The woman you are referring to is found in John 8:3-11, which is the only time we read of her in Scripture. Because of this we must draw conclusions based solely on this passage. Let’s break this passage down and see what we can learn. “Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him” (verses 3-6a…NKJV). It is clear that this woman was, without a doubt, GUILTY OF ADULTERY and DESERVING OF DEATH. Death could have been the consequences for her actions for the Law of Moses gave the Jewish leaders the absolute authority to stone her to death. They had every right to put her to death but instead they used her as a pawn to discredit the Lord’s teachings of love, grace, and forgiveness. We shall see that their “plan” was foiled and that this led to the woman being forgiven.

Now let’s read verses 6b-9, “But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” Jesus knew the hearts of these wicked, self-righteous rulers and with Divine wisdom He avoided answering their question of whether she should be stoned. Instead, He wrote on the ground and answered them with these searching words, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” In essence, He turns the spotlight of holiness and truth directly on them. Yes, the law had condemned the adulterous woman, but now they have to allow the word of God to either condemn or acquit them. Are they free from sin? Does the Law of Moses condemn them as well? Their conscience soon accused them (see Romans 2:15) and they quickly retreated from the only One who is truly “without sin.”

We’ll close with verses 10-11, “When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” The religious rulers had been proven to be GUILTY and CONDEMNED by the Law of Moses, so in truth they had no right to condemn the guilty woman. The ONLY ONE who could condemn her was Jesus Himself! He could do so because He was truly (as mentioned above) “without sin.” Scripture says “He did no sin” (1^st Peter 2:22); “He knew no sin” (2^nd Corinthians 5:21); and “In Him is no sin” (1^st John 3:5). Yet instead of condemning her He says emphatically, “Neither do I condemn thee!” How could He say that? Or, put another way, how could He set aside the Law of Moses and forgive her? Ah, because He was on the way to Calvary’s cross to pay for her sins so she could indeed be forgiven and set free from condemnation. This is confirmed in John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him IS NOT CONDEMNED, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” It is beautiful to see that the woman STAYED IN THE LORD’S PRESENCE instead of fleeing when her persecutors did. She STAYED TO BE BLESSED and she was blessed! In faith she calls Jesus “Lord” and the immediate response by Jesus was to say, “Neither do I condemn thee.” She BELIEVED ON THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON and was set free from condemnation!

We would be remiss if we didn’t comment on Jesus’ last words to her, “Go and sin no more.” After one is saved the Lord desires us to be holy; to live lives free from sin in response to the love and grace which has brought us forgiveness. Nothing more is said about this woman so we can’t say how faithful she was to this command. We believe that she gave up her life of sexual immorality and led a life of purity. Was she perfect from that moment on? Of course not, for even the believer has the potential to sin (see 1^st John 1:8 & 10). But if we do sin, this does not bring us into condemnation, for John 3:17-18 is crystal-clear that the believer is NOT CONDEMNED (see also Romans 8:1). There will be consequences for sin IN THIS LIFE (the loss of joy, peace, a testimony for Christ, and future rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ), but IN ETERNITY we will be with Christ forever based on the payment He made for our sins on the cross (see Isaiah 53:5; 1^st Peter 2:24; 2^nd Corinthians 5:21; and 1^st Peter 1:3-5).  (350.1)  (DO)