How should the church respond when faced with people’s sin?

“Controversial issues,” our culture is inundated with them. I don’t have to name any here because you probably read 5-6 headlines about them before even getting to this post, and debating those topics is not what this post is about. There isn’t a lot we can agree on in our culture other than there are a lot of things we disagree on. They did in the days of the early church as well. The religious leaders even attempted to try and trap Jesus in the middle of this controversy, forcing Him to respond to a person caught on the wrong side of what scripture declared as sin. 

We as a church are put in this same position daily, and as a general rule the church has failed to respond well. That’s what I want to discuss in this post. How should the church respond when faced with people’s sin? There are many scriptures we could look at to get insight on what Jesus would have us to do, but we will focus on John 8:2-11 specifically here.

[Jhn 8:2-11 ESV] 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."]]

1. Bring people to Jesus.

The religious leaders unknowingly gave this broken woman the greatest gift anyone could have possibly given her. They brought her to Jesus. Jesus is the only one with the power to redeem our shattered souls. John 3:17-18 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  Jesus told the woman in John 8 that He did not condemn her. We learned in John 3:18 that it is our own sin that condemns us. Jesus is the one that saves us. It is Him and Him alone that has the power to save. 

Our first step when confronted with people, all people, is always, to bring them to Jesus. All have fallen short of the glory of God. All need the healing power of redemption that only His grace through faith can provide. As a church, we should constantly and consistently be about bringing people to Jesus. Tell them who He is. Tell them what He has done. Tell them how much He wants to save them. 

2. Do not throw stones. 

“Let Him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” That’s not me, and friend, that’s not you either.  It is easy to sit in the blindness of our own stories and chunk rocks at other people. I admit I am convicted of “throwing stones at people” daily. My words and thoughts about how people “should or shouldn’t” have made choices, are often not said/thought in love but in condemnation. In my arrogant mind I believe I would have done better, because “I am better.” God often reminds me, “No Love, if you made a different choice it would have only been because I (Jesus in you) led you better. Not because you are better, so STOP THROWING STONES.” 

The church has got to stop throwing stones at broken people. Have we ever seen our hateful condescending words bring healing? When my kids were little, I would often ask them if a choice they made was helpful or hurtful. The church needs to ask ourselves the same question. Are the words/actions we are blasting at people helpful or hurtful? Throwing stones isn’t helpful. It only brings more hurt. Jesus was the only one qualified to throw stones that day, and He chose grace. Shouldn’t we?

3. Don’t throw parties either.

Let’s be perfectly clear. Jesus did not throw stones at the woman. He also did not throw her a party. He did not condemn her with hate. However, He did call her sin, sin, and He told her to stop. Sin is rebellion against God and His design. Sin is destructive, not only to the sinner, but its devastation ripples out onto everything and everyone it touches. Hateful condescending words do not bring healing, but neither do excuses, blame, rationalization, validation, or celebration. Pretending a sin isn’t wrong may help to alleviate the feelings of guilt for a time, but the end result is even more disastrous. How will we know to turn around in repentance if we are not told we are going the wrong way? Is it really showing love to people to embrace their sin, knowing that sin is going to destroy them, or is love letting them know that there is hope and healing waiting for them at the cross of Jesus?

Which brings us back to the beginning. The church has done a pitiful job in a lot of ways of trying to deal with the world's sin on our own. We have thrown stones. We have thrown parties. We have yelled words of hate. We have embraced and celebrated destructive decisions. Neither have worked. Both have caused chaos and hurt. Another of my favorite stories in the gospel is in Mark chapter 9. A father brings his demon possessed son to the disciples. The disciples and religious leaders argue about how to heal the boy, but they can't manage it. Then, Jesus shows up, and Jesus says, “Bring him to me.” 

We live in a world teeming with broken people. We waste so much time arguing over what to do about their brokenness, while they lay dying. Jesus says, “Bring them to me.” All the controversial issues, all the alternative lifestyles, and destructive choices are devastating the lives of people. We, as a church, can stand around arguing about how to respond, but it won’t help. Throwing stones of condemnation won’t help. Throwing parties of celebration won’t help. People need Jesus. They must meet the Savior, and He will deal with their sin, just as He deals with our own. 

Church, we must pray. We must speak the truth of scripture (not our own preferences or opinions). We must do so in love, with the goal of bringing people to the Savior. That’s the example Jesus gave as He responded to the sin of people. We would do well to follow it.