Sunday Leftovers (9/9/07)

The story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53 - 8:11) is fundamentally not about the woman, not about her sin, and not about the scribes or Pharisees. It's not even really about judgmentalism. It is about Jesus Christ. And specifically, it is about how Christ is the bridge between the Law (He is the fulfillment of it), and grace (and His abundant offer of it, 1:16).

Misconceptions of grace abound — even after reading texts like this (or maybe, because texts like this are not read carefully). What can be said about grace from this passage? At least nine principles can be stated. [I said these all on Sunday, but was too rushed…]

1. The offer of grace does not preclude justice.

• Jesus was not saying Moses was wrong. There is justice and wrath, but the Pharisees had rigorously applied one part of the Law and missed the intent of it.
• There is wrath and justice, and it would be experienced.
• Grace does not preclude justice and that also means Jesus was not absolving the woman of guilt.

2. The offer of grace does not minimize sin — it doesn’t say we don’t need to address all sin.

• Many NT passages make it clear that dealing with sin is our privileged duty as believers (e.g., Mt. 18:15ff; 2 Tim. 2:24-25; Acts 5:1-11; Rom. 12:9; 15:4; Gal. 6:1; Tt. 3:10-11).
• Grace looks directly at sin, calls it what it is, and says to the sinner, “do you want to pay for that yourself, or do you want Christ to pay for it?” That’s grace. Grace doesn’t overlook sin; grace makes the cross of Christ the provision for the horridness of sin.

3. It is not ungracious to confront sin; it is ungracious to confront sin without self-examination (cf. Mt. 7:1ff; Gal. 6:1) and without desiring repentance (Js. 5:19-20). Self-examination will keep us from approaching a sinner with pride and haughty self-exaltation, and the quest for repentance will keep us attentive to the purpose of confrontation — restoration, not wrath.

4. Sin begets sin and sin hardens hearts. That is evidenced in part with the woman (she engaged in multiple adulteries); it is clear with the religious leaders — they were uncompassionate toward the woman, they hated Christ, and they were hardened against seeing their own sin. The problem with sin is not the individual sin itself, but what happens to our hearts when we continue in sin unrepentant, with eyes unwilling to examine the heart. We become hypocrites (like the Pharisees — whose very name became a synonym for hypocrisy). Cf. 1 Tim. 4:1-2.

5. The offer of grace and forgiveness is broad.

• Jesus brought the woman to a point of conviction and offered forgiveness and freedom. He did the same with the scribes and Pharisees. They too could have repented. But they walked away.
• It may be that you have been convicted recently of your sinfulness. Jesus Christ patiently awaits your response as well. Whatever your sin: adultery, spiritual hypocrisy, or even hatred of God and Christ — He will forgive it if you confess it and ask.

6. A genuine acceptance of grace comes with "requirements.”

• This is the point of Romans 6:1. When offering or accepting grace, don’t misconstrue it to mean, “I can keep doing what I want.”
• Christ died to liberate you from that sin, not to enable you to continue to do it without guilt.
• Note that Jesus does not say “sin no more and I will not condemn” — forgiveness is offered, and then obedience is commanded on the basis of that forgiveness.

7. Beware of three temptations (all learned at the expense of the Pharisees) —

• the temptation to delight in the sins of others.
• the temptation to minimize your own sins — unwillingness to engage in self-examination will produce this.
• the temptation to manipulate God and Scripture for your own purposes — the only reason the Jewish leaders read the Law was to affirm what they wanted to do. Never approach the Word of the living God in that way (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13).

8. Just because grace is offered does not mean it will be accepted.

• We know the Pharisees rejected Christ’s offer of forgiveness.
• Like Jonah, we don’t know about the woman — her response is unrecorded. He extended the offer of mercy and grace; she may have taken it, she may not have.
• The word spoken to Nicodemus is relevant here: "you must be born again" (3:3, 7). There is no life, no hope, no joy, nothing except death and condemnation apart from being given life by God.

9. The grace of Jesus' statement, "I do not condemn you" (v. 11) is rooted in his acceptance of condemnation for us.

• The reason Jesus can say “no condemnation” is not because He overlooked sin. He can’t overlook sin. When God sees sin, His holy, righteous character must condemn it.
• So how can Jesus say “I don’t condemn?” Because He would take the condemnation for her. When Jesus uttered those words, He was anticipating the day approximately six months later when He would absorb the wrath of God for all those who would believe in Him.
  
• And not only did He absorb the horrific wrath of God, but now He stands as intercessor for those who believe in Him (Rom. 8:3-4; 33-34).
  
• This is what grace is about — not that sin is overlooked, but that sin is acknowledged, repented, and Christ is embraced. This is our message — that the impediment to our fellowship with God is removed by God because God's wrath was absorbed by the second person of the Godhead!
  

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This morning I came across a series of articles that relate to the general subject of the authenticity and historicity of the Gospels. Given the consideration we made of this passage and that it was likely not written by John or part of his gospel, these may also be worth reading.