There was a time in my life when I was out and proud in the gay community and felt that I actually belonged there. Yet at the same time I didn’t entirely feel like I was meant to be there. I had enough of a Christian upbringing to know the lifestyle I was living wasn’t for me.
In church for a long time though, I had also felt very alone and I didn’t feel like I belonged there either. Having same sex attraction I didn’t know who to turn to for answers to my, oh so many, questions. The rebellious proud gay man wanted to be out there in the world, while the Christian wanted to deny the flesh and be stronger than I was.
I didn’t feel like I fit in, in church or the world. Like many prodigals however, the day came when I came home to find a warm welcome was waiting for me in the familiar embrace of the Fathers arms. It’s then that I started to speak about sexual stuff in churches which breaks down the barriers that we so easily put up when it comes to the subject of sex. For me, I don’t see why I should only talk about my own very personal issues of SSA when we live in a world that is obsessed by sex. I don’t mind giving my testimony, but sometimes I feel like I also need to challenge others to look at their own lives too.
“The women caught in the act.”
One scripture I often use to teach people about Jesus’ view on sexual sin is in John 8, which tells the story of the women caught in adultery and how Jesus forgives her. Recently I wanted to go deeper into this passage of the Bible and started searching for teachings on it. What I found surprised me. I like to think I know most things about the Bible. But the more I study the word of God the more I realise how little I actually know!
What I found in this study was that this story has a similar issue with the feeling of belonging as I do. It seems about 500 years after John’s gospel was written someone added this story. The evidence for this is quite overwhelming when you start to study it.
Don’t freak out.
Now don’t freak out about this too much, it doesn’t mean the Bible isn’t accurate. The fact is the Bible was copied many times over into far more languages than just its original ones. There are a lot of small differences that turn up over time from all that copying, but the differences are usually small and not considered errors, much like some versions today have different ways of saying the same thing. But here in John 8 we find that all the earliest manuscripts don’t have the story. It’s even written in a different style to the rest of the gospel using words John doesn’t use. Anyone studying John’s gospel in Greek gets here and straight away they notice this change.
I think they added it because they wanted to talk about sex!
The issue then when you want to study it, is no one’s looking at it the same way as they do the rest of John’s Gospel. But in 500AD or there a bouts the church seemed to want to talk about sex (and all this time later we still don’t want to address the elephant in the room). Yet the church in 500AD thought it so important they added a story that wasn’t previously in John’s gospel. That story has then remained in the Bible. I find this incredible. It makes me love this story even more.
Judgment under the law results in death but Jesus changes that.
The passage is about the difference between the penalty for sexual sin before and after Jesus. It’s a gospel message. It’s good news. So let’s look at it. It is a message about sexual sin. No one wants to talk about that. Why is that? Because no one wants reminding of their own sin. People want to say we must not judge because they themselves feel condemned. Judgement under the law results in death but Jesus changes that. Jesus judges all of them.
Some say this message is about not judging others but that’s not correct. Jesus judges everyone there. They judge themselves. The men all walk away, it’s not a question of not judging, if that’s what you take from this you have walked away like those men and missed what happens next which is the most important part of the story.
He who is without sin cast the first stone – this is a challenge
Knowing she is guilty the woman is at Jesus’ feet. She doesn’t even ask for mercy. Jesus asks her, where are your accusers, where are the men who want you dead. Gone. And neither do I condemn you, Jesus says. Jesus’ challenge was “let Him who is without sin throw the first stone.” Jesus was the only one who was without sin.
Go and sin no more – this is a commission!
He then issues the women a challenge. He says go and sin no more. Notice He says she was sinning before. To say, “sin no more” assumes she was sinning. Jesus forgives and empowers change. If you walk away in sin you miss a commission to “go”. Jesus said go into all the world and we call that the great commission. But we have to start with a great confession. I am a sinner and I deserve nothing good. But the good news is Jesus took our sin paid our price and conquered death (that we deserved) for us. In the same power that then raised him we live free to live free from sin to GO & SIN NO MORE.
Here’s the thing, this women doesn’t fit in. You and I don’t fit in. This story maybe didn’t fit in. But someone added the story!
And someone added you and me, to an even greater story.
Carl Pether
In church for a long time though, I had also felt very alone and I didn’t feel like I belonged there either. Having same sex attraction I didn’t know who to turn to for answers to my, oh so many, questions. The rebellious proud gay man wanted to be out there in the world, while the Christian wanted to deny the flesh and be stronger than I was.
I didn’t feel like I fit in, in church or the world. Like many prodigals however, the day came when I came home to find a warm welcome was waiting for me in the familiar embrace of the Fathers arms. It’s then that I started to speak about sexual stuff in churches which breaks down the barriers that we so easily put up when it comes to the subject of sex. For me, I don’t see why I should only talk about my own very personal issues of SSA when we live in a world that is obsessed by sex. I don’t mind giving my testimony, but sometimes I feel like I also need to challenge others to look at their own lives too.
“The women caught in the act.”
One scripture I often use to teach people about Jesus’ view on sexual sin is in John 8, which tells the story of the women caught in adultery and how Jesus forgives her. Recently I wanted to go deeper into this passage of the Bible and started searching for teachings on it. What I found surprised me. I like to think I know most things about the Bible. But the more I study the word of God the more I realise how little I actually know!
