In all probability the most well-known verse in the bible is John 3:16. See, I didn’t even have to write it out for you, you perhaps just started saying it from memory. But take a look at the power and relief you find in the verse that follows:
“God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:17
No, God didn’t send His Son to start pointing fingers. No, Jesus didn’t walk around saying, “Nanny, nanny, boo boo.” We are all sinners. Romans 3:23 confirms that statement when God breathed the words, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Reflect on the story about the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11.
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he went back to the Temple area. The people all came to him, and he sat and taught them.
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in bed with a man who was not her husband. They forced her to stand in front of the people. 4 They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The Law of Moses commands us to stone to death any such woman. What do you say we should do?”
6 They were saying this to trick Jesus. They wanted to catch him saying something wrong so that they could have a charge against him. But Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. 7 The Jewish leaders continued to ask him their question. So he stood up and said, “Anyone here who has never sinned should throw the first stone at her.” 8 Then Jesus stooped down again and wrote on the ground.
9 When they heard this, they began to leave one by one. The older men left first, and then the others. Jesus was left alone with the woman standing there in front of him. 10 He looked up again and said to her, “Where did they all go? Did no one judge you guilty?”
11 She answered, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “I don’t judge you either. You can go now, but don’t sin again.”
See, Jesus didn’t condemn her for doing wrong. He knew what she had done, just like He knows what we have done. Jesus didn’t allow her sin to define her. The sin was the problem, not the woman herself.
You may have heard the phrase, “hate the sin, and love the sinner”, which sounds like what Jesus Christ had done for the adulterous woman.
God LOVES you and me. He DOESN’T LIKE the sin that we allow ourselves to get entangled in.
If Jesus didn’t come to judge, then why should we judge others?
In Romans 8 we see where there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. (v.1) As Christians we aren’t to live for our sinful selves, but for the Spirit. Verses 5 and 6 say, “People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do. If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace.” Oh my! Please read all of chapter 8, I could go on and on but I already feel like I’m rambling.
Just remember…your past doesn’t define you.
Oh, just one more awesome bit of scripture for you to chew on:
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:19-21
Jesus, The Light, reveals our sins. He exposes them so that we can turn from them. Are you walking in The Light? It is the only way to live.
I pray many blessings and much joy for you! Have a wonderful day. – Stephanie
