Don't Read Scripture like the Devil! Read it like Christ!
Go and Sin No More - The Mercy of God
Photo By: Flickr/Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.
"Go and sin no more", Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery. Have you committed adultery? I have; in my heart. For Jesus said, "I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). How many of us, if we are honest, can say that we have never looked lustfully at another person and therefore committed adultery in our heart? For the world is full of the "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes" (1 John 2:16). Adultery also symbolizes sin and unfaithfulness to God in general in the Old Testament (for e.g. Ezekiel 16:32). We ought therefore to see ourselves in place of that adulterous woman and hear Jesus say to us, "go and sin no more".
This is the true representation of God's mercy. God's mercy does not say, "Oh, you have sinned, but it's OK. It's all fine." No! God's mercy says, "I do not condemn YOU (referring to the person), but now you go and sin no more" (John 8:11). God, in his mercy, does not condemn the person, but God does condemn sin (Romans 8:3). While we live, God is patient with us, "not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather he wants them to turn from their ways and live (Ezekiel 18:23). This kindness of God towards us is meant to lead us to repentance (Rom 2:4).
I have heard it being said that "God loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us the way we are" i.e. in sin. God is a God of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, ...nth chances. Each time we fall in sin, his mercy is available to us and he says to us "Go, and sin no more."
The story of the adulterous woman doesn't tell us whether she repented of her sin or went forth and still continued to sin. Perhaps God intended to keep the story incomplete, so that we could see ourselves in place of that adulterous woman and realize that the choice is ours to make, whether we continue to sin and thereby become slaves of sin (John 8:34), which leads to death; or we yield ourselves as slaves to obedience which leads to righteousness (Romans 6:16).
"Go and sin no more", says Jesus. What choice have you made today?
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About the Author
I am a cradle Catholic. From a very early age, the hand of the Lord was upon me and he greatly blessed me. At a very young age, I began to read a children's Bible and read it many times over. Then, in my early teens, I began to be drawn deeper closer to the Lord in a more personal way. I found myself drawn to visit him in an adoration chapel and my prayer life began to grow. I was around 14 at that time. Then I got a copy of the Good News Bible and read that very eagerly. In my late teens I was very actively involved in a Catholic youth prayer group. We had praise and worship, talks. reflections, group discussions, etc. During this time, I grew personally by being mentored through a share group, but most of all because the Lord himself drew me close to him and I would often spend a lot of time before him in prayer. I then "upgraded" to an NRSV Bible and now I use the RSV-CE and have read that and the Catechism as well. I read and reflect upon God's word everyday as he leads me.
To be sure, my life has had its struggles, but since the time I have known the Lord personally (and even before that!), he has led me towards him and I am more and more drawn to him now. The story in my 20s is pretty much along the lines of following the Lord, making mistakes and learning from them, repenting and returning to the Lord, and following him again. The Lord has now brought me to a point where I can truly say I love him and it is my heart's desire to love him more and to draw other people to him.
I don't have any links to promote as such. I am not an active blogger. But a cause that is very close to my heart is Saint Paul's Outreach. Their website is http://www.spoweb.org/
I work as a Software Engineer in downtown Manhattan. I also play chess a lot and I have a National Master Title from the US Chess Federation. But my main interest is still the Lord and I'm willing to go wherever he takes me from here.
