John 8:7

Another great week of discussions as we reap the harvest of 8 weeks of hard lessons in this tabernacle study!

In our study this week we read James 8:7:

When they persisted in questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

We discussed the way we sometimes think of our righteous acts. We were reminded that our righteous acts are like filthy rags. We studied the fact that Christ's death was for the pharisees, those who gave him vinegar to drink, and even those who drove the nails into his hands and feet. In the middle of one of the worst times in the history of man, Christ died for us. Sobering news, but great news!

Our discussion turned to the fact that it is important for long time, been going to church your whole life, believers to remember that their righteous acts are like filthy rags. Sometimes we think we are doing pretty good. At least we don't have big things on the list like murder, or adultery, but sadly, we sometimes forget that slandering someone is the same as murdering them to God.

We talked about how easy it is to sit in judgement of people who seem to be in a mess all the time. We sit back and wonder, "why can't they get their act together?!"

I shared the story of feeling the eyes of judgement on me when I had to appear before the council as a pregnant unmarried teenager. It hurt.

On the other side of the coin we talked about the way things have become so gray, and how we really need to call a sin a sin. Especially in church leadership, the Bible calls for discipline, it needs to be done.

I thought about what I would say to a pregnant teenager if I were called on to the job of church discipline, and it would go something like this:

As your sister in Christ, I need to talk to you about the situation you find yourself in. The Bible teaches us the law, and you probably already know that some of your past actions are considered sins according to God's Holy Word. I'm sure you already feel bad, and guilty about your sin. We all sin against God and fall short, no one is perfect. Here's the good news, Jesus death was for the sinner, not for the "perfect" or the "sinless" person. In fact not one perfect person exists, so Jesus died for each of us. I'm here on behalf of the church to remind you that God still loves you, and that, once you repent, your sins of the past will be GONE and remembered no more. You are a beloved child of God and His only desire is that you remain in a close relationship to Him. If there is anything we can do for you, we are here as your God's family.

The goal of church discipline should certainly be to draw the wayward back to God. Let's pray for the elders of our churches as they make these difficult visits, and try to handle awkward situations in love. And let's vow to keep looking inward at our own hearts to see where we are falling short, instead of looking around in judgement of others. Jesus died for the sinners...that's you and me, and the addict, and the murderer.