Best to Err on the Side of Grace

John 8:6-9 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.

It is both amazing and frightening what we see when we look into the mirror of God's Word. These imperfect and hypocritical men were ready to have someone stoned for her sin, when they too deserved to be stoned for their own sins. We do not know what Jesus wrote on the ground, but we do know that there were other occasions that the finger of God wrote in the presence of men. The first time God used His finger to write His commandment on tablets of stone. These ten simple commandments should have made us very much aware of our own imperfections and should have made us aware of how much we need the Savior. The other occasion we know of was when God wrote on the wall of the king's palace in Babylon, pronouncing His judgement upon Babylon and its king. Here we see that whatever Jesus wrote on the ground made each of these men very much aware of their own guilt and made them walk away in shame, as now they had no real standing in being judgmental toward someone who was no greater sinner than they were. We must be careful about how we deal with those who sin against us or with those of whose sins God allows us to be made aware of. We are to always first examine ourselves, realizing that we are just as sinful and guilty, then approach the other person with humility, for the purpose of reconciliation, restoration, or both. If the other person chooses to remain in their sin, then there are appropriate steps outlined for us in God's Word. The point is that even when we are holding others accountable, we must do it in love, and not with hypocrisy and ulterior motives. When it is all said and done, God knows the heart and knows all about our sins, just as much as He knows the other person's. As one of my former pastor's used to say, "If we are going to err, it is best to err on the side of grace."

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).