Rejoice In Your Freedom

Reflect on God’s Word

Listen to the story of the woman caught in adultery from John 8:2–11:

At dawn [Jesus] appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

This woman should have felt condemned because she knew she had sinned. She was caught in the very act, dragged before Jesus by her accusers, and labeled as an adulteress. But Jesus, knowing the hearts of everyone who stood there, called them all out: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

And then those words that would echo in her mind for the rest of her life: “Neither do I condemn you.”

Everyone experiences feelings of inferiority, condemnation, and hopelessness from time to time, but if we dwell in those feelings, we cannot enjoy the life God has called us to live because we live under a cloud of guilt. This burden can turn into depression, shame, and fear.

But 2 Corinthians 3:17–18 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Day by day you are being transformed into the image of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, as Paul said, there is freedom. Ephesians 3:12 reminds us, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

When was the last time you approached God with confidence? If you are living under a veil of condemnation, you probably haven’t wanted to approach God at all. But Jesus paid the penalty for all your sins. You can boldly approach his throne, free from guilt.

Hebrews 4:15–16 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

God is so merciful. He does not want you to cower in condemnation when he has set you free. That is a burden you are not intended to bear. Jesus already bore it on the cross.

Imagine again that woman caught in adultery. Jesus says he doesn’t condemn her, and in that moment she feels completely free. Forgiven. She leaves that place rejoicing. And then she comes across her neighbor as she makes her way home. As her smiling eyes encounter her neighbor’s, she reads condemnation. Her neighbor knows who she is, what she has done.

She wilts inside again at the reminder, lowering her head, hiding her face, slowing her pace. And then she feels a presence by her side. It’s Jesus, and he is again saying to her, “Neither do I condemn you.” She breathes in deeply, straightens her shoulders, smiles at her neighbor, and keeps walking.

She feels good for another few minutes, and then she encounters the man with whom she sinned. He laughs at her. The smile fades from her eyes again. Her steps slow again, her head bows, her heart is heavy.

Again she feels Jesus right by her side and hears his precious, life-giving words: “Neither do I condemn you.”

Jesus breathes life into our shattered souls. He is the living water for our wilting spirits. Those five words have the power to set us free: Neither do I condemn you. Accept them. Embrace them. Rejoice in your freedom.

Release Who You Thought You Were

Take time now to slow your thoughts as you let the wonderful, freeing truth of God’s love pour over you. Put aside distractions and breathe in the Holy Spirit’s love and wisdom. Ask God to calm your heart and sharpen your mind so you can hear his still, small voice instead of the clamor of all that weighs on you.

If you have belonged to Christ for a while, reflect on the ways his life-giving Spirit has changed you. Using that as encouragement, ask him to help you see yourself today as he sees you (remember, there is no condemnation!).

Then take a moment to kneel mentally before God. Or physically do so, if it will help you. Picture him nearer to you than your own breath. Imagine his hand on your head, his arm holding you close. Let the reality of God’s nearness and his perfect, unchanging love fill you with hope and belief.

See the mistakes you’ve made in the past like red ink on a piece of paper, each one a separate slip. Maybe your pile of paper is so high it’s overwhelming. Maybe there are just a few things that you feel truly guilty for. Whatever the case, watch as Jesus takes each one and, from the nail mark in his hand, lets his blood drip. As the red of his blood covers the red of those condemning words, they disappear completely. For each slip of paper, Jesus does the same thing as he says, “Neither do I condemn you.”

Dear heavenly Father, I am astounded at the truth of this message. You don’t see my failings when you look at me; instead, you see me made perfect by the sinless Christ. That means there really is no condemnation for me because I am in you. You created me to be whole and holy. You want me to live abundantly and joyously, which is impossible if I am stuck on my own failures. Instead, I need to focus on your great love and power. Help me do that, Lord! I want to be set free from the way I condemn myself. In the power of your name I pray, amen.

JOURNAL PROMPT: Write down some of those things for which you have been condemning yourself. Now take a red pen and write these words: Neither Do I Condemn You.