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Praise God for Liberating us from Guilt

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READ: John 8:1-11

REFLECT: In one of the most incredible encounters of history, Jesus meets a woman caught in the act of adultery and transforms her life with His words:

"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

Imagine all that might have taken place that day. This woman was dragged away from a secret affair and humiliated in public by her many accusers. They brought her before a stranger, a man whom she may have heard about, but someone she did not want to meet … not on these terms. He writes in the dust with His finger, and all of a sudden she senses that Jesus is not condemning her; He is pointing at the hypocrisy of her accusers. She looks in His eyes and realizes that He perceives her differently than anyone else. One by one the crowd drifts away and she finds herself alone with Jesus.

At that moment, she sees herself as she really is, a sinner. At the same time she realizes that the jury has been dismissed and this Judge somehow does not condemn her. Jesus accepts her, forgives her and then challenges her to begin a whole new way of life. In an instant her heart is forever changed. Overwhelmed by His love, she repents of her sin and is set free by radical grace.

And her story is really no different than our own stories. We all have the same sin problem, and we all have been offered the same gift of forgiveness. As we accept His gift, Jesus speaks the same words to us that He said to that woman so long ago. “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.”

What wonderful words of freedom! The accusers stand condemned, and the sinner is proclaimed "Not Guilty!" in the eyes of a loving and gracious Lord.

By Doug Kyle, Lead Pastor at Green Valley Church. Send feedback to doug@greenvalleychurch.com or comment on this blog post.

1 Response to "Praise God for Liberating us from Guilt"

  1. gravatar Anonymous Says:
    January 26, 2010 12:25 PM

    It's kinda funny how John 8:1-11 correlates with Romans 8:1-11. Jesus frees us from the law of sin and death to live by the Spirit, and "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Rom 8:1). =)

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