GO AND SIN NO MORE
(The power to overcome sins and addictions)
“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 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 8:1-11
Most Christians who struggle with certain sinful behavior have a hard time overcoming them because they keep trying harder and harder to overcome them with their own personal efforts.The case of this adulteress woman sums up the message of the New Testament concerning overcoming addictions, personal struggles with certain sins, and walking in victory forever.This woman was struggling with immorality; the Pharisees caught her in the act and determined to stone her to death.Jesus did not Condon her actions or pleaded with her accusers to give her a second chance. He did not even counsel her like most religious people would. He didn’t do a background search on her to identify the incident in her past that caused this immorality. But he demonstrated the true nature of God for all sinners. Notice that the woman did not even plead with Jesus to rescue her. She was convinced of her sins and knew she deserved to die for it.let’s see how Jesus demonstrated the true nature of God in this case:
1, He saved her from the wrath of her accusers.
The biblical term for this action is: JUSTIFICATION. It means; to find worth inside a worthless person. To look at a miserable sinner through the lens of God’s love and grace. Romans 8:33-34.Jesus loved her in spite of her sins; He did not approve of her actions. He found her worth saving. Not because she was helpless, not because she cried and repented and begged him with tears. But because of His grace: Ephesians 2:8; Romans 5:8
2. He separated her from her accuser.
He bowed his head and wrote on the ground; then spoke to her accusers. His words were simple but yet strong that they caused her accusers to drop their stones andgo away in defeat . He fought her battle with the power of his words.He was her attorney in that minute. She kept quiet and beheld the deliverance of the Lord.
3. He delivered her from her guilty conscious.
She knew she was guilty and deserved to die. She was covered in shame and fear. Even though her accusers had left her, she still knew that Jesus respected the Law of Moses. Everybody called Him “Rabbi”. He still had the option to stone her to death. Though the accusers had left, she still faced the possibility of death. But he spoke grace over her. He did not condemn her; he was not upset with her; he still wanted to talk to her; but with love and grace. John 3:17. The biblical term for this action is: RIGHTEOUSNESS. It means; the ability to stand before the Lord without guilt, fear or shame
4. He empowered her.
When she left the temple that day, she was reminded that his love for her has given her power to overcome her sinful life. She didn’t have to go and explain herself to people to find their approval. She went home to live a new life from because his love gave her liberty and victory over sins. Romans 6:1-2; Galatians 5:1.
Many people still struggle with sin; they fear that someone may expose their filthy acts in public. I know many people who live with all kinds of guilt and shame because of their inability to overcome certain addictions. Some will even attend accountability groups and try to find the recipe to overcome sins. But John 8:1-11 shows us that the love of God is more than enough to liberate from sins. You just have to realize that the son of God took your place on the cross and died for you to be reconciled with the Lord. You don’t have to cry and plead to be forgiven. You just have to receive the forgiveness of your sins and refuse to live with guilt and shame.
Walk in the freedom that Jesus has given you. Now that you know that He doesn’t not condemn you, He is not mad at you, Go and sin no more.
Written by: Eddy Cienda
springsoflifeministries.org
Bend, Oregon
