Finding Freedom from Condemnation
The drawing of Jesus is by Michael Capay of Whitefish Bay, LacSul Native Reserve, Ontario, Canada.
By Tom Shanklin
The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. When they had put her in the middle, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Now Moses in the law commanded us to stone such, but what do You say?” They said this, 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 them. (John 8:3-6, MEV)
The story of the woman caught in adultery paints a beautiful picture of the grace and mercy of God. She was condemned to death under the law, but she found forgiveness and a new beginning through Jesus Christ.
Can you identify with this woman? Perhaps those around you have condemned you for your past mistakes, and there seems to be no clemency, no mercy, no reprieve. The devil is chiming in agreement, saying, “You are worthless. There is no hope for you. You are condemned.” As a result, you are trapped in an unrelenting mire of guilt and condemnation.
But I tell you that through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you can find forgiveness and freedom from condemnation! Jesus took your punishment on the cross to deliver you from all condemnation and to give you a new beginning. The Bible says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17, MEV) Jesus did what the law could not do. He provided forgiveness of sins and a new beginning.
The woman stood before Jesus, humiliated, embarrassed, full of guilt and shame, and trembling with fear. The scribes and Pharisees brought her, not for the sake of justice but rather to find an accusation against Jesus. They supposed that He would say something contrary to the law of Moses so that they could accuse Him of being a false teacher. “Moses commanded us to stone her, but what do you say?” they asked. But instead of answering them, He stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger.
In their prejudice, they had neglected to bring the man. Perhaps they thought that she had the greater sin. Religious tradition puts women down, but thank God, Jesus lifts them up. According to the law, both the man and the woman were to be put to death in such a case. But they brought only the woman.
When they presented their accusation, Jesus did not make an argument against the law. He did not deny the facts of the case. She was to be condemned under the law, and He did not deny that.
We don’t know what He wrote when He stooped down. Perhaps He wrote the ten commandments in the dirt. Or maybe through a word of knowledge, He wrote the names of the men along with the sin that was in their particular life. Whatever He wrote, it ultimately brought conviction to them, and they began to feel the weight of their own sin, just as the woman did.
Who Should Cast the First Stone?
So when they continued asking Him, He stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Being convicted by their conscience, those who heard it went out one by one, beginning with the eldest even to the last. Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (John 8:7-9, MEV)
While they had caught the woman in a sin punishable by death, each one of those men was also guilty. Sometimes it is easier for us to see the sin that is in others than the sin that is in our own lives. We may look at someone else’s sin and find it repulsive and worthy of condemnation, but if we examine our own lives, we will find that we, too, have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The Bible tells us that the law is our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. The law is given to reveal our sinfulness, so we will come to Christ and find forgiveness. This is something that is often missing today. Many people are living without a sense of right and wrong and without accountability to God. We need to recognize that sin is rebellion against God. It causes separation from our Creator. Sin makes us an enemy of God.
Sin is serious! Sin is a slap in the face to God. But, too often, people don’t recognize it. People are living together in an unmarried state, participating in various forms of sexual immorality, hurting others by their actions, murdering with their words, committing adultery by their thoughts, stealing, scheming, and living for themselves. All sin is dishonoring God. As the Scripture says, “For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point is guilty of breaking the whole law.” (James 2:10, MEV)
Perhaps now you are feeling the weight of the guilt and condemnation of your sin. Perhaps you have taken an honest look at yourself and recognized that you have miserably failed God and, like this woman, are worthy of death. Run to Jesus, where you can find redemption, healing, and a new beginning. Don’t try and find an excuse for your sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, MEV)
Finding a New Beginning
When Jesus had stood up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” (John 8:10-11, MEV)
There she was, standing before Jesus alone. The condemnation of the law was broken. All her accusers had left in shame. The woman had found pardon, not only from her accusers but from Jesus Himself. She called Him Lord, and He declared her free from guilt and condemnation. As the Bible says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1, MEV)
Jesus charted a new course for her life. He spoke a new beginning of freedom and true holiness. Likewise, Jesus will give you a new beginning. He will cause you to want to follow Him and His plan for your life, where there is freedom. This is the New Covenant, God’s new agreement to bring you to Him. He forgives all your sins and puts His laws in your heart. Then, you can follow righteousness and produce true holiness through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Under the Old Covenant instituted through Moses, God wrote the Law on cold hard tables of stone. But now, the Holy Spirit writes “not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” (2Corinthians 3:3, MEV) Jesus brings transformation, not condemnation. He wants to write a fresh new beginning on your heart and set you free.
Come to Jesus! Let Him give you total freedom from all guilt and condemnation. Let Him write His laws in your heart. Listen to Him as He says to you, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
Related Posts
Overcoming Condemnation [Audio & Video]