We've seen a lot in recent years about the evils associated with Christians. Last year there was the devastating (and calculated) story that told how Ravi Zacharias had a lust problem. Voices have been raised over the fact that Jonathan Edwards owned slaves. That kind of a gamut of problems. And we muddle about and try to figure out what to do when our spiritual giants fall, in life or in death. Here's my suggestion. Let's look to Jesus.
When they brought the woman "caught in adultery" to Him (John 8:1-11), it is noteworthy that He didn't have any comment on the sin in question. He didn't negate it; He didn't condemn it. He didn't rise up with righteous indignation, nor did He pass it off as meaningless. What He did do ... was point to the general problem of sin. His famous line: "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7). No one did. Why? Well, that's obvious. There wasn't a single one of these "holy" scribes and Pharisees without sin. And when they all slinked away, Jesus addressed the woman. "I'm not bringing judgment at this time," He told her, but that was not a dismissal of sin. "Go and sin no more." (John 8:11). Very clearly, "You have been sinning; stop."
I take Jesus's approach rather than the current cancel culture approach. I take Jesus's approach rather than the current approach demonstrated 2,000 years ago by the Pharisees. I recommend the approach Jesus commanded in the Sermon on the Mount. "First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." (Matt 7:5). Because none of us is without sin.
So I'm not willing to burn down a Ravi Zacharias or a Jonathan Edwards for accusations, truthful or otherwise, of sin. To be sure, they had sin, but it is equally certain that I am not without sin and "If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" (Psa 130:3). I'll look instead at the fruits of their lives and thank God for that, and I'll pray that my sin problems don't prevent God from using me in ways I cannot fathom. None of us are without sin. It's not us that determines what God does with us. I'd like to think He can use the foolish and the weak and the base (1 Cor 1:26-29) like them ... like me. So I don't have to justify their errors; I just have to praise God for the use He makes of all of us sinners.
4 comments:
As a note, I interpreted Jesus's "Neither do I condemn you" as "I'm not bringing judgment at this time" because 1) there are far too many who think Jesus has no condemnation of sin and 2) Jesus had a lot to say about judgment. He warned of those who continue to sin being cast into hell "where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:42-48). He warned that He came to "cast fire upon the earth" (Luke 12:49), but not yet. John the Baptist covered that when he warned that those who don't bear fruit will be "cut down and thrown into the fire." (Luke 3:9). We are assured that Jesus will return to "judge the living and the dead" (2 Tim 4:1). Indeed, to suggest that Jesus didn't care about sin is to require that Jesus didn't care about justice and, in fact, denies His deity (Hab 1:13). So He didn't bring condemnation to her sin at that time, but that didn't mean there would never be a time. Or else we have a problem.
Stan,
I agree that your interpretation is a reasonable conclusion, based on your explanation. It seems like it's too much of an assumption to conclude that Jesus was never going to judge her sin. The problem, as you note, is with those who object to the notion of Jesus having any sort of final judgement for sin.
You're right. I think the disagreement begins with the premise that Jesus won't judge sin. At all. Ever. That judgment itself is bad. Interestingly, usually those who object to the idea that Jesus would judge sin are very judgmental about those who make such an assertion.
Why yes, yes they are very judgemental.
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