Jesus' Forgiving Grace

The scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery (John 8:3).

The crowd called for her condemnation.

Jesus said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 

Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. No one condemned the guilty woman!

Jesus said to the guilty woman, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more".

Then in John 8:12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

When we stumble and fall, and have our most embarassing moments, let us be reminded of 3 things:

(1) the forgiving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ

(2) The call to sin no more

(3) The call to have the light of life, the call to enjoy His forgiving grace.

Adultery

Matthew 5:27-30

Story & Lessons

We must be most careful not to allow physical attraction to become the occasion of sinful desire.

It is not enough to avoid falling into adulterous relationships.

We must recognize that adultery begins in the heart and is set in motion through the eyes.

"Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (28).

Reflection...

Sex is a wonderful gift, but it is only permitted within marriage!

Adultery breaks the 7th commandment, the 8th (stealing another person’s spouse) and the 10th (coveting someone else’s wife/husband).

The sin of adultery no longer shocks the majority of people today.

Television programs, films, video, books and magazines which encourage us to sexual lust and adulterous thoughts are produced by the million.

Christians are not immune from this sin!

Sexual relations have become the door through which many professing Christians walk to their destruction.

"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (29).

The Lord Jesus does not mean us to take this literally! We could still sin with the left eye, even if deprived of the right. What he means is that if we are having problems with sin, we must take urgent and drastic action.

We must avoid anything that will play havoc with our mind, encouraging adulterous thoughts and desires.

If we have books or magazines that do this, burn them!

Cancel the newspaper that thrives on sordid and salacious stories, destroy those doubtful videos, and get rid of our television if we cannot control the programs we watch!

The way of adultery leads to misery and hell but the way of purity leads to heaven and to seeing God.

Be sure to keep yourself on the path of righteousness.