Posted on 01/03/2010 8:02:52 AM PST by OneVike
I would never presume to be one who walks closer to the Lord than anyone since only the Lord can read the hearts of men. That being said, allow me to give my insight upon the lesson of the woman caught in adultery.
To begin with, you will notice that the religious leaders only brought the woman, not the man who was caught committing adultery with her. They did this in an attempt to trap him into either condemning the woman so they could harm his reputation with the people who followed Him, or into violating the Law that said she should be stoned to death.
To their chagrin, He left the decision up to those who were without sin, and since we all sin and fall short of the glory of God their were none left to accuse her of sin.
Jesus then forgave her, even though He was justifiably the only one who was without sin. By telling her to go and sin no more, He was not under some illusion that she would never sin again, but now she knew she had a friend in Jesus who would forgive her if she asked. Imagine if you could hire a lawyer who never lost a case, even when the accused was guilty beyond doubt? This woman was in the presence of such a lawyer. Even the most powerful religious leaders could not match His wisdom. The woman felt justified herself. "Just as if" she had not sinned. We learn from this lesson that even though we sin, we know that Christ will stand in the breach for us against our accusers.
The biggest accuser, is Satan who is continually accusing us before God that we are sinners. However, we have Jesus sitting at the right hand of God taking up our defense by reminding the Father that He paid for our sins upon the cross so that we are now justified, by the Blood the perfect Lamb shed for us from the beginning of time.
Like the woman, we just need to have faith that He will do that which He promised. In normal circumstances, she would obviously be worried about being stoned for her sin, regardless whether the man was allowed to slip away or not. The difference for her today was the presence of a man named Jesus. A man who was able to show her and the religious leaders that she was not the only sinner who deserved punishment.
We do not hear from this woman again, those who claim she is Mary Magdaline are wrong and, so we really do not know if she continued as one of the many women who followed Him through out His ministry. However it is my guess that she was, and if so then she would be learning a lot more about forgiveness before Christ went to the cross.
I hope this helps somewhat. God bless you my brother, and have a good year.
Thanks for the ping!
56 here OneVike and I live in Florida.
All the time I pass by older couples and ask, “how are you kids doing today”? Or “you kids have fun” and nearly always it brings a smile.
Hell man, we’re getting older and I’m not a bit smarter.
Enjoy.
Awesome! Thanks a ton TC.
Thank you so much for your reply and may the Lord bless you and yours in this new year.
Consider the number of people that Scriptures refer to as righteous. For example: Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth are both named in Luke 1:5-6 as righteous. This is the essence of faith: that when a person is faithful, and repents (an ongoing attitude, not just a one time regret), then God counts them as righteous.
Very good. Thank you.
Thank you for the post! Keep up the good work & Blessings to you and your wife in this new year.
I’m not sure I agree with you on this matter. King David is one of the most regarded people of the Bible an considered to have a heart that was after God. Yet even after he was chosen and had done many marvoules works for the Lord. Yet when he allowed himself to slip away from the Lord He commited adultery and even murder. How can that be? Well that is because everything considered good comes from the Lord so how can any person produce any good from his evil heart? Any good works a man does is from the Lord and we are allowed to share in His Glory. God see through the hearts of men and He knows that even when we do a so-called rightouss act, somewhere in our heart there is an unclean desire. No matter how hard we try there can never come a purely rightous act from us. That is why no one can even see the Lord and live. He is too pure and we are still inperfect creatures to even come up with one true rightous act. Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, WHICH GOD PREPARED IN ADVANCE FOR US TO DO.
We all seek to teach yet all we are doing is dividing and a divided house can not stand.
Romans 3
God’s Faithfulness
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:
“So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge.”[a]
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
No One Is Righteous
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”[b]
13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”[c]
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[d]
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[e]
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”[f]
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[g]
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
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