Day 377 · Year 2 · Life with God
Not condemned, but loved
Jesus does not pretend the sin away. He does not condemn either.
Today's passage
John 8:10-11
10Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?”
11“No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”
Berean Standard Bible · public domain
Reflection
Jesus does two things at once. He refuses to condemn the woman; he also refuses to leave her where she is. 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.' Grace is not the absence of moral clarity; it is the presence of a Savior who has both. If shame has been telling you Jesus is disgusted with you, listen instead to what he actually says. He does not condemn you. And he calls you forward — not back into the life that hurt you.
From the great tradition · paraphrased
John Newton · Puritans & Post-Reformation · 18th c. · England
John Newton, who never stopped being shocked at his own forgiveness, understood that grace must say both 'you are not condemned' and 'now walk forward,' and that both come from the same loving voice.
Paraphrase only. Scripture, not any teacher, is the authority.
Think it through
- What does Jesus refuse to do for the woman in verse 11?
- What does he ask of her after he refuses to condemn her?
- Which half of Jesus' word do you most need to hear right now?
A prayer to pray
Bring the specific shame to Jesus. Receive his 'neither do I condemn you.' Then take the next forward step he is asking of you.