There was a man named Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem, as it is written: “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). He was called Emmanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), and he came to bring salvation to mankind.

He was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus was “the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 1:8), the Word made flesh who dwelt among us (John 1:14). He was the Light of the World (John 8:12) and the Bread of Life (John 6:35), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) who laid down his life for his sheep.

As the Prophet Isaiah foretold, he was “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). And yet, he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). He was full of grace and truth, and from his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace (John 1:14, 16).

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6); no one can come to the Father except through him. He is the true vine, and we, his branches, can bear fruit only by abiding in him (John 15:5). He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), the Firstborn of all who will rise from the dead (Colossians 1:18), and He is the Bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).

As he hung upon the cross, he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his stripes, we were healed (Isaiah 53:5). He was buried in a tomb, and on the third day, he rose again according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty (Mark 16:19). He shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom shall have no end (2 Timothy 4:1). For it is written, “Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).

And while Jesus bore the sins of many, and wiped our slates clean, to present unto Himself a spotless bride, washed in His own blood, forgiven of all our iniquities, one thing Jesus did not do was affirm sin. In fact, Jesus was so clear about the need for repentance in order to be saved that His first words recorded as He began his public ministry were “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Yet, Justin Pearson, a Tennessee state House Democrat who was ousted from the House during an anti-gun protest last week, preached that Jesus was lynched on Good Friday because of his support for the LGBTQ community. These blasphemers need to be exposed and driven from the Church in the exact same way that Jesus drove money-changers from the temple.