John 8:2-11 – “Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.””
THEME OF THE DAY: NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU. There are no five words more liberating to the human soul than those said of Jesus to the adulterous woman. There is nothing more joy-filled to the human ear than hearing these words of our Lord. They compose the sweetest song ever gracing the sin-filled heart. These words? They were the answer to Jesus’ own question to her . . .
“Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more”” (John 8:10-11).
The Apostle Paul starts out the eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans with this same truth for those who believe in Jesus . . .
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
However, the truth of our freedom from condemnation before God doesn’t just happen. Nor can God simply say the words, “Neither do I condemn you.” Our sins require condemnation. Its guilt and penalty must be satisfied. And that brings us to the Gospel. The Gospel answers the necessity of sacrifice to free the condemned sinner and that sacrifice was Christ. He was condemned so we would not be . . .
“Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:23-25).
This is the message of God’s redemptive plan from Genesis to Revelation in Christ. It is the message of sacrifice. The message of punishing the innocent to let the guilty go free. And that enables the heart to hear these comforting words of Jesus – “Neither do I condemn you”. A fitting closure to this nugget is the words of Martin Luther . . .
Either your sins are on Christ or yourself. Choose today which. If Christ, you are saved. If yourself, you are condemned. Think about it . . . the answer we choose will either lead us to the comforting words of no condemnation or the continuing misery now and forever if we choose to bear our many sins ourselves.
PRAYER: Father, I praise You for condemning Your Son so I may hear His Words, “Neither do I condemn you.”
REFLECTION: Listen to the truths of the Word of God instead of Satan’s lies when dealing with sin’s guilt.