He told her he loved her.  He said his wife didn’t understand him and he was going to leave her so they could be together.  Now this!

Waves of horror and shame clouded her vision as rough hands grabbed her arms, cruel fingers pulled at her hair, vulgar lips hurled insults and accusations.  They told her she should be stoned and she longed for death.

They dragged her aching body to the temple, pushing and shoving her to the ground—at the Master’s feet.  “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?”

He stooped in silence and began writing in the dust; finally responding to their insistence he stood, patiently speaking, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  …and bent again to continue His silent script.

Quietly, they began to slip away, these men who, in their hearts prayed, thanking God that they were “not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even the tax collector”.  What a miracle of grace and conviction that they should turn away from this confrontation with their enemy, God’s son! –and that they should drop their contentions in the dust at the Savior’s feet.

“’Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?’

‘No one, Lord.’

‘Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.’” (John 8 & Luke 18)

Most Christians are very familiar with this story and are overwhelmed with gratitude for the grace that comes through faith in Jesus and His substitution for the punishment we so rightly deserve.  I’ve been thinking about stone-throwers lately, though, because I have been hearing and reading some very harsh words coming from the mouths and keyboards of those professing to be Christians—I am not saying that they are not, yet many have either forgotten or are unaware of Paul’s instruction to Titus:  “…speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.  For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:2, 3).

I am one of those who, in the midst of a Christianity redefined by the culture surrounding us, as well as the fleshly desires driving many, holds fast to the Bible, the grace of salvation, the unchanging righteousness of God, and the responsibility of Christians to leave the idolatry and morality of this world behind.  Though some may argue there was only a cultural application for some of Paul’s writings, I believe in the timelessness of these verses, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived.  Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you.  But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).  If we are honest, that list includes every one of us—we were that way but are no longer because of the redemptive work of Jesus and the sanctifying work of His Spirit.

I have experienced a dilemma, though.  Sometimes I just do not know how to relate to those who are “in your face” rebellious towards God and scripture, or Christians who have decided that Paul didn’t mean what he wrote and scripture doesn’t actually indicate that a homosexual lifestyle is sin.  …and what I am writing here isn’t about that particular sin, anyway.  What I want to know is how I am to live as a Spirit-filled Christian in the midst of a dark world without making compromises yet loving people as Jesus did.

This story and the words of Jesus hold so much truth for us!—if the Savior does not condemn, who are we to do so?  “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).  Yet our personal defense of “the law” insists that we throw sinners to the ground.

Jesus released the adulteress from condemnation and charged her to “sin no more”—and he does the same for each one of us.  Yet, it was up to her to receive forgiveness and freedom from the bondage of sin—as it is for all of us.  The interesting thing is that, in the gathering of religious leaders, each one of them also had the opportunity to acknowledge their sin and receive forgiveness.  And they walked away.

God does not wink and turn away from sin, patting us on our heads as a kindly grandfather might, and saying, “that’s ok, I know things are difficult for you”.  We must not do the same, either.  Instead, we are instructed, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.  Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.  But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person” (1 Corinthians 5:9-11).

Making the choice to regard God’s Word above the influence and pressures of this world and its modern pagan culture is not easy—and spewing words of condemnation, disguising fear and hatred is not evidence of righteousness.  Loving people, without condemnation is God’s way.  And for the most difficult of moments we have this counsel—“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).