21 Days in 2024
COSTLY GRACE
"Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?' 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.' 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 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'" (John 8:3-11).
When Jesus stooped to write in the sand, He had to be reminding the men gathered of all the existing reasons that disqualified them from throwing stones. In fact, once he was done, no one remained in the place of accusation to punish the woman.
The only person present without sin was Jesus Himself. Yet, He stood back from the place of accusation and forgave the woman for her sin. In His own righteousness Jesus was qualified to pass judgment and He showed mercy instead.
Forgiveness is costly. The only One who could afford the price of redemption had to be someone with no debt of their own to pay. Jesus was and is the only One to ever meet that criteria. The One without sin is the One who forgave us.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:4-8).
To be in our sin is to be in death. To be forgiven makes us alive. It is because of God’s great love that we pass from death to life through His forgiveness. God hates the ravages of sin and death on humanity. His own love motiated Him to rescue us from the enemy of sin and death.
"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14 -15).
This costly grace is our provision through all eternity. The provision of the Cross flows through His love for us and never fails or falls short of reaching us. His love is never not enough to redeem, restore, heal or deliver. It is ours when we understand and embrace forgiveness. Forgiveness is extended to us with the understanding that we would also forgive others.
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:25-26).
When we understand the immensity of the debt we owe to God for our sin, only then can we truly appreciate the scope of what we have been forgiven. When we understand how much we have been forgiven, we become aware of our responsibility to release others from our judgement and criticism.
Perhaps that is what Jesus wrote in the sand. Not so much words, but calculations. Perhaps He was tallying up the tab for a lifetime of sin and the debt we each would owe if we had to pay the price of it for ourselves. Truly understanding grace will help us all be better able to forgive those who offend us.
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:31-32)
When Jesus stooped to write in the sand, He had to be reminding the men gathered of all the existing reasons that disqualified them from throwing stones. In fact, once he was done, no one remained in the place of accusation to punish the woman.
The only person present without sin was Jesus Himself. Yet, He stood back from the place of accusation and forgave the woman for her sin. In His own righteousness Jesus was qualified to pass judgment and He showed mercy instead.
Forgiveness is costly. The only One who could afford the price of redemption had to be someone with no debt of their own to pay. Jesus was and is the only One to ever meet that criteria. The One without sin is the One who forgave us.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:4-8).
To be in our sin is to be in death. To be forgiven makes us alive. It is because of God’s great love that we pass from death to life through His forgiveness. God hates the ravages of sin and death on humanity. His own love motiated Him to rescue us from the enemy of sin and death.
"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14 -15).
This costly grace is our provision through all eternity. The provision of the Cross flows through His love for us and never fails or falls short of reaching us. His love is never not enough to redeem, restore, heal or deliver. It is ours when we understand and embrace forgiveness. Forgiveness is extended to us with the understanding that we would also forgive others.
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:25-26).
When we understand the immensity of the debt we owe to God for our sin, only then can we truly appreciate the scope of what we have been forgiven. When we understand how much we have been forgiven, we become aware of our responsibility to release others from our judgement and criticism.
Perhaps that is what Jesus wrote in the sand. Not so much words, but calculations. Perhaps He was tallying up the tab for a lifetime of sin and the debt we each would owe if we had to pay the price of it for ourselves. Truly understanding grace will help us all be better able to forgive those who offend us.
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Posted in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting