I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again. John 8:11 (TEV)

Grace is meant to justify the sinner – ‘Go and sin no more.’ Grace is never meant to justify our sins – ‘Everything is forgiven, so you can stay as you are.’
In other words, the grace of God is not a cosmic ‘get out of jail free’ card.
Grace is given freely, but it cost Jesus a bloody price to offer it to us: “Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13 NLT)
Grace is given freely, but to walk in grace with Jesus will cost us everything as we join Jesus in “the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” (Ephesians 2:10 MSG)
Jesus rescued the woman caught in adultery from certain death, but his expectation was that her life would change immediately. To return to her old life would have mocked the very grace that Jesus offered her that day.
His expectation of a changed life is no different for us: Go in my grace, and sin no more.

“Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven. …Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:48, 50 (NIV)

No matter how sinful you think you are, Jesus will never turn his back on you when you come to him looking for transformation.

The woman in Luke 7 gave her life in worship to Jesus. She poured herself out before him. Jesus will never turn away a person who worships like that. He knows our failures, our sins, and our heartaches. He hears our confessions. He knows we are trying to reach out to God and he will not turn us away.
And I pray that you and I will never turn others away who are reaching out the Lord just because they somehow offend our sense of decorum. Instead I pray we will be like Jesus – willing to turn and be touched by someone who is crying out for mercy and forgiveness.

It amazes me how many people I meet who are like the woman in Luke 7. They have a story to tell. Just like the hymn “Amazing Grace” they can say, “I was lost and now I’m found. I was blind but now I see” all because of the transforming power of worshiping the Lord, Jesus Christ. You and I both have a testimony of how we once had a black heart and then God forgave us and transformed our lives because we came openly and honestly to him.

Jesus does not make light of sin. When he spoke to the woman, this is what he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven … your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 8:48, 50 NIV). He took her sins seriously and he also took forgiveness seriously. We need to do the same.

Let me ask you, who do you relate to in this story?
Do you feel more like Pharisee who refused to be touched by people, someone who was always reminding others of their failures?
Do you relate to the woman who knew she was a sinner and needed forgiveness, a second chance?
Do you relate to Jesus who is willing to be touched by other people’s brokenness and who responds by offering grace, mercy, forgiveness and the peace of God?