A photo of a small pride flag waving in a breeze, with a large building in the background. The month of “pride” is a severe shaking of the fist toward a holy God. How so? There are three ways in particular.

God Opposes the Proud: Thinking Theologically about Pride Month

Welcome to “pride” month. The month of June is when the LGBT lifestyle comes to the forefront of American culture. Just a few years ago, the month was contained to urban, progressive-leaning coffee shops. Now, Main Streets and suburban chains full of soccer moms have draped themselves equally in rainbows. “Pride” is everywhere. The LGBT movement is proud to be proud and aims to claim every inch of culture.

Consider the word “pride.” The movement has chosen this word carefully to describe this month with all its flamboyant bravado. While the culture has perhaps embraced the movement, by its self-description of “pride,” we know that God has not received it. Because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5).

The entire “pride” movement on display during June is intentionally built to stand in direct opposition to God. That’s why the term “pride” is so deliberate. The month of “pride” is a severe shaking of the fist toward a holy God.

How so? There are three ways in particular.

1. The LGBT Movement Opposes God’s Design of His Image Bearers

The crown of God’s creation is that God created male and female on the sixth day. Though different, both sexes are in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). The Westminster Shorter Catechism explains God’s image as knowledge, righteousness, and holiness (WSC 10). All is true for both men and women. At the core, the sexes are united in our common humanity.

Yet, God’s image also includes differences. Men and women are different. God’s image includes the diversity of God-assigned gender. This should not surprise us since, in the Trinity, there is ontological unity and also economic diversity. God is one in three and three in one, meaning unity and difference are needed to bear God’s image. The difference between God-assigned genders is equally crucial in bearing God’s image.

By definition, there is no image better than God’s image. As C.S. Lewis would say, this is the weight of glory. Living in the image God has assigned to our physical bodies is a tremendous privilege, and yet the LGBT culture runs from God’s assigned image, insisting on a better way.

Practically lived out, the LGBT lifestyle is essentially a modern form of Gnosticism that denies the inherent goodness of bodies/genders that God assigned at conception, seeking liberation through a secret knowledge that sets one free from the physical body in which we live.

More simply put, the LGBT lifestyle despises God’s image that we bear.

If people slander a master painter’s piece, it is not just slight toward the work. It is ultimately a slight at the artist himself.

Rejecting God’s image is opposition to God.

2. The LGBT Movement Opposes God’s Design for the Family

Immediately after human creation, God commands them to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). God’s design is for a man and woman to come together in marriage with the goal of having children. This is God’s plan to fill the Earth. Marriage is more than just procreation, but we must also be clear that it is not less.

Without getting deep into the birds and the bees, there must be a man and a woman for the conception of children. This is Biology 101. A man needs to initiate, and the woman must receive. Hence, homosexuality is a dead-end for having children. A non-starter. Same with gender transition. The end is no children.

Without resorting to Frankensteinish surgeries and medical technology, the prescribed manner of filling the Earth involves a man and a woman living into their design. This is God’s plan.

To reject God’s plan to fill the Earth through families is opposition to God.

3. The LGBT Movement Opposes God’s Created Nature

Theologians understand nature as one of the two books of God’s word. The first and most important book is the book of special revelation, the Bible. The second work is the book of creation. The book of creation is limited in that it cannot speak a message of salvation, but creation does speak of other important truths, such as God’s order, design, and power.

The LGBT lifestyle opposes God’s first book of salvation and also his second book. Even little children have enough sense to look at their bodies and see a design. Boys and girls are equal but different. And yes, when mature, the bodies of men and women fit together. To deny the fitting is to deny nature, which is to deny God.

Romans 1:26-27 states:

“For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

Creation is a book that teaches us about God. To reject nature’s design is to oppose God.

Finding Redemption in God

Those are three different conclusions of one fundamental position of the LGBT lifestyle. The entire movement stands in opposition to God. On the surface, LGBT topics center on gender, freedom, and autonomy, but the root is a deep “pride” that refuses to repent and turn to the Lord.

The labeling of June as “pride” month is deeply troubling, but the one blessing in the name is that at least the motives of the LGBT movement are clear. We don’t need to second-guess their motives. It’s a movement not of humility before God but man-centered pride.

To quote Frank Sinatra, the movement has built its philosophy on the tenet, “I’ll do it my way.”

 And for those who devote an entire month to celebrate their “pride” by waving flags, God’s word is clear. You oppose me. I oppose you—a harsh warning. Yet, there is good news.

Yes, God opposes the proud. He also loves to save his enemies (Romans 5:9). Therefore, the church continues to pray, preach, and hold out hope to our neighbors entrenched in the LGBT lifestyle. Maybe you never waved a flag, but you, too, were once proud and dead in your sins. God saved you. He can certainly save those who are currently proud.

©2024 Jon Saunders. Used with permission.

About The Author

Jon Saunders
Jon Saunders

Jon is married to Vanessa and is father of Lillian, Eleanor, Henry, Marion and Katherine. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and Calvin Theological Seminary. He formerly served at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Mich., as the pastor of campus ministry, before moving to Detroit to help with the planting of Redeemer.

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