rivka

"But all the wickedness in the world which man may do or think is no more to the mercy of God than a live coal in the sea." - Langland

I just posted this in response to someone who was proudly storing up Bible quotes she could use to "rebuke homosexuality:"

Here are some texts I highly recommend to your attention:

Matthew 7:1-5.

John 8:3-11.

When we look at what Christ calls us to do, the lessons he teaches are clear. It's not a very Christian thing to store up lists of texts that you can use to "rebuke" someone, and to chase after other people to tell them that they're sinful. That's not what Jesus taught his followers to do.

When the woman who was taken in adultery was brought before him, he didn't quote the relevant scriptures condemning adultery, did he? He wasn't on the side of the people who had eagerly sought out a sinner and condemned her - he told them to be more concerned with what they were doing wrong. When you seek out passages you can use to "rebuke homosexuality," are you being more like Jesus or more like the crowd he criticized in John 8?

And in Matthew 7: Christ tells you, explicitly, "Judge not, lest ye be judged...Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?" How do you reconcile that text with your eagerness to prove that homosexuality is sinful? You have a long way to go before you'll be truly Christlike in your love, charity, humility, mercy, and goodness. We all do. But in your eagerness to tell gays and lesbians what they're doing wrong, you forget about how far you fall short of the glory of God.

Work on yourself. Work on showing so much love and charity towards others that they spontaneously want to be like you and share your faith. If you truly trust in God, then trust that God will know what to do about gays and lesbians. It's not your job to judge them - that job is reserved for God alone.

I'll pray for you in Christ's name, that you may develop Christlike charity of spirit.

Real Live Preacher said it better, but we can only work with what we're given, I guess.