No Condemnation in Christ

This week at Calvary Chapel Sydney the Sunday message was focused on the interaction with Jesus and the woman brought to Him who was caught in adultery.  The Pharisees brought the woman before Jesus to find an opportunity to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing, but Jesus unexpectedly shifted the focus to the conscience of the accusers:  suddenly they were the ones on trial.  They wanted to know if Jesus agreed with Moses that the woman should be stoned to death, yet Jesus told them the one without sin should be the first to throw a stone.  One by one the accusers departed and the woman was left alone with Jesus.

John 8:10-11 says, "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?" ¹¹ She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."  The woman who was under condemnation of the Law and self-righteous men stood without condemnation before Jesus Christ whom she called "Lord" or master, supreme in authority.  Jesus had every right to pick up a stone being sinless, yet He could see her heart.  It was by no means a good heart, being naturally wicked and sinful like all other people.  This woman was provided by God's grace an opportunity to repent and place her trust in Jesus, and in doing so would not only receive salvation and forgiveness by faith, but power to walk righteously.

I do not believe the words of Jesus had the harsh or threatening tone some read into them coupled with a scowl:  "Don't you dare do that again - or else!"  He said, "Go and sin no more."  The good observation was made in the message delivered this morning that this was not merely a command.  At face value it is a command, but it was also empowering because it was the very word of God.  Having placed her faith in Jesus Christ as LORD, through the power of the Holy Spirit the woman was divinely enabled to obey the divine mandate joyfully - despite being harshly judged or made a social outcast.  She had love and acceptance in Jesus she had sought in an adulterous relationship, and Jesus gave her the real thing which transcended sex or earthly relationships.

The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  The Law could only condemn, having no power to save, but Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  He brought a way to righteousness apart from Law through faith in Him.  Romans 8:1-4 teaches us, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."  Jesus wasn't "soft on sin" or allowed the woman off easy, but granted her an opportunity by God's grace to cease walking according to the flesh and instead live according to the Holy Spirit.  Like the woman in adultery all of us are condemned already because of our sin, but Jesus does not condemn us:  He offers life and new beginnings to those who trust in Him. 

Rending Heaven and Hearts

"Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence-- ² as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil-- to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence!"

Isaiah 64:1-2

In their present distress the Jews in Jerusalem desired for God to reveal His might to the Syrians, Babylonians, to the ends of the earth as He once did to them on Mt. Sinai.  He appeared with earth-shaking might, flames of fire, thick smoke and darkness, with booming voice and trumpet blast which made man and beast quake in terror.  They wanted the fear of God put into their enemies so they would not be plundered, destroyed, and vanquished.

The irony of the situation is God allowed enemies to attack and take captive His people because they (His own people!) did not fear Him as they should.  They pleaded with God to "rend the heavens" and come down in glorious power, but God exhorted His people to rend their hearts and repent.  The LORD spoke through the prophet Joel in Joel 2:12-13, "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." ¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm."  They had torn their clothes in grief and mourning over their dire situation, yet contrite and broken hearts would bring God's favour.  If God's people truly feared Him as they ought, they would not have remained in sin without repentance (Exodus 20:20).

The prayer of God's people would be answered in a most unexpected way, with the very presence of God - not with an earth-shattering Sinai encounter but as a baby being born of a virgin in Bethlehem.  There was no earthquake when Jesus Christ the Son of God came into the world, no booming voice to a nation (though a few shepherds heard the angels sing God's praise), no grand display of unapproachable might, but a Baby in a manger who was not threatening at all.  As the Child grew to a man people began to feel threatened, however, when there was so much this Boy and Man seemed to know without being taught.   He asked pointed questions no one could safely answer or brush aside.  When the Jewish rulers and people heard Him speak many were alarmed and indignant because of the authority with which He spoke, the claims He made backed with supernatural power to heal, cast out demons, and know the hearts and thoughts of men - all with a humility, grace, love, and compassion unrivalled by any human being before.  After He rose from the dead it confirmed the words He had spoken.

God did rend the heavens and come down, the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove and alighting upon Him, and God the Father said in a voice audible to those present:  "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  Jesus who came down has ascended alive into heaven, and will some day come again in glory and vengeance upon His enemies with His people.  The wise hear the voice of Jesus and tremble before Him, bowing down to the dust, for He is the God who formed Adam from the dust of the ground, knit us in the wombs of our mothers, breathed into us living souls, and baptises with the Holy Spirit and fire.  This fire refines and purifies, consumes and destroys.  The name of Jesus is known to His adversaries and rejoiced in by His redeemed.  All who turn to Him in repentance and faith can be born again and be accepted into the beloved, having victory over all foes through Him.  All glory and honour to the God who has come down to seek and save the lost, the One whose blood through faith makes sinners saints!

Evil is Good Spoiled

I grew up in a time when rock 'n roll was referred to by some as "devil music" because of something obscurely referred to as an "evil beat."  I have heard all sorts of strange ideas, like the rapid drumming places people in a trance-like state or the music had a possessive and controlling capacity.  As a kid I bought music played by Christian artists, or at least tapes supplied in Christian bookstores next to the Chick tracts.  I was particularly fond of metal, much to the chagrin of one of my Sunday School teachers.  I supplied her a cassette complete with lyrics so she could determine for herself if it was sinful or not.  "The lyrics seem fine but I still think it's got that evil beat," was her response.

