"While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David."
Now you might be saying to yourself, "Um...what does this have anything to do with what Spencer was just writing about? That literally makes no sense." At first glance, I can see how you might think that! ;) :) Well, let's return to my words for a second. I wrote that I believe we cannot turn to any better source than the scriptures for inspiration, and I also wrote that they give us enough to go on until the Lord gives us more direction. That being said, how is it possible to properly draw upon the power of a relationship with Christ, if we do not look at Him in the way our Heavenly Father intended? As the Book of Mormon teaches in 2nd Nephi 26:24, "He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him." It can be dangerous or at the least, detrimental to think of the Lord Jesus Christ as a "great teacher", "good man", "someone who asks too much of me", or, in the case of the Pharisees, "the son of David" - just another person on the streets, a mortal man making too much of himself to others. But, we know differently of Him.
Through ancient and modern revelation, we understand that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten of the Father. He is the literal progeny of God, divine in every respect. In short, He is the Son of God, and this is what He was asking the Pharisees above - if they knew His true identity. To me, Christ is asking them here, "Do you understand who I am? Do you comprehend the purpose I have here on the earth right now, or do you just view me as another mortal man?" Now, let's contrast this with another scriptural example. In Matthew 16:13-17, it declares,
"...He asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
Notice how Christ asks first who men say that He is, and the responses His apostles give do not mesh with the truth of His divinity. But then, distinguishing the difference between the Saints and individuals who do not yet know truth, Jesus asks, "Whom say ye that I am?" And with a witness that Christ Himself points out comes from our Heavenly Father, Peter answers with the correct answer of truth - that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. So, why does this matter, anyway? What do all these pretty little scriptures have to do with you and me as fellow participants in the LGBT+ journey of Mormonism, aka the gospel of Jesus Christ? It all comes down to a clear-cut choice, though it can be anything but simple at times.
I can choose, in any given set of circumstances, to believe that Jesus Christ was a good man, great teacher, fictitious invention of ancient fanatics, world-changing philosopher, or something along those lines. I can ignore any small shred of evidence I've received of the reality of His presence and identity in my life, and cast aside the beautiful witnesses of His majestic, sovereign life throughout all His creation in the universe. Pain that manifests in multiple ways - severe disappointment, death, chronic illness, betrayal, rejection, loneliness, etc, etc - can strongly influence one to reject the idea of an all-loving, all-powerful, and all-present Savior of humankind. But if you're reading this, I suspect that you've got some little bit of light and truth you're still holding onto - otherwise, why seek after such reading material? For those of you reading this who still are holding on to even the tiniest bit of light, I challenge you to set your shame, pain, and discomfort aside, and instead take a chance on Jesus again. Even if it's just a piece at a time, hand Him your heart and soul to show you who He really is - more than all the petty, trivial identities above, and instead an actual, living, breathing Savior who desires to know you as His beloved son or daughter.
I testify that what we each think of Christ will ultimately shape our journey with Him as LGBT+ sons and daughters of God. We will slip, we will fall, and we will at times completely crash and burn - but He still loves us anyway. No matter what happens, if we establish that loving, firm relationship with Jesus Christ, He cannot and will not fail us! I love Deuteronomy 31:6, which declares, "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." And there's also 2nd Timothy 2:13, which says, "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." The phrase "believe not" is better translated from the Greek as "are unfaithful". So, if we are unfaithful, yet Christ still remains faithful, because He cannot be unfaithful to us by virtue of being a perfectly loving Savior and Redeemer. Consider what you think of Jesus Christ - what you believe His identity was and is currently in your journey as someone involved with the LGBT+ community. Is Christ really who He says He is, and who His servants testify Him to be? I challenge you to delve deep into wrestling prayer with our Father-God, and to gain a witness of the true identity and nature of Christ in your life, personally. I love you all!!! Until next time, my friends....
