When some people first hear that God loves them and that Jesus wants to enter into a relationship with them, they immediately think their sins are too great, that what they’ve done in the past is beyond forgiving. Even though they’d like to come to Him, they feel condemned and hold back. They think they need to clean themselves up first and somehow be good enough to experience His love, but then they try and find that there’s no way to clean themselves up.
In John 8 is the story of a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. The religious leaders had dragged her in front of Jesus, publicly condemned her to the Law’s judgment of stoning, and asked what Jesus had to say. With her life at stake, imagine her standing there trembling. But rather than answer her accusers, Jesus just knelt down and began writing in the dirt with his finger. After they continued to question Him, He said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.” Then He went back to writing on the ground. Imagine the relief she must have felt as the accusers slowly walked away one by one.
What must she have thought as Jesus stood up and looked at her? There’s little doubt that she had heard about Him—that He performed miracles, that some said He was the Messiah. But in that moment she went from hearing about Jesus to experiencing the love of Jesus. She went from overwhelming guilt and condemnation to standing face-to-face with divine mercy. Then came those amazing words from Jesus, “Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And He declared, “I don’t condemn you either. Go and sin no more.”
Think of how her heart was opened by Jesus’ grace and love. The most intimate wrongdoing in her life had been exposed to everyone in her community, and yet God’s mercy flooded her heart and gently led her to repentance. That’s what we experience when we believe in God’s love for us in Christ. “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). None. God loves you in Him. Therefore, there is nothing that you’ve done that He will not forgive. The Scripture says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Before we even knew about Him, He already was in love with us.
Today, take that step from just hearing about the love of God to truly experiencing the love of God. Open your heart and let Him come in.