There are no doubt evil musicians in the world whose explicit aim is to make the most evil music they can, and many have succeeded with their blasphemous efforts.  Yet music, in itself, is not and cannot be a bad thing.  People have taken a good thing and made it wicked, vulgar, sensual, filled with violence and hate.  I am convinced a rhythm, minor key, or chord progression is not evil in itself, but even catchy music is no better than the message it proclaims and what (or who!) is behind it.  In The Quotable Lewis, C.S. Lewis wrote something which relates to music and many other things God has created to be:

"The truth is that evil is not a real thing at all, like God.  It is simply good spoiled.  That is why I say there can be good without evil, but no evil without good.  You know what the biologists mean by a parasite - an animal that lives on another animal.  Evil is a parasite.  It is there only because good is there for it to spoil and confuse." (Martindale, Wayne, and Jerry Root. The Quotable Lewis. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2005. Page 265)

What Lewis asserts is very sensible, as God is only good and existed before all things.  He was good without any evil being in existence, and when this world is dissolved our righteous God and His redeemed saints will embark on an eternity marked with purity as at the beginning.  All God made was good, but man has sullied what God made pure; man has made crooked what He made straight.  What God has given us to enjoy man hoarded for himself, drank himself drunk, and removed sex from the strict boundaries of marriage.  The goodness of the original may be obscured, but through God it is retained.  From God's Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit we can instantly recognise heresy in a philosophy or in a song.  God made people able to think with their brains, and in man's supposed wisdom he has outfoxed a need for a Creator and thus God's existence is as a vestigial organ, a transitory fix for slow-witted superstitious simpletons of a less developed age.  God made both angelic hosts and man to sing:  some of these voices praise God and others curse Him without shame.

Evil is a parasite, and thank Jesus it need not pollute our minds or spoil our praise because He has made us righteous by grace through faith.  We ought to be discerning of the things we eat, drink, watch, or listen to, knowing if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption.  But let us not condemn as evil what is not evil in itself - like calories, music beats, instruments, meats, or drink.  In Christ all is lawful, but not all is helpful.  Being slaves of Jesus Christ we are not to be brought under the power of any, nor place a stumbling block in the way of another.  People might be offended by music others enjoy, but it is our fault if we censure them for their firmly-held convictions.  Let each be convinced in their own mind, knowing it is before God we stand or fall.

Judging Righteously

Kids are impressionable, and things their parents say and do make a significant impact on their behaviour.  It is fun to see the personalities of these little ones begin to emerge, but not all that we see or hear is pleasing because it can be a portrayal of us parents at our worst.  A common tendency in many kids is the ironic and unbecoming attitude I will simply call "bossy."  Watch an older brother or sister for very long and it's likely they will order their sibling around or tattle on them when they are not doing what they think is right.  The demands placed on them are quickly (and in their minds fairly) placed on all others.  It seems for some kids a necessary step in the maturation process, something unfortunately not all grow out of.

This kind of  concrete "black and white" thinking pervasive in kids can be maintained in adults who lean towards legalism.  "That's not fair!" or "That's just wrong!" are phrases often through which the world and others are viewed.  It is true there is a lot wrong in the world and even the church packed with sinners, but it is good to remember we are not the authority:  God is.  Those who are raised in Christian homes and were taught in Sunday School likely received a large dose of what to do and what not to do.  For little concrete thinkers the Law of Moses is Gospel.  Some have responded by avoiding teaching the Ten Commandments or emphasising the love of God instead.  But we need the Law to see we are proud, selfish, hypocritical legalists who desperately need to repent.  God forbid we would teach Law without explaining the modern purpose of the Law, and we should employ it unto that end:  to reveal our need for salvation by grace through faith in Jesus.

Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.  Knowing right and wrong is one thing, but doing it is another matter entirely.  It is natural for us to judge others self-righteously according to Law (and even according to a subjective standard we hold forth as righteous), but Jesus said in John 7:24, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  We ought to use righteous judgment, knowing that the severity of the judgment we place upon others is the degree God will see we drink to the dregs (Matthew 7:1-2).  Those who are teachers (this includes parents who instruct their kids) will receive harsher judgment even in our age of grace (James 3:1-2).  Not one of us is perfect, even in our understanding of the scriptures we imagine we know well.  Many times Jesus said, "It has been written...but I say unto you..." going far beyond the reach of the Law of Moses and addressing the sin in our hearts.  If we accuse and condemn others in hypocrisy, it is we who are most wrong.

As teachers of God's Word we are called to teach the whole Bible, the Law of Moses included, providing the overarching context of God's grace which saturates scripture.  Without knowledge of the Law we are without that tutor or schoolmaster who leads us by the hand to Jesus.  Can you imagine trying to learn mathematics or English without a teacher?  We live in a world where many people feel they can do no wrong, but God loves us enough to show us otherwise.  Praise the LORD God's power remains without limit to teach people His ways from all backgrounds and perspectives.  His Word is sharp and powerful, and the Holy Spirit transcends man's best efforts to convey truth.  There remains right and wrong, and God is able to show us the times when we were positive we were right but actually were dead wrong.  Instead of judging according to appearance, we are to judge righteously by God's grace.