The Conversion Therapy of the Gospel
By Anthony Wilson
We face a world that rejects the gospel in a more outward manner than we have seen for many generations. This week, Canadian bill C-4 went into effect. This bill prevents “conversion therapy” for people who are homosexual or wanting to change genders. The bill states that God’s designed creation for both man, woman, and marriage is all a myth. The bill makes preaching the truth of God’s design for man, woman, and marriage a crime. In fact, here is a direct quote from the bill on the definition of conversion therapy:
“Whereas conversion therapy causes harm to the persons who are subjected to it; Whereas conversion therapy causes harm to society because, among other things, it is based on and propagates myths and stereotypes about sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, including the myth that heterosexuality, cisgender gender identity, and gender expression that conforms to the sex assigned to a person at birth are to be preferred over other sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions; And whereas, in light of those harms, it is important to discourage and denounce the provision of conversion therapy in order to protect the human dignity and equality of all Canadians;”
As Christians, how do we think about this? At some point in my life, I was taught to pay close attention to the Bible when it says, “therefore” or “but God.” These words are often used to demonstrate how something once was before God radically changed it to something new. The book of Ephesians is full of these transition phrases. In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul explains how all Christians were once dead in their transgressions and sins. He goes on to explain that people follow after the desires of their flesh and are children of wrath. I encourage you to go back and read how Paul paints a picture of wickedness and sin throughout all humans. Just as Paul lays out the worst of the worst, he writes the words we need to read, “BUT GOD!” Listen to Paul, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved!”
Ephesians 2:4-5. In our deadness God poured his mercy out for us, through his son Jesus. We are no longer dead in sin but alive in Christ. The gospel is all about conversion. Those saved in Christ had to go from one life to a new life in Him. The very people that were once God’s enemies are now his family.
The Holy Spirit takes the word of God and penetrates the hearts of stone, cutting them so deep that their sin and disobedience against their creator is revealed. We stand with our Canadian brothers and sisters and proclaim that homosexuality, transgenderism, and the sexual revolution is sinful against God. Yet, there is hope for all sinners. This hope is found in Christ Jesus! The gospel converts, changes, and makes new! The gospel is the conversion therapy that the world is seeking. As Christians we must be prepared to preach the gospel of sin, repentance, and transformation to all people. We cannot fear or bow down to a government who is defiant towards God. The words of Paul to the Corinthians should remind us to preach the gospel out of love because we too were enemies against God until Christ redeemed us:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God. Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-12