CHRIST PREACHED GRACE AND FORGIVENESS TO UNDESERVING SINNERS

By Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

May 22, 2010

John 1:17 says: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

The grace that came by Jesus Christ is in contrast with the Law that came by Moses. Christ lived and died under the Law of Moses, but some of the first glimpses of grace were seen in his earthly ministry. He said and did many things that were never said, seen or done under the Law. And the grace Christ preached in his earthly ministry is the same grace we preach today. The grace we preach is the undeserving favor of God bestowed upon sinners who do not deserve or merit it.

In John 8 is found an example of the unearned and undeserved favor of God bestowed upon sinners. It says: And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? (John 8:3-5)

What the scribes and Pharisees said was true. In Leviticus 20:10 the Law said this adulteress should have been put to death. But what did Christ do to her? It says in verses 10-11: When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

The Law condemned her but Christ forgave her. Therefore, he did what the Law did not and could not do. The Law that came by Moses condemned adulteresses like this woman, but the grace that came by Jesus Christ forgave them. Under Moses Law this woman would have died without mercy. By the grace that Christ preached she was forgiven. Christ dealt with this woman according to grace, not the Law of Moses.

The grace by which he forgave this woman is the same grace we preach today. The grace we preach today forgives sinners like this woman who could not be forgiven by the Law of Moses.

In Acts 13:38-39 Paul said: Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

The grace Paul preached forgave sins the Law could not forgive and pardoned sinners who could not be pardoned by the Law. In John 8 Jesus pardoned a woman who could not be pardoned by the Law and forgave her of sins the Law could not forgive. This is just one of many examples in the four gospels where Christ forgave sinners by grace who did not deserve nor earn it.