May 1 - Are You Without Sin?

May 1 – Without Sin?

Then each of them went home, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” (John 7:53-8:11)

We live in a world that applauds ‘goodness’ and calls it ‘without sin.’  If you live a good life and don’t do something heinous – like murder, steal, cheat (in any number of ways), or any of those things Moses got from God on a couple of tablets – you are seen as pretty well ‘sinless.’

I have plenty of friends that thing they do pretty well and don’t feel they have all that much to confess to God, so they walk to church with an upright head and find themselves looking down their noses at those who have obviously sinned in some way.

If they are successful financially or have managed their money better than others, it’s obviously because the other has sinned and they themselves are pretty good people.  If they donate to charities, serve on the church board (or any committee), take care of children in the nursery at church, attend a small group or several, go to Bible study regularly, read Christian novels and listen to Christian music on the radio and work at not cussing a blue streak – they draw a line of distinction between themselves and others who might not be able to achieve all of that earthly glory.

One of the greatest things I am taking away from reading the ancient church fathers is their incredible humility when faced with their own sinfulness.  There is no lack of understanding the depths of their need of Christ’s saving grace.  Everything about them sets their own selves aside and places Christ at the forefront.  They write over and over about how little they deserve the mercy of God and how great is His love and care for them.

These are men who lived monastic lives – didn’t go too far out of line in any situation – but were willing to admit that at every moment of every day, they were prone to sin and generally did sin.  There was absolutely nothing they could do on their own to help them make the jump over the chasm of death – it all came from the great love of God shown in the sacrifice of Christ.

May we be that humble in everything we do and in every encounter we have with others.  May we always make ourselves less and Christ greater.  May we always remember that our sin … no matter how we try to justify it or make it smaller than someone else’s is too much to get to heaven on our own.  May we never judge another.  We are great sinners – everyone of us and have no right to call out another for their sin. 

Jesus was very clear on this.  He is the only one who can lay judgment.  He is the Lord God.