Go and Sin No More

“When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’  And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’” (John 8:10-11)

                If you were to ask the American public what they believe about God, those who affirm His existence would probably tell you about His love and kindness.  As evidence of His great love, I’m sure many would talk about the forgiveness that He’s provided for their sins.  All of us have good reason to praise God for His love and mercy.  It’s a wonderful thing to know that all your sins have been forgiven – past, present, and future.  That assurance belongs to every person who has placed his/her faith in Jesus.

                And yet, in all our discussion of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness, we often fail to emphasize His holiness and our need of repentance.  Today’s verses illustrate that very well – they are taken from the occasion when the Pharisees cast a woman at Jesus’ feet whom they said was caught in the act of adultery.  The Pharisees were ready to stone her to death, but in that heated moment Jesus stooped down to write on the ground.  We don’t know what Jesus wrote, but everyone got the message.

                The Bible says each of the Pharisees – from the oldest to the youngest – dropped their stones and walked away.  The woman realized that no one was left to condemn her to death, and Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.”  We like to stop at that point when we tell the story, but we must not leave out the next words – “go and sin no more.”  When Jesus forgave your sins, it was with the expectation that you would turn from your sins and live for Him!  So, are you daily repenting of your sins?