Jesus defines sin as lack of love (about 7 times!) What is unloving about homosexuality? And where can I take my homosexual cat to get him cured of this “sin”.

Tell me how this advances any conversation. U-N-G-E-N-E-R-O-U-S comment alert.

Jayce, while you’ve rightly cited certain Old Testament passages about stoning for infractions against the law, you also noticed that Jesus himself was put on the spot in John 8 about whether to stone or not when presented a woman caught in adultery. Jesus’ example here shows us the best example of how to respond, perhaps for any kind of sinful behavior:

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and followed with an exhortation and encouragement to leave a life of sin.

Why stone for sexual sin? One could point to several possible reasons; faithfulness, breaking covenant with your marriage partner, or the pervasiveness of the sin. When Israel conquored certain cultures, they were commanded by God to kill all men, women, children, and even livestock. When Israel didn’t follow through, that foreign culture began to infiltrate Israel and take them away from God. It could be assumed, then, that sexual sin has a way of infiltrating a society, taking that society away from God. But, then, Jesus forgave the woman who was about to be stoned. (Could it be partially because the man she was caught with wasn’t being treated with the same harsh penalty?) So, grace abounded from Jesus, even under the Old Testament law.

In the New Testament, Paul specifically states (in Romans 1) that those performing homosexual acts “don’t know God”. Why, then, would a church want to ordain a professed homosexual to a leadership position. Why be led by someone who doesn’t know God?

To put this in perspective, though, John (I John 4:7,8) states, “He that loveth not, knoweth not God.” He didn’t say this person couldn’t be “born again”. (I believe the scriptures show one can be born again and still not “know” God.)

So, can a homosexual be born again? Yes. Do all born again Christians KNOW God? No.

Therein lies the solution, I think. Preach and Teach the Word of God in such a manner that the hearers can come to KNOW God. Primary in this is to show the believer who they REALLY are “in Christ”. When someone begins to understand who God has already made them to be, their thinking automatically begins to change, and they begin to believe and act differently. (Romans 12:1,2)

We have all been extended Grace, not to conform to the religious ideals of others, but to conform to what God has created us to be IN Christ Jesus.