What I found in this study was that this story has a similar issue with the feeling of belonging as I do. It seems about 500 years after John’s gospel was written someone added this story. The evidence for this is quite overwhelming when you start to study it.
Don’t freak out.
Now don’t freak out about this too much, it doesn’t mean the Bible isn’t accurate. The fact is the Bible was copied many times over into far more languages than just its original ones. There are a lot of small differences that turn up over time from all that copying, but the differences are usually small and not considered errors, much like some versions today have different ways of saying the same thing. But here in John 8 we find that all the earliest manuscripts don’t have the story. It’s even written in a different style to the rest of the gospel using words John doesn’t use. Anyone studying John’s gospel in Greek gets here and straight away they notice this change.
I think they added it because they wanted to talk about sex!
The issue then when you want to study it, is no one’s looking at it the same way as they do the rest of John’s Gospel. But in 500AD or there a bouts the church seemed to want to talk about sex (and all this time later we still don’t want to address the elephant in the room). Yet the church in 500AD thought it so important they added a story that wasn’t previously in John’s gospel. That story has then remained in the Bible. I find this incredible. It makes me love this story even more.
Judgment under the law results in death but Jesus changes that.
The passage is about the difference between the penalty for sexual sin before and after Jesus. It’s a gospel message. It’s good news. So let’s look at it. It is a message about sexual sin. No one wants to talk about that. Why is that? Because no one wants reminding of their own sin. People want to say we must not judge because they themselves feel condemned. Judgement under the law results in death but Jesus changes that. Jesus judges all of them.
Some say this message is about not judging others but that’s not correct. Jesus judges everyone there. They judge themselves. The men all walk away, it’s not a question of not judging, if that’s what you take from this you have walked away like those men and missed what happens next which is the most important part of the story.
He who is without sin cast the first stone – this is a challenge
Knowing she is guilty the woman is at Jesus’ feet. She doesn’t even ask for mercy. Jesus asks her, where are your accusers, where are the men who want you dead. Gone. And neither do I condemn you, Jesus says. Jesus’ challenge was “let Him who is without sin throw the first stone.” Jesus was the only one who was without sin.
Go and sin no more – this is a commission!
He then issues the women a challenge. He says go and sin no more. Notice He says she was sinning before. To say, “sin no more” assumes she was sinning. Jesus forgives and empowers change. If you walk away in sin you miss a commission to “go”. Jesus said go into all the world and we call that the great commission. But we have to start with a great confession. I am a sinner and I deserve nothing good. But the good news is Jesus took our sin paid our price and conquered death (that we deserved) for us. In the same power that then raised him we live free to live free from sin to GO & SIN NO MORE.
Here’s the thing, this women doesn’t fit in. You and I don’t fit in. This story maybe didn’t fit in. But someone added the story!
And someone added you and me, to an even greater story.
Carl Pether
Recent
Archive
2024
February
2023
January
February
March
August
September
November
2022
September
October
November
Categories
Tags
1 Corinthians 6
24 hours of prayer
Baptism
Bible teaching
Christian art
Christian
Church
CofE
Daniel 4
Emily Sargent
Fitting in
Highest authority
Jesus is the way
John 8
LGBTQ+
LGBT
Leicester
New Creation
Progress Pride Flag
Pure Joy
Rev12 Project
SSA Christians
SSA Christian
SSA teenagers
SSA
TBGL
The Times
abbas heart
accountability
affirming church
bible study for parents
biblical sexual ethic
blessed
born gay
born this way
brotherlylove
build the wall
calling
celibate christian
children and pride
christian parents
christian response to Pride
christian teenagers
christian teen
church and same sex marriage
church and sexuality
church deceived
church leaders
church training
codependency
come out
coming out
conversations about sexuality
conversion therapy ban
conversion therapy
discipleship
emotional dependency
faith and sexuality
false teaching
find Jesus
former LGBTQ
former LGBTQ
freedom in christ
freedom of religion
gay affirming
gay celibate christian
gay children
gay christian
gay teenager
glory to glory
hell
homosexuality
hope shouts louder
humility
idolatry
inclusive church
indoctrination
intercessory prayer
jesus
joanne highley
john 1:2-4
john 3:16
justiceforchristians
labels
lgbtq prodigals
lgbtq
love is love
love your neighbour
matthew 5:11
ministry
new identity
once gay
overcoming sin
parenting in faith
parents of prodigals
pastoral care
peer support
persecution
powerofprayer
poweroftestimony
prayer wall
prayer
praying for LGBTQ
praying for our children
praying for prodigals
pride
prodigals
prodigal
progressive church
psalm 18
reflecting god
relative truth
responding to Pride
retreat
rev12project
rev12
roots of SSA
safe and welcoming church
same sex attraction
same sex marriage
same sex relationships
samesexfriendship
sex and relationships
sexual fluidity
sexual identity
sexual immorality
sexual sin
sexuality and faith questions
sexuality and faith
side a christian
side b christian
single friendly church
small group
smoke and mirrors
space to meet God
spacious place training
spacious place
spiritual armor
spiritual armour
spiritual warfare
such a time as this
such were some of you
teenager
temptation
testimony
thinking straight
transformation
transformed by gods love
transformed family
transformed international
transformed ministries
transformedbygodslove
transformedministries
transformed
transgender in church
transgender
trans
true freedom
truth
uncommon love bible study
uncommon love
welcome church
what did Jesus say
what is truth
why me
woman in adultery