There is in all persons a certain knowledge of good and evil; such and such things they
say are good, and such and such things are evil. But perhaps no two persons have
exactly the same standard either of good or evil. What people do is set up such a
standard of good as they themselves can meet, and such a standard of evil as shall just
exclude themselves, and include others. For instance, the drunkard thinks there is no
great harm in drinking, but would consider it a great sin to steal. The covetous man,
who is every day perhaps practicing some cheating or deception in his business,
satisfies himself by thinking, "It is necessary and customary to do so in business, and at
all events I do not get drunk or curse and swear as others do." The upright, moral man
looks around and pities the open sinners that he sees, but he never considers how many
an evil thought, how many a sinful desire he may have had in his heart, unknown to
others. Thus each congratulates himself upon his not having done some certain evil,
and compares himself with someone else who has committed the sin which he thinks he
has managed to avoid.

All this proves that men do not judge themselves by one fixed standard of right and
wrong, but just take that which suits themselves and condemns others. But there is a
standard with which all will be compared and according to which all will be judged.
This is God’s righteousness, and all who fall short of it will be eternally condemned.
When a person begins to find that it is not by comparing himself with others that he is
to judge, but by comparing himself with God, then his conscience begins to be
awakened to think of sin as before God, and then he finds himself guilty and ruined. He
will no longer attempt to justify himself by trying to find out some one that is worse
than himself, but he will be anxious to know whether it is possible that God, before
whom he knows himself condemned, can pardon or forgive him.

Now the scribes and Pharisees, mentioned in the eighth chapter of John, were very
moral and religious people, and were greatly shocked and indignant when they found
out a wretched woman taken in open sin. Justice and the law of Moses, thought they,
demanded that such a sinner as she should die. It comforts and quiets the depraved
heart of man if he can only find a person worse than himself; he thinks the greater sin
of another excuses himself. While accusing and blaming another he forgets his own evil
and thus rejoices in iniquity.

But this is not all. For not only do men thus glory and exult in the fall and ruin of
another, but they cannot bear to see or think of God exhibiting grace. Grace_which
means the full and free forgiveness of every sin without God demanding or expecting
anything from the one forgiven_is a principle so opposed to all man’s thoughts and
ways that he dislikes it. Man does not himself deal in this way, and does not like to
think of God doing so. It is very humbling to be obliged to own that we are dependent
upon grace entirely for salvation, and that nothing we have done and nothing we can do
in the future can make us fit for God’s presence.

It is true that the sentence against the woman was just, the proof of her guilt was
undoubted, and the law was clear; but who was to execute the law? How wise was the
answer given by Jesus:"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her." If not one of them could say, "I am without sin," there was not one of them who
was not under the same sentence as the woman, that is, death, for "the wages of sin is
death" (Romans 6:23).

Here, then, was a strange situation_the accused and her accusers alike involved in the
same ruin_criminals all. Think of it_you and all the world are guilty before God. It is
not what is your amount of sin, in man’s account, but can you say you are "without
sin" before God? If not, then death is your sentence. "The soul that sinneth, it shall
die" (Ezek. 18:4). And in this sad condition what have you done? Perhaps the same as
the scribes and Pharisees did when they were convicted by their own conscience_they
left the presence of the only One who can pronounce the forgiveness.

"And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." She was alone with
One who had the power of life and death. Everything rested on His word. What would
He say? Man had not dared to cast the stone; now what would God do? "Neither do I
condemn thee; go, and sin no more."

Such is still the gracious message to the ruined sinner pronounced by the very Judge
Himself. But it is only to the ruined sinner, standing consciously convicted before the
Judge, that it is spoken. The righteous Pharisees heard it not. They were indeed
convicted, but they would not confess their sin nor put themselves in the same
condemnation with the wretched woman. And so it is still. If you desire to have God’s
full and free pardon, you must first take your place as a guilty sinner. It will not do to
try to get better first before you come to Him. You must be brought to Him by your
very sins, to stand in the very place of condemnation, and before the very Person who
has the power to condemn.

Note that the Lord gave the woman no conditional pardon. He did not say, "Neither
will I condemn you if you will not sin any more." No, He gives her full and complete
forgiveness first, and that, He knew, would enable her to avoid the sin in the future.
The more I see and know my own sin, the more I shall value that precious blood by
which it is put away; and the more anxious shall I be not to grieve the heart of Him
who, in His own love, has provided such a wonderful sacrifice on account of my sins.
Hence, the deeper I know my own guilt, the more secure will be my peace, for the
greater will be my value of the blood through which peace has been made.

May you know the peace and joy of having all your sins forgiven through faith in the
blood of Jesus, and the consequent victory over the power of those very sins by which
you have been led captive.