by David Brenneman
"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
It's nothing new, under the sun as even written in Ecclesiates, that people redefine what God has called sins to make themselves feel better about continuing in them.
This isn't just the worldly people under Satan's full influence but Believers as well.
There's the redefining of what's an idol and whether or not idols truly exist today.
There's the redefining of what's really adultery and what isn't.
There's the redefining of sexual immorality and what isn't.
Satan's schemes certainly include encouraging self-deception.
Knowing your enemy is vital to winning battles.
Flirting with what your enemy encourages will always come back to burn you.
As a quote goes...if a Believer isn't living a transformed life then they're living a conformed life.
To honestly earn a degree at any college or university it requires the transforming of the mind in imprinting on the brain the lessons being taught. The defining end result is a degree to take somewhere and use what was taught. You must choose to be transformed by the professor's and instructors.
Being taught by the Spirit of God in our everyday lives is no different. We are to live transformed lives by intentional learning that we take out into the world to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others.
When anyone comes to Christ for salvation we read that He begins a work in them. We become His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them. We're to take what we've learned and honor Jesus for all He's done for us.
The highest honors among men and women graduating their respective fields of study are in making their professor's and their instructors proud by taking what they've learned in their transformation and excelling in their own right.
All who are saved in Christ Jesus should be doing whatever is right and good in God's eyes. Compromising nothing. Not cutting corners in our learning from the Holy Spirit. Not shirking in our lives in serving others. Doing what we are being transformed to do.
There's going to be billions of people who will, at the Final Judgment of Jesus Christ, trying to argue with Jesus about their lives worthiness. They will attempt to defend their actions. They will fail.
In our world today we see people being encouraged to cheat at learning in colleges and universities. What will they do when life outside of those schools of learning becomes real? When the rubber meets the road?
What will happen in your life when the reality of your redefining whatever sins you won't let go of catch up to you? And they will.
Redefining God's truth will not make any sin a non-sin issue.
These Pharisees and Scribes tried twisting the Law with the One who wrote it.
Have the woman caught in adultery? Hmm. Where's the man?
In my mind's eye I believe this woman was someone who was connected to a Pharisee, which is why he was being protected and she was being used by them to trap Jesus.
It really doesn't matter.
Our redefining whatever sins we hold close doesn't matter.
The Author and Perfecter of our faith, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Judge, will use truth to render righteous judgment. He is truth. In Him is no shifting shadow.
We will never break the hold of sins in our lives by being comfortable with them.
We will never show true repentance by redefining whatever sins we embrace.
Whatever God says is a sin when the Bible addresses it, still is a sin today.
No amount of "But God!" will cause any sin to not be a sin.
We will never see the righteous life that God desires for us if we keep in the sins that He's told us to leave.
When we say Amen we are saying we are in agreement with God.
When we say one thing and do another we are sinning.
Scripture says that He (or she) who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, sins.
We who are in Christ came to Christ to make us right before God. We had the wall of sin broken down. We went granted full access to the Throne of God in Christ Jesus. Practiced, intentional, sins are putting up another wall between us and Jesus. It's hindering our walk with Jesus. It's stunting our growth in Christ.
My Dear Reader it's you who needs to look at your life to see where you aren't living a transformed life. It's you who needs to ask Jesus what's next to change in your life so that your life shows less of you and more of Him. It's you who needs to buckle down and get serious about your training in righteousness that comes from the Spirit of God to you. There's no room for compromise or redefining whatever He has said is sin.
I truly feel sorry for all the millions of people in these supposed schools of higher learning that are cheating themselves on their way to a soon to be useless degree. Having nothing to show for it.
I feel more sorrowful for people cheating themselves in their walk with Jesus by staying in sins that they'd redefined so as to not feel guilty about committing.
Scripture says that we all will give an account of our lives before Jesus. No excuse will hold up with He who IS the Truth.
All New American Standard Bible Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. A corporation not for profit.
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