(Audio)
Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.
The law is not meant to be used as a weapon against others. It isn't meant to be used against eh woman caught in adultery and it isn't meant to be used to put Jesus to the test. It is meant to lead toward mercy.
Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
But it is not a mercy that leaves us in our sinful state.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.
Even though Paul no longer finds his righteousness based on the law he does not for that reason cease to make progress.
Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind
but straining forward to what lies ahead,
I continue my pursuit toward the goal,
the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.
He strains toward what lies ahead by faith in Christ, the righteousness from God. It is only by knowing Jesus through faith that the resurrection can transform our lives. And it is meant to transform them. It is not meant only to wash over the exterior and leave our hearts unchanged. It is both the upward call and the means by which we ascend.
Lately there seems to be an insufficiency of this resurrection power and this upward call in our world. We seem to be living in a desert where we resign ourselves to using to law for hurting and being hurt. We have trouble seeing hope when this is what surrounds us.
Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
God is speaking a word of hope to us right now. He wants to enlarge our hearts by faith in Jesus. He wants to renew our deserts with the power of the resurrection. He will once again make us a people formed for himself that we might announce his praise.
The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
No comments:
Post a Comment