All Have Sinned

James 3:2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. (NIV)

         

          Jesus had been sent to earth to save man from sin, but the religious teachers and rulers during that time did not accept him as the Son of God. They sought to find anything that they could use against him to accuse him of blaspheme against the laws of Moses and God. This time, in particular, that they decided to come before Jesus was no different.

            While Jesus was sitting in the temple courts, the Pharisees and religious teachers brought a woman before him. She had been caught in the act of adultery. According to the laws of Moses, anyone caught in adultery was to be stoned. Therefore, they wanted to know what Jesus’ response would be when they brought this up to him. However, Jesus did not fall into the trap that he knew they were placing for him. Instead, he wrote on the ground and then responded to them by telling them that whoever was without sin could cast the first stone. 

        This was a perfect response because he did not go against the laws of Moses nor did he place condemnation on the woman. He let them answer them be the judge of where they stood with God without having to play into their trickery. One by one they dropped the stones that they had in their hands. When all of them were gone, Jesus went to the woman and asked, “Where are your accusers? Does anyone still accuse you?” John 8: 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (NIV) Jesus showed the woman mercy even though she lived a life full of sin. He did not excuse the sin, but forgave her and told her to stop sinning.

        The religious teachers and Pharisees were right in obeying the laws of Moses, but they were wrong with their hypocrisy. They knew that they had unconfessed sin in their own lives, while they pointed the finger at others and condemned them. 1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (NIV) When we point out the sin in others, we must make sure that we are in good standing with God ourselves, or we will be guilty of doing the same thing, that the Pharisees did doing Jesus day, by being nothing more than mere hypocrites. Now does this mean that you cannot say what thus said the Lord in His word? No! However, in so doing, make sure that you are not guilty of the same, if not worse sin than the person you are accusing. Matthew 7:3-5 ⁽³⁾ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁽⁴⁾How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁽⁵⁾You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (NIV)

 Being all that God has called you to be means being honest first with God, yourself, and then others. God loves a person with humble heart who can say that they have fallen short. By recognizing and admitting where you still need spiritual growth is a great way to witness to others who may have fallen along the way. 

       

The Book of James:30 Days of Devotion for Men by K L Rich is available on Amazon.com.