Paul announces: 'There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' In Christ, divisions are erased.
I'm a lesbian in the church. For years I internalized the message that my sexuality was incompatible with faith. I was woman, so I was already subordinate. And I was attracted to women, so I was also sinful. Double exclusion. But Paul says none of that matters in Christ. Male and female categories don't determine my standing before God.
I'm not saying the church has fully embraced this. Many churches still use Paul's words to exclude LGBTQ people. But I'm learning to go back to Paul's actual claim: in Christ, those divisions collapse. I'm neither male nor female. I'm a human beloved of God. My sexuality doesn't disqualify me. It's part of the human identity that Christ embraces.
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