Wed Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

When you confess to Jesus He will remove your guilt. This is so important that you can’t miss this. What did Jesus do with the Pharisees? He reveals sin they concealed. What does Jesus do with the woman? He repeals sin that was revealed. Amazingly, the self-righteous Pharisees left unforgiven and the sinful woman left forgiven. If you reject Jesus you will leave with your guilt, but if you confess to Jesus you will leave with His grace. Frankly, this is where a lot of people would love to leave this story, but it is the third part of the story that absolutely convinces me this story really happened.

Everybody has left. Apparently, even the Bible-study group had left. It is just Jesus and this adulteress woman and here are the last words He ever says to this woman on this earth,

“Go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:11)

That one statement helps to clarify a great misunderstanding some people take away from this story.

We’ve all heard the saying many times, “God loves the sinner, but He hates the sin.” That is a theologically absolutely true statement. As you are going to see in a moment, this woman’s sin was forgiven, but it was not excused. Jesus doesn’t just wink at this sin. He doesn’t just say, “Boys will be boys and that is all right.” He doesn’t condemn her, but He does condemn her sin.

This story does not teach we cannot call “wrong” wrong. It doesn’t teach that we cannot judge the sinful action of others. Jesus was not asking that only sinless people judge other people, because He was the only sinless person present. Yet, He judged this woman’s sin.

What we learn here is that not only do we have the right to condemn whatever the Bible condemns we have the responsibility to do so. We are not to judge the thief, but we ought to judge his stealing. We are not to judge the liar, but we are to judge his lying. We are not to judge the adulterer, but we are to judge the adultery. Condemning sin is not the same as judging the sinner. Jesus said two things at the same time and they both go together, “Woman, I don’t condemn you, but I do condemn what you did. Go and do it no more.” I want you to write this statement down in big bold letters and never forget it. GOD LOVES US JUST THE WAY WE ARE, BUT HE LOVES US TOO MUCH TO LET US STAY THAT WAY!

It is not my place to condemn any sinner, but it is my place and your place to condemn sin. Jesus didn’t say, “I don’t condemn you either go and sin some more.” He said, “I don’t condemn you either. Go from now on and sin no more.”