Love Wins (more than a hashtag)
Throughout history, good people, even faithful Christians, have found themselves on every side of every conflict or debate. Sometimes tensions run deep, even between family members, friends, and within the church.
In addition to escalating political and global events, society grapples with issues of identity and belonging. Often, the loudest voices get the most attention, even when they do not represent the majority. Even more concerning, truth is often ignored, threatened, and silenced.
Yet God’s Word remains sure. No one is perfect. We all fall short. Sometimes in our actions, sometimes in our thoughts, sometimes in our attitudes. All sin separates us from God. (Romans 6:23, James 2:10). On our own, no one stands innocent before the Divine Creator — not the addict, not the gossip, not the greedy, not the proud.
While all sin is equal in the eyes of God, some sins carry deeper scars or more visible consequences. Yet the hope of the Gospel is this: God meets us where we are, and He loves us too much to let us stay there.
Each June, Pride Month is celebrated across the United States and around the world. While the origins of such celebrations trace back to June 1969, it wasn’t until 2009 when President Barack Obama issued the first official presidential proclamation recognizing LGBT Pride Month. In cities all over the world, June has become a time of parades, rainbow flags, and corporate initiatives, with messages like “Love is love” and “Love wins.”
As followers of Christ, we must ask: Are we using God’s definition of love, or have we begun calling evil good, and good evil? (Isaiah 5:20, Romans 1:32).
What was once a sacred symbol of God’s promise is now held captive as a banner of pride. The rainbow had nothing to do with how people define themselves; it had everything to do with God’s covenant of mercy and redemption (Genesis 9:13). It serves as a reminder of His promise to withhold judgment, a sign of His patience and love. The world now flaunts sin beneath a rainbow banner. The rainbow that once pointed upward to God’s faithfulness is now used to point inward to humans’ self-expression. These are not two versions of the same love. They are entirely different messages, moving in opposite directions.
Even in a world that distorts His symbols and redefines His truth, God continues to offer mercy. He meets us in the middle of our need, not in the celebration of sin. That’s the heartbeat of grace.
This grace is captured powerfully in the account of the thief on the cross — both in Scripture and Steven Curtis Chapman’s song, “Love Wins (The Thief)” (lyrics in italics).
The thief was broken. Deserving of judgment. Out of time.
“Somewhere between now and then, I lost the man I could have been.
Took everything that wasn’t mine to take,
But Love believes that it is not too late.
Only one of us deserves this cross,
A suffering that should belong to me.
Deep within this man I hang beside
Is the place where shame and grace collide.”
While others mocked Jesus, the thief recognized his guilt in the presence of holiness. Jesus responded without scorn or harsh judgment, but with a promise.
“Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)
The thief didn’t earn salvation. He simply believed Jesus was who He said He was, admitted his shortcomings, and asked for what only Jesus could give him. And Jesus said yes.
Imagine that moment when the thief entered paradise. Maybe others asked,
“What are you doing here?”
And he simply replied, “Jesus said I could come.”
“You don’t have to be who you’ve been before
Silenced by His voice, death can’t speak again.”
True love does not affirm every desire or applaud rebellion. Love doesn’t lie to make us feel better. True love sacrifices everything before offering us the greatest gift of all.
As Charlie Kirk shared during a campus forum, “Love is not the absence of truth. It is the presence of truth wrapped in compassion.”
This is how love wins, every single time. Not because the world redefined it, but because Jesus poured it out.
Love wins, not as a hashtag, but as surrender.