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The Common-Sense Case for Why Being LGBTQ+ Is NOT Sinful

The Common-Sense Case for Why Being LGBTQ+ Is NOT Sinful

Last updated on: June 3, 2026 at 3:51 am by Robert Cottrell

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The Common-Sense Case for Why Being LGBTQ+ Is NOT Sinful 2026-06-03T03:51:04-05:00 Robert Cottrell

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For years, debates around LGBTQ+ identity and same-sex relationships have revolved around theology, ancient languages, and six or seven “clobber passages.” We’ve walked through those scriptures many times, and the conclusion is clear: they do not condemn LGBTQ+ people.

But today, let’s set all of that aside.

Let’s talk about something simpler.
Something beautifully human.
Something rooted in everyday wisdom.

Let’s talk about common sense.

Because when you step back from fear-based teachings and simply look at the reality of LGBTQ+ people — their lives, their relationships, their love — it becomes stunningly obvious:

There is nothing sinful about being LGBTQ+ or in a same-sex relationship. Nothing.

Here are the common-sense truths that make this crystal clear.

1. Love That Harms No One Cannot Be Sin

If something causes harm — emotional, spiritual, or physical — that’s a red flag. That’s what Jesus consistently confronted: greed, cruelty, hypocrisy, exploitation.

But loving someone? Caring for someone? Being committed, loyal, gentle, protective, and kind?

There’s no harm there.

There’s only good fruit.

LGBTQ+ love, when allowed to flourish, produces:

Kindness
Joy
Commitment
Stability
Lifelong partnership
Genuine flourishing

There is no universe — theological or otherwise — in which that kind of love is sinful.

If condemning LGBTQ+ people brings depression, anxiety, shame, family estrangement, and self-hatred (and it does), but affirming them brings flourishing and peace (and it does), then the moral path is obvious:

Love cannot be sin.
Shame can.
Rejection can.
But love never is.

2. You Cannot Sin by Being Who You Are

Being LGBTQ+ is not an action — it’s an identity. A way of being. A fundamental, deep-rooted truth about who someone is.

You can’t repent of your height.
You can’t confess your way out of being left-handed.
You can’t fast your way into having blue eyes instead of brown.

Identity is not a choice.
And sin requires choice.

People cannot sin simply by existing.

Every LGBTQ+ person we’ve met has said some version of this:

“I didn’t choose this. I’ve always known.”

Common sense tells us:
If something is involuntary, intrinsic, and unchangeable without trauma, then it cannot be sin.

The God who knit each of us together did not make billions of humans with infinite diversity, then demand uniformity only in sexuality and gender.

That’s not holiness.
That’s fear.

God does not ask people to repent for being themselves.

3. The “By Their Fruits” Test Tells the Whole Story

Jesus gave us one of the simplest moral frameworks ever:

“You will know them by their fruits.”

Not by their labels.
Not by their categories.
Not by their theology.
By their fruits — the actual results.

So what do we see?

When LGBTQ+ people are supported and loved:

They flourish
They serve others
They create community
They raise healthy kids
They contribute to the world
They live honestly and openly

When they are rejected by families and churches:

Anxiety rises
Depression increases
Self-hatred grows
Suicide risk skyrockets
Families fracture
Shame takes root

Only one of those paths resembles the fruit of the Spirit.

It’s not the condemning one.

If acceptance brings life, and rejection brings harm, then the common-sense conclusion is simple:

Acceptance is aligned with Jesus.
Rejection is not.

4. God Would Never Give People Love and Then Punish Them for Loving

Here’s a question worth sitting with:

Why would God create LGBTQ+ people with the capacity for love, connection, intimacy, and partnership — and then forbid them from expressing the very thing they were created for?

That makes no sense.

Love is not a trap.
Love is not a temptation.
Love is a gift.

Expecting all LGBTQ+ people to remain celibate for life — denied of love, partnership, family, companionship, and touch — is not holiness.

It’s cruelty.

It’s a rule straight people would never apply to themselves.

If a moral rule only makes sense when imposed on someone else — but collapses when applied to you — it’s not morality. It’s control.

The God we know does not set traps.
Does not play games.
Does not delight in withholding love.

LGBTQ+ love is a reflection of God, not a rejection of God.

5. Anything That Makes People More Loving Cannot Be Sin

When LGBTQ+ people embrace who they are, something beautiful happens:

They become more loving.
More compassionate.
More grounded.
More alive.
More honest.

Authenticity always increases kindness.
Shame always decreases it.

If coming out and embracing their identity makes someone more joyful and connected — that is evidence of movement toward the divine, not away from it.

Holiness is not pretending.
Holiness is truth.

Any belief system that demands people lie about who they are in order to be acceptable should not survive a single moment of moral scrutiny.

Love, authenticity, and compassion are never sin.

The Bottom Line: Common Sense Confirms What Our Hearts Already Know

When you remove fear…
When you set aside cultural conditioning…
When you look at LGBTQ+ people with clarity and compassion…

The truth is unmistakable:

Love that harms no one is never sin.
Identity cannot be repented of.
The fruit of LGBTQ+ lives is good.
God would never gift people with love and then punish them for loving.
Anything that leads to more compassion cannot be sin.

You don’t need advanced theology to see it.
You don’t need degrees or Greek translations.
You just need the common sense and kindness God placed inside you from the beginning.

To every LGBTQ+ person:
Your identity is not a mistake.
Your love is not sinful.
Your life is a gift to this world.

And to every parent, pastor, friend, and ally:
Let love lead you.
Let compassion guide you.
Let your common sense rise above your fear.

Because truth has always been simple:
Love wins. Every time.

We have extensive FREE resources for LGBTQ+, parents, allies, advocates. Click here to come say hello.

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