We must handle and apply Scripture with care. From the beginning the Word was given in many ways. We must not only see whether it is God’s Word, whether God spoke it, but much more, to whom He spoke it, whether it applies to you or to another person. There the difference appears, as great as between summer and winter. . . . The Word in Scripture is twofold: one is no concern of mine and does not apply to me; the other does apply to me. And on that which applies to me I may boldly act and rely, as on a solid rock. But I it does not apply to me, I should do nothing about it. The false prophets rush in and say: Dear people, this is the Word of God. what they say is true, and we cannot deny it; but we are not the people to whom God is speaking. [Plass, What Luther Says, (Sermon, August 27, 1525) §4767, p. 1474.] 

Many things in the Bible are not relevant to people today, even if they can be understood as having meaning for those to whom they were originally addressed. Each Christian must read and distinguish for oneself the meaning, relevance and applicability of the Word—one of the foundation principles of the 16th Century Reformation.

 
Like every other people, we who are LGBTQ have every right to read and interpret Scripture out of our own lived experience and faith. This takes determination and strength, because we have many critics and opponents in the household of faith who do not yet understand our faith and life experience, and do not recognize the image of God in us. But our own lived faith teaches how we should understand God’s word and God’s will for us—not the opinions of others.

Knowing the Word gives us strength to face down demons.  There are many demonic voices that conspire to tell us that we are rejected or despised by God, and that our understanding of Scripture is flawed. When we hear that message, we should know it is false because it contradicts the word which announces the Great Love of God our Redeemer (1 John 4:1–6).

There are many strident Christian voices out there which condemn and reject us, even hate us to the point of murder. We have internalized much of this rejection and hatred from society. Hatred and condemnations have become demons which plague us and inhabit are inner spiritual lives. As we face these demons, and pray for the ministry of others to cast them out, we are freed by the good news from the power of hatred. And especially we are freed from the false belief that God hates us and rejects us.

What do we mean by “Great Love”? The overarching message of the revelation about God includes that:

• God is love (1 John 4:16)
• God loves us and does not condemn us (John 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:4-7)
• God's purpose for humanity is to love God and to love one another (Daniel 9:4; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 22:37-38 || Mark 12:29-34 || Luke 10:27-28; Romans 8:28-39; 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Ephesians 4:1-6, 5:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 3:5; 1 Pter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 16, 4:19-21
• Christians are commanded to love one another (John 15:9-13; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9-10; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:7-11)
• We are also called to be one, not divided, just as Jesus and the Father are one (Colossians 3:14; John 17:22-23)
• So we do not condemn or reject one another (Matthew 7:1–2; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 2:14; Philippians 2:1–3) 
• God is merciful (Psalm 51:1, Psalm 52:8); and even more, God is love (John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 13:1–13; 1 Thess. 1:4–5; Hebrews 6:10; James 1:5; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:1–24; 4:7–12, 16–21)
• We are well prepared for the day of judgment if we have love (Romans 5:8-11; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11; Hebrews 4:16, 6:9-10; 1 John 4:17-19; Jude 1:20-21) 

The Scriptures belong to all people of faith. We are entitled to read the Scriptures from our place, perceptions and experience as Queer people. Every previous people to whom the Word has come have been able to do this. So even LGBTQ are right to claim God’s love and grace from what we read.

• The Scriptures belong to all. Who has the right to interpret them? All of us!
• We do this not to “dodge” the scolding or condemning words often used against us, but because we know they do not describe our lives, our self-understanding, or our own burdens and spiritual challenges.
It is right and even pious for us to read the Scriptures out of our experience, our hopes, our fears, and our faith in salvation. Some will say this is not objective–that we are looking at the Bible only from a subjective or biased viewpoint. But all Christians are invited to bring the Word together to intersect with their lives, for in so doing the Spirit dwells in each believer’s heart.

We have the same responsibility as all other believers to hear both Law and Gospel. Martin Luther worried and obsessed about his inability to repent of everything of which he might be guilt, and feared that he would go to hell for a sin that he had forgotten to confess. Later he came to fully understand that the purpose of the Law, the accusing word, is to convince us of our need for God’s grace, not to drive us to despair. This later became another foundation stone for the Reformation.

Lutherans hold that the Law and the Gospel must be properly distinguished, and both of them should be preached and taught. Through the Law we come to understand sin, and are prompted to examine ourselves. Through the Gospel we come to realize that judgment and condemnation are not God’s final word for the human race. “God’s word for us is always an invitation, not an ultimatum.” God’s decisive word is the saving word, not the condemning word.

The Great Word of the Christian Scriptures is that God saves! God redeems, God is patient and long-suffering, God justifies us solely as a gift of grace, not because we are perfectly loveable but because God is love.

And God is powerful. God’s Word has effect when it is proclaimed! God’s power, love and mercy are on the side of the poor and the oppressed, not on the side of the powerful. When the Scriptures are used to defend and protect privilege and power, they are being misused, because this Great Word of the Bible is clear.

The Scriptures will help us “recover our voices” as LGBTQ people who have been silenced by the dominant opinions and powerful voices of northern-European, male heterosexuals. (This was first expressed by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott.)

When we recover our voices, we are required to use our voices to bring the good news to the poor, release the captives, free the oppressed (also Mollenkott). We are in solidarity with other oppressed peoples who are recovering their voices through the Scriptures: persons of color, women, young people, new believers, the deaf/hearing-impaired, poor, Third World peoples.

Engaging the Scriptures, we learn to live as queer disciples. We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We test our own discipline and ethics, we contribute insights from our experience which others may never have heard; we claim wholeness, health and salvation by living into the reality of whole and healthy Christian lives.