Kehinde A. Bolutife
“And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more.”
Perhaps one of the most wonderful words ever to fall upon mortal ears and written down for our learning and consolation! Just imagine what that could mean to a guilty man on a death roll…it is better experienced than imagined!
Perhaps one of the most wonderful words ever to fall upon mortal ears and written down for our learning and consolation! Just imagine what that could mean to a guilty man on a death roll…it is better experienced than imagined!
Neither do I condemn thee…it means freedom from every guilt; liberty from every prison; deliverance from the damnable consequences of sins and full restoration to every lost right and privilege! What a declaration of hope and comfort to the guilty and condemned hearts!
To be condemned is to receive a curse to be doomed to suffer eternally. To be condemned is to be adjudged or sentenced to punishment, destruction or confiscation. Such was the situation of the woman to whom Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn thee”. She was caught red-handed in immoral act of adultery and by so doing became automatically condemned by the law of God! And once you are condemned, the next thing is the execution of judgment which for this woman was death by stoning! But as the accusers of this woman waited for Jesus’ approval for execution; Jesus said unto them “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”. By saying that, Jesus was raising two crucial issues: first, He was pointing at the condemnation of all men. Second, the fact that only the person who has no sin is qualified to condemn and execute sentence of judgment. When Jesus had said that, see what followed. “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one…” None of her accusers was left because they were all convicted and condemned by their consciences!
As matter of fact, this is the pitiable and sad condition of all men- “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” “As it is written: there is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away; they have all together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves, their tongues practices deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous degree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 3: 23, 10-18; 1: 29-32).
Just like the woman brought to Jesus, every man since the fall of the first man carries the sentence of condemnation on his life whether such is found in the prison or in the palace; be it a white man or a black man, every natural man carries the mark of guilt and condemnation of sin- Satan Inherited Nature! Every unforgiven sinner is a guilty person and condemned before God. And to be condemned is to be eternally doomed to the lake of fire at the end of his life!
But to every guilty and condemned man or woman out there, here comes the great good news of hope and comfort from Him Who alone has the power to condemn and execute sentence of judgment; but rather than condemning you like others, He says, NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU, GO AND SIN NO MORE! He says, you are hereby discharged and acquitted, go and sin no more! Halleluiah! Jesus didn’t condemn the woman accused of adultery but neither did He ignore or condone her. He told her to go and sin no more! Only Jesus could have said that because only Him knew no sin and bore the judgment of the sins of humanity upon Himself! “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth…who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1Peter 2: 22-24). “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life” (Romans 5:18).
Jesus didn’t condemn the woman accused of adultery, but neither did He ignore or condone her sin. He told her to go and sin no more. Jesus stands ready to forgive any sin in your life, but you must be willing and ready to accept His forgiveness and justification. You can experience freedom in your life today. Your heart can be cleansed from the guilt and condemnation of sins. You can be free from the pains and pangs of sin. You can experience and sing of a glorious freedom from the power of sin and henceforth live a new life in Christ. To this end is this tract written: to preach unto you the Good news of the forgiveness and justification found only in Christ to all them who will believe. Remember every sinner is under condemnation! But, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
So then, will you have this great blessing that ONLY Jesus gives- it’s free full salvation from the guilt and condemnation of sin? Then come to the Saviour and obtain pardon for all your sins. Hear Jesus says: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). If you are tired of the load and guilt of your sin, and you are willing to be forgiven by Christ, then say this prayer sincerely:
Heavenly Father, I thank Thee today. I thank You for Your love and the great Gift of salvation in Christ Jesus. I ask for forgiveness by faith in the Blood of Jesus. Cleanse my heart from the guilt and condemnation of sin and renew a right Spirit within me. Give me power to go and sin no more. Thank You because You are faithful to your promise to forgive everyone that believes! In Jesus Name I have prayed. Amen!