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WHAT wOULD JESUS dO? No. 24

SIN NO MORE
THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY PART II BY BILL BLUE

In last week’s article (WWJD no. 23), we reviewed John 8 where Jesus
was confronted with the woman caught in the act of adultery. He convicted
the woman’s accusers of sin (John 8:7-9). He did not condemn the
adulteress, but told her to “sin no more” (John 8:10-11).

Jesus’ instruction to “sin no more” was a command to end her

adulterous activities and adulterous relationship. Vine’s Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words defines an “adulteress,” as one “who has
unlawful intercourse with the spouse of another” (see Rom. 7:3). Apparently,
either the woman, or the man with whom she was having intercourse, was
married to another person.

Implicit in Jesus’ command to sin no more is repentance. Jesus did not

tell the woman that she could continue sinning, or that forgiveness absolves
continuing sins. Jesus said to “sin no more.”

Jesus spoke of repentance on many occasions (Matt. 4:17; Matt. 11:20-

24; Matt. 12:41-42; Mark 1:15; Luke 17:1-4; Rev. 3:19). Jesus says that death
through persecution and tragedy is preferable to the judgment that comes
upon those who do not repent (Luke 13:1-5). In Revelation, Christ told
members of the church – “Christians” - to repent or else: He would remove
the congregation’s lampstand (Rev. 2:5); He would fight against the evil
doers with the sword of His mouth (Rev. 2:16); He would cast those who
committed sexual immorality into a sickbed and great tribulation (Rev. 2:21-
22); and He would come upon them in judgment as a thief in the night (Rev.
3:3). Like the woman caught in adultery, Christians cannot continue sinning.
“No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Vine’s says repentance, “In the NT … has reference to ‘repentance’

from sin, and this change of mind involves both a turning from sin and a
turning to God” (cf. 2 Cor. 7:9-11).
 How then would a thief repent of sin? Not simply by stopping his
stealing, but also by returning or restoring that which he stole (Luke 19:8-9).
As one man once said, “A horse thief has not repented while he is still sitting
in my saddle.” Similarly, drunkards should stop drinking (1 Cor. 6:10). The
materialistic should stop coveting (1 Cor. 6:10), and those committing sexual
immorality of any form – whether pre-martial, extramarital, or homosexual –
must end these activities and relationships as well (1 Cor. 6:9; Rev. 2:18-23).

Jesus says that a marriage relationship can be sinful if one party to that
relationship is not free to remarry. “Whoever divorces his wife, except for
sexual immorality [“marital unfaithfulness” NIV], and marries another,
commits adultery” (Matt. 19:9 NKJV; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18). The wife
and her new spouse are also guilty of adultery if she remarries (Matt. 5:32;
Luke 16:18). Jesus said that sin attaches when the husband (or wife)
“marries another.” Of course, a widow (or widower) is free to remarry (Rom.
7:3; 1 Cor. 7:10-11).

How then do we repent of an adulterous marriage? Stop sinning (John

8:11) by removing yourself from the unlawful marriage (Ezra 10:18-19, 44).
These partners are not rightfully yours anymore than the saddle belonged to
the horse thief. As Jesus said, “the one whom you now have is not your
husband” (John 4:16-19).

Admittedly, ending a marriage with someone we love isn’t easy. The

Apostles acknowledged that Jesus’ commandments on marriage, divorce,
and remarriage are difficult (Matt. 19:10). Sin, however, is not defined by
the attitudes of men and popular culture, but by God. Sin is defined as a
violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4). Man may have passed laws regulating
marriage, but God will judge us by His laws (John 12:48) A marriage
certificate from the clerk of the court does not absolve a husband and wife of
sin any more than a law permitting abortion absolves the doctor or pregnant
mother of homicide in God’s sight.

Some who do not believe that a marriage can be sinful have a double
standard where homosexuality is concerned. They have no difficulty saying
that homosexuals must quit having sex, but they refuse to apply the same
standard to unlawful marriages. Some draw a distinction between sexual
activities and sexual relationships, saying that activities like homosexuality
are sinful, but relationships, like marriage are not. Should we then say that
homosexuals have the right to marry so long as they do not have sex? Jesus
wouldn’t. Jesus said that relationships can be sinful. “Whoever divorces His
wife and marries another commits adultery” (Luke 16:18). “Whoever marries
a woman who is divorced commits adultery” (Matt. 5:32).

The Disciples rightly understood that God’s expectations for marriage

are demanding when they concluded, “If such is the case of the man with his
wife, it is better not to marry” (Matt. 19:10). If marriage relationships cannot
be sinful, then all one would have to do to avoid sexual immorality is to
marry their partner. If this is true, then why would the Disciples believe that
Jesus’ commands were so difficult that, “it is better not to marry” (Matt.
19:10)?

Being a member of the body of Christ does not absolve us of continuing sins,
including the sins of sexual immorality, unless we repent (Rev. 2:21-22) and
resolve to “sin no more” (John 8:11).

This article is reprinted online at http://www.bibleweb.com.