To have a sensitive, convicted conscience, we must listen to the Word of God.
I can’t imagine a living in a culture that would stone someone for any crime. And yet such cultures exist today. And they existed in the Bible days.
And let’s face it, it was commanded in the Old Testament. The Bible taught judgment for sin to teach the seriousness of sin.
This story found in John 8:1-11 is not so much about a woman, but about the conviction of sin. This passage does not teach that it is sin to call sin a “sin”. We must know what defines sin is for our consciences to be convicted. We also must know about mercy in order to drop our stones.
The worst thing the Bible could do is to never point out sin, or else we would feel the right to stone others because we would consider ourselves sinless.
The worst thing the Church could do is to NEVER point out sin, or else no one would feel the need to surrender to salvation.
And the worst thing we as humans could do is to never allow God to examine us to “see if there is any wicked way in us” (Ps. 139:24).
Those grand standing with support in the Me Too movement today should have been a little more judgmental and less “tolerant” yesterday.
C.S. Lewis’ The Abolition of Man states there must be a standard of right and wrong; otherwise, we will let our abased Nature or “what feels right” to be our guide. Or worse, let someone else’s abased Nature be our guide. If we let Nature or Others or Ourselves be our guide, the result will be “the abolition of humanity”.
A sensitive, convicted conscience follows the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ. A society that follows its heart as its conscience (or follows money / fame / socially acceptable standards / politically correct standards) will allow sin to go on unabated and without judgment. Until the winds change.
The Word of God, fortunately, does not change.
A sensitive, convicted conscience will also seek mercy for our own sins. And once forgiven, it is much easier to forgive others.
Our Prayer for today comes from Psalm 139:23-24 “23 Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my anxieties. 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
