which were are guiltily, but never mind, God loves us anyway.”

The best way I can personally articulate the argument that people are born homosexual, is to say Yes! In the same way, I was born and grew up with lots of heterosexual lust! I wanted to have sex with any female that moved! That's what the bible calls the 'old nature' or the flesh. But when we come to Christ we crucify the flesh. I can't just protest that I was born this way or worse 'God made me this way.' There are many heterosexual Christian men who have the same struggle against the flesh – but they crucify it and choose either marriage, or if they can't find a wife, they choose celibacy. Is that fair? No. But they choose to obey Gods word in order to inherit an eternal treasure. Thats a really tough choice to make and my heart goes out to the young man struggling with homosexual eroticism in the same way it goes out to the young man struggling with heterosexual eroticism.

And God IS big enough for everyone and all creation and doesn't need us to protect him from anyone even if we disagree with them. He calls us to welcome and love all people.

I'm not entirely sure that the passages against homosexuality are against homosexuality in toto — the kind of monogamous loving commitment we see with some gay people today seems to have not existed in biblical times, so it's hard to know whether it's violent, dominating, humiliating homosexual acts that are proscribed, or all homosexual acts. Arguments from silence (“The Bible says nothing about loving homosexual monogamy”) are inconclusive, but at the very least it would be good if folks could agree that it's not absolutely obvious and clear what the Bible says about gay marriage.

I can see the case for Christian gay marriage and for Christian gay celibacy. I can't see the case for same sex attraction being a choice. And I agree with you that there should be a civil union or secular marriage option at the least, with the same civil rights as for heterosexual marriages.

It breaks my heart to read this post and see you stand so contrary to the Word of God. Homosexuality is not a disease one is born with; it is a choice just like every other sin. Throughout life, we are all tempted with sins of various nature from lying to murder. All are wrong. All are choices. All are sins, no more, no less. And none of them will be excused. Yes, Christ died for all sins, but we must accept that payment in order for it to be applied to our lives. After that, we should not “sin boldly” as you put it, but we should fight against sin, striving not to allow it to gain a foothold in our lives. Paul said it best in Romans 6:15, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” God's love and grace do not give us an excuse to sin. As for you distinction in following Jesus not the Bible, they are one and the same. John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Bible is either true or it isn't. It is either our guidelines to living a spiritual life or it's not. It can't be both, to pick and choose which verses you wish to apply and which you choose to ignore. Yes, we as Christians need to reach out to homosexuals just as we reach out to the drunkards and prostitutes, but you don't reach the lost by condoning their sin. You reach them by exposing their sin and showing them that Jesus paid for that sin and that they no longer have to be held captive by it. God is loving, gracious and merciful, but above all, He is holy. He will forgive our sin, but that doesn't mean He excuses it. I pray He will open your eyes and the eyes of others to this truth.