So this week two question were asked in a Christian facebook group I belong too:
Would you date/marry an ex-homosexual or bisexual?
I answered this question and it caused a major landslide of opinions. In a nutshell I explained if the Son has set you free you are truly set free indeed. I also used the personal experience of how I was completely set free from horrendous drug use and have never even had the desire at all to go back. His mercy is great and I praise Him for this. The second question was a spin-off from the previous because of the whirlwind it caused in the group.
WOULD YOU MARRY AN EX-MURDERER OR EX-BANK ROBBER!!! I SEE ALL DIFFERENT ANSWERS ABOUT THE EX HOMOSEXUAL OR BI SEXUAL, WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS ONE!!!!!
Here is a copy of the answer I posted to this question. Hope it blesses you and helps you understand the blessing of God, the Grace of God, and the Set free life from the Power of our Risen Savior.
Rich Cohrs 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men[a] 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
This verse should answer the flip side underlining of the question. The question is directed toward an individual opinion of the person being asked, so truly the answer is what you personally desire but I just want to make it clear for the readers that it is no way in shape or form wrong to marry either a ex-homo/murder/bank-robber if the Son has set them free. If God hasn't then I suggest to run. If they are Christian I still suggest you approach with much caution. The verse above list a whole slew of sins that people commit including homosexuality, you could keep listing on and on other sins and it would fit right within this scripture. Paul clearly said that none that were labeled with those particular sins were worthy to inherit the Kingdom of God. None could have eternal life abiding in them, same as John stated in the first verse. But the beauty of the passage of verses is in verse 11 which states, "And that is what some of you WERE", completely past tense, as if they were no longer homosexuals, thieves (bank robbers), sexual immoral, idol worshipers, drunkards and again the list goes on and on. WERE-in the past, but the beauty goes on much further in verse 11, "But you were WASHED, you were SANTIFIED, you were JUSTIFIED in the NAME of the LORD JESUS CHRIST and by the SPIRIT OF OUT GOD." I think you can see the emphasis that I capitalized on. Pretty clear, but what I didn't emphasis in that last statement was the word previous to the emphasized words, "WERE". There you go past tense again. Not in the present, and not stating that they are still in the process but stating that it happened in the past, the "WERE" , sanctified, "WERE" justified and "WERE" washed in the past. Made clean. White as snow. So if it was in past tense that they were washed clean, then what are they now? According to the verse they are those that inherit the Kingdom of God, according to John I would have to say they have eternal life abiding in them. That is what I would call a true "EX", if they were truly and "EX" then I would have to say Grace has set them free and they have not continued in the sin with a get out of hell free card but instead embraced their freedom and remained a growing set-free Christian.
I have only written this for one purpose and that is because I feel the question is underlying another question that should have been answered too. That question would be, "Is is ever OK to marry an EX-(fill in the blank) at all?" My answer would be that in some cases it is absolutely Ok, but you must use extreme caution, and never go without the blessing of the Lord. God knows, God knows the deepness of a mans heart and if they will return to their folly or not. God knows how you will react if your Gomer returns to prostitution. God is concerned at a heart level and He sees the sin stirring before a man's mind even begins to meditate in the evil direction. He Knows, and he will let you know. God is awesome and worthy to be praised, He loves us. Personally I don't think God will give most Christians a Gomer type prostitute but He may clearly give a man a Gomer that has been set free by the Son. And I would go as far as to say if you are a person that is really concerned with marrying someone of the sorts, God would most likely respect that and not bring you to someone of that past. If it would be a life long struggle for you then most likely God would bring you someone that there is no struggle. All in all God is good, and you have to understand that He is good to those who have been caught up in these sins as well, he wants to bless them with marriage too. It just takes a special someone that could live and forget their mates past. Someone that sees them as God sees them, which is "white as snow".
Sorry I wrote a horrendously long post, I just got passionate with the scripture. I hope this helps some understand both sides to the situation. I am not aiming this post to anyone in particular so please don't take it that way. Just wanted to make it clear to some that you can be completely set free and washed clean and be free from the label of your past sins. God is more than able and He sees deep within mans heart. God Bless!!
Oh yes and by the way, All those who once "WERE", are now married to the Lord, as my first answer was at the very beginning of this post, "Jesus did". If you don't marry them Jesus still does. LOL God loves us all. He is so awesome. Don't worry about these things but understand God's love in completeness. Those who have been forgiven much, you might find out Love the Lord much much more than those that haven't had to much to be forgiven. And God loves to bless those that Love Him too. LOL Have a blessed day everyone!!
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1 John 3:15
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
How do you become a murder or a bank robber. First you have to be the perfect candidate for the above scripture. You hate your brother. Jesus said it was the same, however people do say this to condemn others and use it in the wrong ways. Jesus is just stating that a person that hates is a person with a murderous spirit and is capable of doing what is in their heart, and is one in the same just without the action. Like when Samuel was choosing the new King, man looked at the appearance and outwardness, but God looks at the heart of the man. Second part of that verse says the man who hates his brother has NO ETERNAL LIFE ABIDING IN HIM. That is the key again, ETERNAL LIFE. Is is possible for a man hanging on the cross that once was a thief and possibly a murder to be in paradise the same day he died? Jesus speaks no lies and He undoubtedly believed so. Jesus told him, "Today". Justification is not bound by time or by ceremony, nor by a scriptural debate, but is discerned wholly on the heart of the Living Savior and what He sees deep within the confines of a mans heart. People see the outward fruit or lack thereof and believe they have the right to predetermine what lies deep within the heart. But it is God's deep that sees the deep within the man. God sees the candle stick of a spirit within each heart. God is the determining factor in each equation concerning justification of a mans life. So saying this, if God gives the person eternal life the label of a murder no longer exist in the present for a the man in whom his "old man" passes away. The old man was buried with Jesus and a NEW MAN arose through the Resurrection of Jesus.
Just like my previous post about the question of the EX-homo, you have to just be very careful, God will not lead you to a murder, but He might lead you to a ex-murder that is truly set free. Could you be best friends with one?? Could you love one??
The answer to the question would obviously be a personal opinion and the absolute right of the person that is choosing who they want to marry. If you personally don't want to marry and EX-Homo/murder/