Jesus wouldn’t condemn gays

I am writing in response to the letter from James J. Abbott. He states the Boy Scouts of America were wrong in excluding openly gay youth from their organization. He says Jesus Christ would condemn this action, and so should all Christians.

How did Jesus treat people who were guilty of sexual immorality? The Bible is clear that all sexual activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman is sin.

We have the answer in the 8th Chapter of the Gospel of John. The Pharisees bring to Jesus a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. They quoted the Old Testament Scripture that says such a person should be stoned to death. (We read the same thing in regard to homosexual acts in Leviticus 20:13.) Jesus’s answer to the Pharisees was “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Slowly, they all left, being convicted in their conscience of their own sin. Then Jesus turned to the woman and asked “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She answered “ No one, Lord.” He then said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

This last part of the story, often gets left out. Jesus does not condemn us, neither does He desire that we stay in our sin. He offers cleansing, healing and freedom. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, these verses describe the sins,(including homosexual acts) that will keep us out of heaven. The good news is in verse 11, which states, “And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

Jesus offers hope and change — not just to homosexuals, but to all of us.

I highly recommend the book, “Out of a Far Country,” by Christopher and Angela Yuan. Excellent reading for people on both sides of this issue.

Geraldine M. Winfrey

Carpentersville