Should a Christian be friends with a homosexual
Introduction
The call to Christian friendship extends to all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, lifestyle, or beliefs.
Jesus Himself modeled this by engaging directly with people who were considered social outcasts and sinners by the religious elite of His day. To be a Christian means to be an ambassador of Christ's love to the world, and this cannot happen through isolation or hostility.
The key for the believer is establishing friendships that are rooted in genuine care while maintaining personal spiritual integrity.
1. The Universal Mandate of Love and Mercy
The primary command given to every Christian is to love one's neighbor, and this command holds no exceptions based on a person's sexual orientation or choices.
Love the Neighbor: The New Testament insists that loving the neighbor is second only to loving God. A Christian’s love must be unconditional, recognizing that every person is created in the Image of God and deserves respect and dignity. To withhold friendship from anyone because of their lifestyle is a failure to live out this most fundamental command.
Scripture Says: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30–31).
Following Jesus's Example: Jesus spent His ministry building relationships with people deemed "sinners"—tax collectors, prostitutes, and the marginalized. He did not wait for people to clean up their lives before He offered them love, kindness, and relationship.
Scripture Says: "When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?'" (Matthew 9:11).
2. The Distinction of Conviction: Love Without Compromise
While a Christian must love unconditionally, this love does not require the believer to endorse or participate in sin, either their own or that of their friends.
The Call to Holiness: A Christian is commanded to live a life of holiness and to flee from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). A friendship only becomes inappropriate if it tempts the Christian to participate in, or compromise their own conviction about, activities that the Bible clearly defines as sin. A healthy friendship will never demand or encourage the believer to violate their faith.
Scripture Says: "Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15:33). This warning is about the corrosive influence of consistent, unrepentant sin that draws the Christian away from God—it is not an excuse for avoiding those who need Christ.
Truth Spoken in Love: The purpose of Christian friendship is not just companionship, but an opportunity to be a witness of Christ's transforming power. This requires a balance of grace and truth. The Christian should be prepared to share their biblical convictions with gentleness when asked, but their primary focus should be the consistent demonstration of God's love.
3. The Goal: Being an Ambassador of Reconciliation
Friendship with a homosexual person is a primary way a Christian can live out the calling to be an ambassador of the Gospel in a secular world.
Bridging the Divide: In a culture often marked by hostility between the LGBTQ+ community and Christians, genuine, respectful friendship is a powerful testimony. It proves that a person can hold firm biblical convictions about morality while still demonstrating profound love, respect, and kindness.
Presenting the True Gospel: Friendship offers the opportunity to show a person that the Gospel is not primarily about rules and condemnation, but about love, forgiveness, and the offer of new life in Christ, which is available to all who repent and believe.
Conclusion
Yes, a Christian should be friends with a homosexual person. This practice is a direct command to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31) and follows the example of Jesus, who ate with sinners (Matthew 9:11).
This relationship must be guided by spiritual discernment to ensure that the Christian is not corrupted by bad company (1 Corinthians 15:33), but remains focused on being a credible ambassador of Christ's unconditional love and transforming truth.
