Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Jesus Never Excuses Continued Sinning!

John 8 ISV

1Jesus, however, went to the Mount of Olives. 2At daybreak he appeared again in the Temple, and all the people came to him. So he sat down and began to teach them. 3But the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery.a 

After setting her before them,b 4they told him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. 5Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women to death. What do you say?” 6They said this to test him, so that they might have a charge against him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.

7When they persisted in questioning him, he straightened up and told them, “Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Then he bent down again and continued writing on the ground.c 9When they heard this, they went away one by one,d beginning with the oldest,e and he was left alone with the woman standing there.f 
Please note Jesus did not say the the Law was wrong! Under the law she should be put to death, but God delights in forgiving those who repent and turn from their sin and follow his Son.

10Then Jesus stood up and asked her, “Dear lady,g where are your accusers?h Hasn’t anyone condemned you?
11“No one, sir,”i she replied.
Then Jesus said, “I don’t condemn you, either. Go home, and from now on don’t sin anymore.j


Jesus did not come to condemn. We are all already condemned because of our sin. Jesus came to save all who will believe in him and obey him. See John 3: 16-18 

Jesus was very serious when he told the woman to stop her adulterous sinning. He gave the same warning to the lame man who he healed.  He told him "stop sinning or something worse will happen to you". The only thing worse is hell. 

In Revelation 21 ISV, Jesus says 
6Then he told me, “It has happened! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give a drink from the spring of the water of life to the one who is thirsty. 7The person who conquers will inherit these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. 

8But people who are cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselvesb in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Friends, we are to turn from sin and follow Jesus. If we fail, we are to ask for forgiveness and press on.  Jesus himself made the list in verse 8 above. None of these sins should be ruling in our lives. We must repent and turn from them. 

Paul, as directed by the Holy Spirit also listed sins that should not rule in us. 

1 Timothy ISV 
8Of course, we know that the Law is good if a person uses it legitimately, 9that is, if he understands that the Law is not intended for righteouse people but for lawbreakers and rebels, for ungodly people and sinners, for those who are unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers, their mothers, or other people, 10for those involved in sexual immorality, for homosexuals, for kidnappers,ffor liars, for false witnesses, and for whatever else goes against the healthy teaching 11that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

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