John 8: 11 NKJV

“She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.””
‭‭ I want to start off by telling you that this is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I feel like my whole life I’ve condemned myself. I was always my own enemy and sometimes I still am. I can be so hard on myself but now God is teaching me to be balanced. I love this verse because it teaches you that God is so merciful and graceful to us. That Gods love for us is great and matchless. But what I really wanted to talk to you guys about was that last line. It’s going to be a little rough but essential. This weeks post kind of goes hand in hand with last weeks. You see Jesus forgave and freed this woman. But what he also asked of the woman was a crucial thing. He asked her to “go and sin no more”. You see when you come to the feet of Christ, which is what this woman did. God asks for you to stop your old ways. Living a lifestyle that doesn’t gratify God. You want to know the things that pleases the Lord and what does please him, read the word. God in his word tells you clearly do’s and don’t. Also when you allow God in your life he is constantly transforming you. When you have a relationship with him and first accept him as Lord and savior, God renews you everyday. When you invite God into your situation, you best believe what comes after is challenging. How do you stop doing something you are used to? Most of us before coming to Christ were used to toxic behaviors and lifestyles. When you come to Christ he comes not only to heal and forgive, but to transform/restore. This woman wasn’t perfect, she was an adulterer. But God forgave her and told her to stop doing that very thing that God dislikes; sin. This is the very thing God does with us. Time and time again we fail him, and he still rescues us. But let’s not abuse of his grace. You see the Pharisees were somewhat right, the law of Moses does state “do not commit adultery”. But the Pharisees clearly didn’t “know” “know” Jesus. If they did, they would have known that he was coming to fulfill the law! That he was coming to save EVERRYYONEEE. Meaning he came to show people that in him there is true life. You have the true way of living when you live and believe in Jesus Christ. He came to model that through him and following him is the right lifestyle. They followed him religiously. The thing about doing something religiously is that most of the time it becomes ingenuine. Sometimes you do it just to check up a box, but you didn’t do it wholeheartedly. The Pharisees didn’t do things with their heart, they wanted power. They wanted to maintain their own power, not understanding when you come to God and know him truly you must lay it all down. Meaning your plans, your ways, your life/flesh and desires. It’s no longer about you, but Jesus through you. Now let’s not get things twisted, God does not tell us to stop following the law of Moses. Jesus says in Mathew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”. He came to fulfill the law, meaning He came to bring us a new way of living, because the old way couldn’t save us. That’s why we are now saved and justified through Jesus Christ and not by works of the law. We must still follow the law but we must understand that the law can’t give us eternal life, only Jesus. The law could not justify or sanctify us, which we need in order to have eternal life. So understand when you come to Jesus your life changes completely. You can’t live the same way you used to. It’s either sin or God, you can’t be in two waters. You know why you can do it? You can do it because “it’s no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me”. When you choose to believe in Jesus Christ, it’s no longer you it’s Jesus through you. God no longer sees your sinful nature, but Jesus who makes you just and sanctified before him. We are forgiven through Jesus Christ. This world teaches sinful natures, meanwhile Jesus teaches a sanctified nature. The law only exposes our sinful nature but it doesn’t give a solution or free us from it. If I want something to leave with you after reading this, is that when you come to Gods feet like this women, he doesn’t want to just forgive you but renew you. He wants to remove you from that sinful nature and give you life again. He wants to do life with you, show you his ways so that you can go back to his original design before sin came into the picture.
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