The mob suddenly interrupted the worship in the temple that early morning. Those already seated tried to understand what was happening. A young lady still on her night wear was flung to the feet of Jesus. Those who recognized her remembered she got wedded not long ago. Some felt real pity for her. Others were terribly disgusted, and felt she deserves nothing but to be stoned when they heard an eminent member of the Pharisee reported: “This woman was caught in adultery, in the very act” (John 8:4)
Her face down with guilt and shame, she wished for mercy, but the weight of her guilt could not allow her think of the possibility of being forgiven. She knew her end has come, it’s her Day of Judgment, and she deserves whatever treatment meted at her. What a shame she was to holy matrimony!
She expected the stones to start hitting her, “But why the hesitation?” she must have thought. Her sob could not let her hear the discussions in the foreground, all she knew was that she was at the feet on one who did not kick her away like others. She raised herself a little to see. Jesus stooped, writing on the floor as if totally indifferent to what was happening. The questions kept coming, with the scribes quoting the exact text in the law where it says such should be stoned. The woman could now recognize she was before the prophet of Nazareth, the one whom the Pharisee derogate as “friends of sinners”. She thought to herself:
Depth of mercy, Can there be,
Mercy still reserve for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me the chief of sinners spare?
I have long withstood his grace,
Long provoked him to his face,
Would not harken to his call,
Grieved him by a thousand fall
Lost in thoughts, she suddenly realizes everywhere was becoming calm, everyone was retreating. She looked up again, this time her eyes fell straight on the eyes of the friend of sinners. Never has she seen such a guileless eyes, full of mercy and pity. Then Came the voice like a gentle stream: “Woman, where are your accusers? Have no one condemned you?” She turned around to be sure, it was like a dream to her. “No man Lord” she said, her voice still shaking. She must have reasoned: “If men for fear of their own guilt withdrew, will God who is of a purer eye than to behold iniquity, forgive?” Yet unsure of her fate, Jesus spoke with such assuring voice: “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”
How I remember the sob of many young people, as they looked with tearful eyes and ask: “Can God still forgive me?” Some so overwhelmed with guilt, said in despair “Sir, God cannot forgive me, I am really bad”. If you are like one of such, may I solemnly testify to you:
“He (Jesus) is able to save to the utmost (completely) those who come to God through him…” (Heb. 7:25)
“But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins hath quicken us together with Christ, by whose grace we were saved” (Eph.2:5)
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them” 2Cor.5:19
“But God showed his love to us in this way, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for our sins” Rom. 5:8
You have not out-sinned God’s mercy, Christ came for you. Even if you have sinned a million times, even if you have committed the worst sins on earth, if you come to Jesus, you will realize that: “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from ALL sin” 1Jn.1:7
There is only one sin that cannot be forgiven. It is that sin which is not acknowledged, confessed, and repented of. In the story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said to her accusers: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”. We were told: “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the eldest…” Here are people who were as guilty and in need of mercy much like the adulterous woman, they knew they were not without sin, yet they would not humble themselves and knee before Jesus, confessing their iniquity and pleading for mercy, instead they left Jesus. They were too proud and absorbed in their self-righteousness to humble themselves to receive mercy. They acknowledge they were sinners, but felt they were not that bad after all.
Will you have your sins forgiven? Then don’t cover it in hypocrisy and self-righteousness. In counselling young people for salvation, I have found that those who have the greater challenge coming to genuine salvation experience have been those who say: “Sir, but I go to church, I don’t keep girlfriend…, but… but…” But they are not saved, and they know they are not saved. Unfortunately, they are not crying and sobbing for mercy. They are okay to hold unto the filthy rag of self-righteousness. (Isa.64:6)
Friend, you can be forgiven. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness” 1Jn.1:8-9
As a final word, remember, Jesus said to the woman: “Go and sin no more”. There is the deception that because God is merciful, you can continue to sin and come back to receive forgiveness. Sin by its very nature hardens the heart. When you continue in sin, it becomes more difficult for your heart to be sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. You may even come to a point where you excuse and justify your sinning. You can no longer confess and truly repent. At such point you have become reprobate, you have grieved the Holy Spirit, and no more will He convict you of sin. Your conscience becomes dead, you become utterly abandoned to iniquity, and you are doomed forever.
“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Heb. 10:26-30
If you still have the nudging of the Holy Spirit in your heart, if you feel guilty and condemned, please come, there is still hope for you. Say like Wesley:
If I rightly read Thy heart
If Thou all compassion art
Bow Tine ear, in mercy bow,
Pardon and accept me now.
