justaname said:
John 8:1-11
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court,
4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.
5 “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?”
6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.
7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.
10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”
In this Jesus was displaying that everyone who was going to stone this woman who did sin was just as guilty of sin as her. Jesus could have picked up a stone because He was without sin, all the rest were sinners. What I glean from this text is man's inability to forgive others when he himself is riddled with sin. When sin is evident the loving thing to do is point it out to the sinner and give them the chance for repentance, not just stone them to death, because we are all guilty of sin.
This is a true statement. But, when we tell someone they are in sin, are we not giving them space for repentance? All have space for repentance, which is why we tell them they are in sin. If they didn't have a chance, why bother? They are judged already. Not by us, for we are human.
Are we saying, "You are a sinner, in sin. There is no hope for you". Absolutely not! We tell them they are in sin, and that they can be overcomers much like any other person. Jesus said to that woman, "Go and sin no more".
If someone comes to you, asking if something is sin, state it plainly that it's sin, that God can do the convicting. Then state plainly that Jesus can and will help them out of their troubles. God will do the saving. If they refuse to hear you, and walk away, God will do the judging. You see how we are to cooperate with God? If words flow from my lips, and they feel convicted, am I convicting them? Am I judging them? No, it is God who does such a thing. I am only the messenger, fellow servant.
Not everyone is called to preach and teach in the same way in manner. Some are called like John the Baptist, who will see nothing but a generation of vipers in people like the Pharisees. Some are called in their workplace, to preach the good tidings to those in their job, merely by example. Some are called to stand in front of Kings, life imperiled, and rebuke them for their iniquity. "It is not lawful for thee to have her". John told the truth. It's not like he never told them repent. But he was a very plain spoken man. Plain words cut the heart.
There is nothing we can do, people will get hurt, then accuse us of judging them. It's an accusation, that's all it is. Because we revealed to them the truth, they do nothing but get angry with us. We become their enermies. You realize, how even in Christ's love, the Pharisees and others still hated Christ? It doesn't matter how loving you are, you will be hated for sharing the truth.
For someone to plainly state homosexuality is a sin, we are accused of judging. I know, it happened to me with a friend. She asked me, and I told her, and she got upset, and then accused me. Jesus can help her, just like anyone else overcome. However, her accusations came because she felt judged. Who was then judging her and convicting her? Was it me? No, it was God. She reviled me, not realizing she actually was reviling the One that sent me to warn her.
In conclusion, point out the sinfulness when someone asks. Even if someone doesn't ask, we bear the burden of sharing what we know. It's a war, people are going to get offended, and there is nothing you can do about it. Not a thing.
I've simply grown tired of these accusations (not that you are the accuser). We share the truth in love. We do not judge, we do not convict, God does.
So, if a homosexual again wants to know -- Yes, it is a sin. However, you can be freed from that sin, we all have crosses to carry. Whether we like it or not, we all have sinful things which need to be tossed out. Do not stumble because it offends you, rather go to God about such a thing offending you. Share how you love Him supremely and want to be free. You may not feel like it, your flesh wages against the spirit, but if you want to follow God, He will take you in. It is His promise.