When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
How did this woman come to Jesus? She came in her sin, just as she was. An adulterer caught in the act, yet Jesus takes her as she is and then tells her "go and sin no more." Sometimes we get this backwards. Fix your self up then come to Christ. No! We are to come to Jesus just as we are, He will fix us up. This is not something we can do in our own strength, it is something Jesus does for us but we need to be willing to change our ways.
Our responsibility as a church, the body of Christ, is to reach out to those who are lost and in need of a Saviour. A new life in Christ means no more labels, the shame and guilt is gone. When a sinner comes to Jesus the thankfulness towards this gift of life, there is an inner desire to change their lives and live a life pleasing to God. If there is no change then there is no gratitude and if there is no gratitude then God's grace has not been understood.
Jesus tells us I forgive you, now change your ways.
Blessings,
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