Jesus Christ condemns immorality to save lives

I have once received a message from a man who wrote that he was homosexual. All of his messages were accusative, and one of it said: “I want to have the answer to this question: If a man kills another one, he is a murderer, isn’t he? Why do you keep saying that what you and Islamic mullah preach (the same thing: Deuteronomy can be found in Koran as well as in the Bible and you say that it is the “Word of God”) is “moral”? How do you, as a man whose mind is from God, can believe that killing someone because he had sexual relations with a “man” or killing a girl because she had sexual relation when she had menstruation (maybe she was rapped) is moral?” According to this message and to the understanding of those from LGBT community, Christians are blamed for asking the capital death for immorality they practice and spread vehemently. I wrote this message to present the position of our Lord Jesus Christ and show in this way what should be the position and attitude of every Christian regarding every immorality and people who practice it.

All my statement are based on the text from the Gospel of John 8:1–11, and I will put down this whole passage:

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 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. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 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. 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.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 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. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either Go from now on sin no more.”

The first thing that seems contradictory in this text is that Moses said that such women had to be stoned, but the Lord Jesus Christ did not condemn that woman, and I do not know why, no one managed to condemn her. Why so? Most people think that when Jesus said to the crowd “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” referred to the sinful and imperfect nature of every person. Not only… the Lord Jesus referred to that certain case and all those who brought the woman to Jesus were guilty in this certain case. Why so? We have seen twice in the text how Jesus was writing something on the ground while those men kept on asking Him to accuse that woman. What was Jesus Christ writing on the ground? Maybe what is written at Deuteronomy 22:22 “If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel.” The Word of God says very clearly that both the man and the woman who committed adultery had to die, thus to purge the evil from Israel. Nevertheless, even if those who brought the woman to Jesus said: “this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act”, they brought only her, but it seems she was the victim. They did not bring the man who committed adultery with that woman… We do not know what were the reasons: maybe he bore influence, had money, etc. but there was a reason why they, religious leaders of that time, were partial and disonsidered that sin. In this case, they were immoral as well, because they were protecting an immoral. They were ready to sacrifice the weak victim to save the appearances. They pretended they obeyed God, and they wanted to purge the evil from the society, but immorality was prospering under their religion. Jesus Christ did not accept any immorality.

The Lord Jesus didn’t say anything against the commandment given by God through Moses in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy, but He said that no one was able to condemn that woman, because those who were accusing her pretended to be religious people, but in fact they were immoral, partial and had no mercy. Jesus condemned the immorality from that woman’s life and from the life of those who denounced her when He told her: “Go from now on don’t sin anymore”. If the adultery of that woman was condemned, how much more the sin of sodomy is to be condemned.

But, someone can reply that the Lord Jesus didn’t sentence that woman, why we could sentence immoral people. To sentence means to  pass a sentence that has to be executed. Those who denounced that woman were waiting for the sentence to stone her. The fact that Jesus Christ didn’t sentence that woman doesn’t mean that her sin was not judged according to the Law of God, but that means that the Savior gave that woman one more chance to reconcile with God, to repent and to discontinue live immorally. The Lord Jesus proved through this decision the character of His Father, as it is described at 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” Jesus gave this woman a chance to save her life. If you are immoral, don’t think that if you are alive, this means that God doesn’t see and condemn your sin, but understand that He gives you one more chance. Or, as the Word of God says

do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. (Romans 2:4–6)(NASB)

The adulterous woman didn’t excuse herself before God, but she was waiting the punishment for her sin. Her silence and then her answer shows very well that this woman admitted her sin. This is what God waits for from those who live in immorality and sin. Here starts the real repentance. But, as the case described in the Bible, most immoral people like to act slyly on evil paths to tempt and then to blame those who confront them with the truth of God’s Word. Read this biblical passage once again to see the intentions of those who came to Jesus with the woman they had caught in adultery. If you read the letters of that homosexual man I referred to, it will not be difficult to see the author’s intention – no purpose to know and to live the truth of God.

Based on the biblical references I have mentioned above, I want to put down some advice for those who live immorally, including sodomy. Come to Jesus Christ who can heal and set you free from the sin you live now. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Read the Bible, believe in the Lord Jesus and dedicate Him your life. Then, look for a church where the Word of God is preached and where people live in accord to what they are preached. Be a part of that church and make your friends those who chose to live holy before God.

If you are a Christian, choose to follow the example of the Lord Jesus. Confront immoral people by the truth of God’s Word, in the love of Jesus Christ with no partiality. Speak in a worthy manner with those who try to harm God’s Word to protect and to promote immorality. When you talk to immoral people, don’t forget to tell them about the chance they have from Jesus Christ if they turn back with repentance. Do not be with those who are more, when they harm the Word of God. Stay in His Word always. Don’t be overcome by the hate that exists in the society. Immoral people show much hate for those who don’t live immorally. Stay away from this hate, but also from indifference of not telling immoral people the truth of the Word of God and the forgiveness they have in Jesus Christ, and if they do not accept it, they will be lost for eternity.

May God work repentance in the lives of all immoral people and sacrificing love in the hearts of Christians.

Translated by Felicia Djugostran