about why you do this even though you are already saved, I’ve shared my thoughts about this in appendix F), which means I’m forgiven, but I don’t feel forgiven. Why? Because of myself! Well, I actually think it’s because I’m allowing the enemy to deceive me into thinking that my mistake was bad enough or that I should have known better and, therefore, somehow, I’m still kind of “on the hook” for it.
But think about that. Do you know what that really means? If I keep myself (or someone else for that matter) “on the hook” for a wrong that has been done but has been confessed to and forgiven by God, what I am saying in essence is that Jesus’ death on the cross wasn’t good enough for me. My sin can’t be covered by His sacrifice. Which means that I’m saying that those verses like Romans 8:1 aren’t truth. Which ultimately means that I’m saying that God is a liar. That He didn’t really mean He would save us through Jesus’ death on the cross. If I’m still on the hook for mistakes that I’ve made, said sorry for and asked forgiveness for, if I’m condemned for them still, God is a liar.
I don’t believe that God is a liar. In fact, I know that God is not a liar. He is truth. Titus 1:2 says God does not lie. But the Bible does say that Satan is the father of lies, and that there is no truth in him (John 8:44). So, when I find myself feeling something that does not measure up with what the Bible says (the truth), then I know it is not the truth. It is a lie. Which means, I know where it comes from. I also have a pretty good clue about where it comes from because of how it affects me.
When we feel condemned, we don’t feel all warm and fuzzy. We usually feel really rotten and want to avoid whatever it is that makes us feel that way. I think that is the whole point of self-condemnation. Of feeling guilty. Of being plagued by guilt, guilt-ridden, driven by our guilt. The enemy of our souls wants to make us feel so rotten about our relationship with God that we pull away and alienate ourselves from His love and all He has to offer us when we are intimate with Him. And when we are pulled away from that love, it’s like a flower out of water…we start to feel so dry and lifeless in comparison to the way we feel when we are connected fully to Him. Satan wants us to believe that there is condemnation. But Jesus promises no condemnation and went to great lengths in His short time on earth to make sure we saw Him prove this promise to be true.
The Woman at the Well
John 4 describes a scene that makes this whole idea of no condemnation crystal clear for us as women. It involves Jesus and a Samaritan woman. Jesus was on His way to Galilee from Judea and had to pass through Samaria to get there. In those days, Jews believed Samaritans were “ceremonially unclean.” They didn’t ascribe to the same set of religious practices as the Jews, so in the minds of the Jewish religious leaders of the day, that meant they were not good enough for many things, including interaction.
Our world today is still full of situations where people are made to feel not good enough for many reasons…for their skin colour, for their gender, for their place of residence, for their beliefs. That kind of discrimination and condemnation really upset Jesus. He did not want people treating one another that way, and He seized every opportunity to make it known to anyone who would listen. Not only did He verbally speak out against that kind of attitude, but even more powerfully, He regularly lived out the truth behind His words.
So, Jesus was passing through Samaria. A Jew was passing through an “unclean” place. You would think that if there was truth to the fact that Samaritans were unclean, Jesus would have hustled through there as fast as possible. But He didn’t. Even though it was Samaria, He was tired, so He stopped at Jacob’s well. Soon after, a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. And Jesus spoke to her.
Let’s keep track for a second. He stops in an unclean place, by what can only be considered an unclean well (because Samaritans use it), and now He is talking to an unclean woman! In those days, that was not culturally appropriate. Men did not speak to women they did not know, not if they were respectable and concerned about appearance and image, anyway. But Jesus speaks to her. Not only does He speak to her, He asks her to draw Him a drink. Being willing to drink from something a Samaritan has taken a drink from? Jesus is breaking protocol and religious parameters all over the place.
I’ve often wondered what present-day “religious” practices He would be standing against if He were visibly here among us. I think of some of the things we are so convinced are “right” and “biblical,” and I wonder if He would agree. Would He agree that you can’t take communion until you have gone through a process? Or would He want anyone who loves Him and accepts His sacrifice to participate? Would He say no to baptizing someone because of their age or the length of time they have been saved, or would He dunk them as soon as they indicate their desire? I know I’m likely making some people uncomfortable, and I’m not trying to slander religious practices per se…I just want to make sure we remember that what Jesus was concerned about was far more heart-centred and focused on Him than some of our “right” practices can sometimes be.
The Bible clearly states that Jesus came into this world to save us. Why? Because He loves us. Those fundamental facts, which flow from one another—our need for salvation, His love for us and His desire and ability to save us—are the most important things we can ever concern ourselves with. But I know that’s not always how it feels. And that’s the only reason I raise this point—because I have certainly experienced and witnessed others experiencing condemnation for not following “right” religious practices. I’ve heard from many people that non-conformity to a certain set of religious practices has brought them heaps of judgment and spiritual woundedness. And I just can’t find anywhere in Scripture where Jesus condoned that kind of attitude.
In fact, His whole life was focused on helping people understand there was a better way…His way. That, like it says in Romans 8, we are no longer under the law but are under grace because of Him. Because of His death on the cross. Because He paid the price for us once and for all. Because He showed us that He loves us so much, all else pales in comparison. He has saved us from ourselves, from all our human rules and practices of supposed godliness. All He wants in return is our lives surrendered to Him and what He stood for. Which, as far as I can see, boils down ultimately to His love for us and the fact that love is supposed to compel us to love others in such a pure way that they are drawn to Christ. We are to be so smitten with Him and so altered by His love that others see that and want it too. But that’s hard to do when we are either condemning others or ourselves.
Back to the woman at the well. He spoke to her. But more than that, He spoke to her knowing her deep, dark, not so pretty secrets. She had had five husbands. Not something a devout, practicing Jew would look favourably upon. And also not in line with Jewish values, she was living with a man who was not her husband. The extent to which Jesus was breaking protocol just went through the thatched roof. Talking to a Samaritan woman who was living quite loosely in contrast to Jewish standards. Almighty God loved her enough that He purposely, knowingly and willingly threw all religious and cultural order of the day aside because He was focused on why He came…to show His love to everyone so they could be saved.
According to the rules of her time, if anyone was “deserving” of condemnation, for all intents and purposes that woman was. And more than that, if anyone had the authority to condemn someone for less-than-appropriate behaviour, it would be Jesus. But He didn’t do that. Instead, He did the exact opposite. He conveyed in that interaction that she was worth His time. That she had inherent worth and dignity because she was one of His creation. Jesus offered her grace, mercy, compassion and love. She was worth that much to Him.
So that’s exactly what He did. He told her that He was the Messiah (the Saviour the Jews were waiting for) and He could give her something that would satisfy her “thirst” forever. Him. The answer to the longing in those deep, soulful places. He told her that He indeed knew her lifestyle…but this gift was still available to her. And what happened?
She
