GO AND SIN NO MORE
When we received our new life in Christ, we were told about the forgiveness of God. In most cases, faith was birthed in our hearts for salvation based on the message of God's grace. Then, as we grew in our faith, we began to learn and transform into the image of Christ as we applied the scriptures to our lives, not just being a hearer, but also a doer of His Word. And then further yet, we were challenged to continue raising the standards in our lives, striving for excellence in our Christian walk so that His Light would be seen in us and therefore glorify our Father in heaven.
With all this said, I wonder if we really grasp the love of God? I will tell on myself: I often get on a soapbox about sanctification (the accountability of Believers to keep themselves untainted from the world). It grieves me when I (or anyone else claiming to be a Christian) takes the grace of God for granted thinking we can live however we want and plead forgiveness later. But if I'm not careful I could become like a Pharisee and get too far in the other ditch not allowing God's merciful grace to teach us as we journey through life.
In considering these things, I have found a snapshot in the Word of God that fully portrays the love of God to us. The story I'm about to relay will be a familiar one, but let's look at it not just as initial salvation but as a true picture of God's continuing love, understanding, and instruction.
Early in the morning (at dawn), He came back into the temple [court], and the people came to Him in crowds. He sat down and was teaching them when the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle of the court and put the case before Him. "Teacher," they said, "This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such [womenoffenders] shall be stoned to death. But what do You say [to do with herwhat is Your sentence]?" This they said to try (test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger. However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Then He bent down and went on writing on the ground with His finger. They listened to Him, and then they began going out, conscience-stricken, one by one, from the oldest down to the last one of them, till Jesus was left alone, with the woman standing there before Him in the center of the court. When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, "Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?" She answered, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more" (John 8:2-11, Amplified).
Do you realize this is still what Jesus is saying today? "Go and sin no more." When the devil, our own conscience, or anyone else, brings an accusation against us, do you realize God's first reaction to us is the same as Jesus had with this woman? "Go and sin no more." She was obviously guilty just as we are, but Jesus showed compassion and understanding. He was not condoning her sin by understanding her sin, but He was showing the nature of God by not condemning her.
When we find ourselves guilty of sin, we should be bruised with sorrow over it. Just because God offers grace doesn't mean we should take it lightly. A great price was paid for atonement. The covering over of our sin did not come cheap. But at the same time, we need to understand that the heart of God still understands and desires to teach us ...for the next time. What next time? The next time we fail. Unfortunately, we will again. But hopefully it is not the hundredth time for the same thing. Failing again and again for the same thing would be like the children of Israel going around the same mountain for forty years: they were not learning their lesson! But Jesus said to the woman, and He still says to us today, "Go and sin no more." That's our instruction. That means, "Learn your lesson. Receive forgiveness. Don't do it again."
I have had to go to God on occasion and express my sincere remorse for failing again at something I had recently asked forgiveness for. Times like that doesn't necessarily mean we are taking forgiveness for granted. On the contrary, it could simply mean we are just growing. The danger would be if we fail again (and again) at the same thing and we're NOT grieved by it. But just as a child learning to walk, stumbles, picks themselves back up only to stumble again as their legs grow stronger, we sometimes fail because our spiritual legs are weak too. God understands this. This is why He says again (and again), "Go and sin no more."
Our response should be, "Yes, Lord." And then our actions should match our words. When sin is revealed in our lives, we must repent. When Jesus sent His disciples out telling them to tell men that they should repent, that word is defined in the Greek as meaning to think differently. Isn't' that interesting? Repentance isn't just an action, it is a mental decision. We must first decide and recognize the wrong in our life before we can change it. If we don't recognize the sin in our lives then how will we ever know what needs to change? "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know Gods will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect" (Romans 12:2, New Living Translation).
In our pursuit of perfection (our attempt to reflect Christ as best as possible), may our spirits become more in tune with the words of Jesus. May we take His words seriously when His love picks us up out of the ashes and says again, "Go and sin no more."
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