Grace: the gift of no condemnation John 8:1-11
A Dawn Trial John 8 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn He appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, and He sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group
A Dawn Trial Some questions: Who are the teachers of the law and pharisees? What were their motives? Who is this woman? How did they catch her in the act? Where is the man? Why did they expose her publicly?
They tried to trap Him John 8 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
They tried to trap Him They did not bring the adulterous woman to Christ because : they were shocked by her conduct they were grieved over the violation of God's law Their object was to exploit her sin to further their own evil design by quoting the Law, selectively wrong too (Lev 20:10, Deut 22:22)
They tried to trap Him this woman She s not a person, just the bait to trap Jesus. They: professed respect for the Law but had no respect for her dignity humiliated her publicly by claiming to protect public morality They had an evil eagerness to trap Jesus even if it means wrongly applying the law and without any consideration for the woman s personhood.
They tried to trap Him Now what do you say?" The law demands that the penalty must be paid. The only hope lies in mercy. Yet there is no mercy in the law. This is the dilemma.
Jesus wrote John 8: 6 But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. He answered them symbolically writing on the ground. They didn t see it nor understand His answer. It was the finger of God that wrote the law (Ex 31:18)
Jesus spoke If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Deut 17:7 The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. Deut 19:16,18-19 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother.
Jesus wrote They turned the spotlight of the law on the woman s outward, wrong actions. Jesus switched the spotlight to the Jewish leaders hidden motives and actions. Jesus as the great Law-giver not only disqualified them from the right to judge this woman; He also threw the law at them.
Jesus wrote Ex 34: A second set of the stone tablets were prepared Ex 40: Placed in the Ark of the Covenant under the Mercy Seat 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. Ex 32: The first two tables of stone were dashed to pieces and broken. That law had been broken, and we stand condemned under the law. But He stooped down a second time.
Jesus wrote Jesus answered their question symbolically. He would save those who were under the condemnation by placing the law (written a second time) in the Ark under the mercy seat, sprinkled with His blood shed on the cross.
They began to go away John 8: 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, He saw the woman s sin and He saw their base hypocrisy. Their sin was far greater because it was couched in terms of pious religiosity. She doesn t deny her sin; they don t admit they have any. By disappearing one by one, they acknowledge their own sin. The oldest left first because they know they had more sin to account for.
Neither do I condemn you John 8: 9 until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? 11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin. The Law required two witnesses for death. But the witnesses had disappeared how can there be a charge?
Neither do I condemn you No one, sir. : No one, Lord (Gk Kyrios) - a statement of faith. She makes no excuses but waits for the Lord s verdict. Why didn t she leave when the Pharisees left? Because she knew she was a sinner and she trusted Christ to do what is right.
Neither do I condemn you They would have stoned her but could not. Jesus was the only one who could stone her, and He would not. Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." Note sequence of words: No condemnation, then go and sin no more
Neither do I condemn you Religion says: Sin no more or I will condemn you. Fear and intimidation are used to make people measure up. In grace, Jesus says: I have forgiven you and give you the reason/ability to clean up your act. We don t change in order to be accepted; we change because we have already been accepted. Grace does what religion and rules can never do.
Neither do I condemn you Why did Jesus let her go? 1) He never denied her guilt, only the means the Pharisees used to bring her to justice. 2) He never excused her sin, only the hypocrisy of her accusers. 3) He did not condemn her because she stood condemned already. 4) He didn t condemn her because He came to be condemned on her behalf. Jesus gave her the gift of no condemnation.
He comes to save not condemn John 3: 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. Jesus mission: not to condemn but to save the world We are already condemned without Jesus.
He comes to save not condemn 2 Cor 3: 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
No Condemnation in Jesus Rom 8: 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, There is no condemnation none whatsoever, none at all The Law have always commanded and condemned law-breakers. But the Law could not remove condemnation from us. Yet the Law pointed to a Righteousness and a Sacrifice that would come when then sinners can experience "no condemnation!"
No Condemnation in Jesus Rom 8: 1 in Christ Jesus, Those who have been united with Christ by faith died with Him and in Him and by Him resurrected to a new life.
No Condemnation in Jesus Rom 8: 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Why is there no condemnation? Because the law of the Spirit sets us free from the law of Sin. 3 different law in Romans 8: a) the law of Moses b) the law of sin c) the law of the Spirit
The Law The law : Moses written law. The law of sin ) Law = principle or impulse The law of the Spirit ) or authority The law of Sin: principle of my sinful nature which rebels against God and desires sin over righteousness. The law of the Spirit: principle of the Holy Spirit living inside me who desires righteousness rather than sin.
The Law 1) the law of Moses = righteousness, but no power 2) the law of Sin = power, but no righteousness 3) the law of the Spirit = both righteousness and power the law of the Spirit = the law of the Spirit of life the law of Sin = the law of sin and death
In Christ Being in Christ Jesus: a) Makes His pardon and righteousness ours, so there is no condemnation. b) Makes His power and authority over sin ours, so we are freed from the law of sin and death. In Christ Jesus, we get pardon from sin and power over sin
Law Powerless Rom 8: 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. Why do we need the law of the Spirit? Because the law of Moses was powerless to help. God sent his Son to condemn sin for us. We are no longer condemned because God has already condemned sin in Jesus Christ.
Sin Condemned Rom 8: 3 And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. What was God s purpose in condemning sin? That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who live by the Spirit. The one overall requirement of the law: To be righteous in God s sight.
No Condemnation Through Christ s gift of no condemnation, we have been set free from sin by the Spirit of God. Like the woman, once we understand and receive Jesus gift of no condemnation, we can go and sin no more!