Commentary on John 8 (1)

Commentary on John 8 (1) Chapter 8 of John tells the story of a woman caught in adultery.However, servants of the law always condemn others.Sinners condemn sinners.Therefore, it is certain that a person who condemns another person is a sinner.But the righteous mourn for the sins and transgressions of others.So Jesus never condemns us. The Lord said, “Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” and while he was writing on the ground with his finger, they felt remorse and everyone left, from the oldest to the youngest. Then he asked the woman if anyone had condemned her.The woman answered, “No, Lord. Jesus said to him, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:11)Here we need to properly hear and interpret the word of the Lord.This is because even though he said he would not condemn, he seem to be condemning it right away.Isn’t the very words ‘I do not condemn, so go and sin no more’ a condemnation? Doesn't that mean you are guilty?This part is puzzling.When he said, “I do not condemn you either,” he did not say, “Go and live comfortably,” but rather, he told her not to sin again.Some don't really understand this word, so they keep saying this and that.To elaborate on this, Jesus is not condemning this woman, but rather her place, that is, her being in darkness.He reminds her that it is because she is in darkness. God does not condemn ourselves.But since the darkness itself has already been condemned, we too are condemned if we remain in the darkness.Therefore, rather than committing mortal sins and perishing, humans become slaves of sin and death and live as such, which in itself becomes an object of judgment.Since sin and death are condemned, if we are in them, we will automatically receive wrath and be destroyed.So Jesus does not condemn the woman.He does not condemn the woman herself, but he does condemn the woman herself who is in darkness.That is why she says, ‘Never walk in darkness again.’So, “Jesus spoke again, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12). Do you now understand what salvation is?God does not bombard each of us with judgment.However, we are cursed by God because of what we have.In other words, God does not bring wrath on us.However, if we are in darkness, God spits out bombs of wrath on the darkness itself, so we too are hit by bombs of wrath. I repeat, God does not condemn ourselves.But if you are in a place where you will be condemned, you will be condemned.In the old days, the early church fathers said that when a heretic came into the bathhouse while he was taking a bath, he quickly got out of the bathhouse, put on his clothes, and came out.why?They thought they might get struck by lightning.That's too much of a human thing, but it makes sense.They are afraid that if they stayed with that person, when that person is struck by lightning they might get struck by lightning as well, so they left there. In this way, we receive wrath from God because of the sin and death that humans have, and not on ourselves.So we understand, ‘Neither do I condemn you; sin no more.’ Now it means “get out of the darkness.”Do you understand what it mean?For those who are not born again, there is no distinction between light and darkness.God is not saying that God leaves you as a sinner and forgives you because God love you, and stop sinning and live righteously.It means, ‘I will not condemn what you did while you were in the darkness, so get out of the darkness now.’ That is why the words of John 8:12 appear.“I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”These are very important words.That is why a person who was in darkness and came out to the light does not condemn the person in darkness itself.Those who remain in the dark condemn others like those who captured the woman. There were many great church fathers who influenced Augustine's conversion, but this passage of Scripture had a decisive influence on him.“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand:  let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. let us walk honestly, as in the day;  not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put you on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:11-14)When Augustine saw these words, he realized, ‘Aha, I have been in darkness all this time, this is the reason why I had no choice but to indulge in such debauchery!’ So he threw off the works of darkness and began to put on the clothes of Christ, the armor of light.This means that it is not a changing one's ways. Therefore, when we look at people, we should not immediately condemn them.It is a battle between flesh and blood.Because they are attacked by Satan for no reason, a fratricidal fight breaks out.But now that man is in darkness, he has quenched the Holy Spirit, he has forgotten and defiled the robe of righteousness with which Christ clothed him.Look at him like this. Because those are the only things people do when they enter darkness.Our flesh has a tendency to like darkness, so when we go into darkness, all we do is sin.Just try being in the dark for a week.You want to watch pornographic videos, or go somewhere nice, or listen to pornographic stories... If you're in the dark, those are the only things you can do.That is why the Lord does not condemn this woman who is in darkness. However, he is saying, ‘Never walk in darkness anymore, but follow me, the light of the world. Then you will not be a slave to sin and death, but will have the light of life.’It is the only prescription for sin.Because there is no sin in the life, and there is no sin in the light.The characteristic of heaven is that it is a kingdom of light and life, so even if you want to commit a sin, there is no such thing as a sin.That means that there is no tendency toward sin in our character.So, the Lord does not tell this woman not to sin and live righteously from now on, but rather tells her to come out of the darkness and follow the light in Christ. Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.Translated by  Nancy Chung COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION To God be the glory.