Filed under: Christian, Christianity, Real Life, Relevant Christian, Relevant Life
Does God love Porn stars? I’m not trying to be hyperbolic with you; I sincerely want to know your opinion. I skim a few blogs here and there. A few months ago I watched one disparaging the video site that many consider to be a “knock off” of youtube. He had some fairly pointed things to say about the site. What set me thinking about this post was the fact that most of the comments sent his way dealt with his T shirt, which said “God Loves Porn Stars.” Many people were very offended by that idea. Many people had some moderately angry jabs to send his way.
But it does beg a question doesn’t it? Does GOD LOVE PORN STARS????? Could this really be true? Can people who engage in an act that so many people find repulsive really be loved by a Holy God?
The answer is so simple, so obvious that I almost cannot believe I have to say it, but after reading those comments and seeing other comments in this wonderful whacky thing we call the blogosphere, I believe I am compelled to answer the question. The answer is a resounding yes. God does love porn stars. I’ll follow up with something else that I believe will many peoples undies in a bunch, God loves porn stars as much as he loves any preacher, Sunday school teacher or gentle old lady that was married to the same person for over 75 years. God loves porn stars as much as he loves you. God loves porn stars as much as he loves me.
God died for those people just like he died for you and me. The real heart of the matter is we believe somehow we can do something will cause God to love us more. If we can get our theology just so, if we can make sure that we “contend” for the faith with enough passion we can somehow convince God to forget those sins that no one (except our family) knows about. Somehow, if we read enough “devotions” and do enough pious things we can cause God to love us more.
Conversely, we believe that God loves us less when we sin. So if he loves us less when we sin, he must really not love the person engaged in blatant immorality. The idea of God’s love being unconditional just doesn’t add up in our minds. Sure, most of us give it the lip service that it is due, but we don’t actually believe it we scoff at people who do. I believe it is God’s unconditional love for sinners that is so scandalous. Consider the story of the Prodigal Son, isn’t the older brother essentially saying, “You can’t love him the same way you loved me!”?
Moses was a murder, Noah was a drunk, Abraham pimped his sister, Jacob couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it, Samson was promiscuous punk, Joshua was scared, Rahab was a prostitute whore, Peter was an egotistical jerk, Paul was a murderer, and yet God not only loved these people, He redeemed them! He accomplished great things through them for His glory. Why? What did they do that was so special? The answer is a simple nothing.
God loves us because He is God not because of anything we have or have not done. Do I condone what Porn Stars do? Absolutely not, but I will not stand and shout down condemnation from Heaven for them either. God will judge them as He will judge me. I will share the truth with them. Part of that truth is that God loves them and that he calls me to love them.
Jesus was always creating scandals by who He was eating with. I believe if Jesus lived today he would be having dinner with the very people the church seems to love to scream about. I don’t see Jesus with gleam in his saying, “Someday you will rot in Hell.” Sadly, I’ve seen Christians say those things to people they have been called to love by a Holy God.
We need to put to bed this idea that by loving someone we are condoning what they are doing. Jesus’ entire life was lived differently than that. God’s love for us works on a completely different paradigm. He loves us even when we sin. The truth is that it is only by the grace of God that you and I are not porn stars.
I know some are going to be howling mad by that thought and though I have thought about many passages of Scripture to support these thoughts, I want to close with a line from an age old hymn.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,—John Newton, in the hymn, Amazing Grace
