I was studying the story of the woman caught in adultery a few weeks ago, and there has been something about that part of Scripture that I just have not been able to shake. We find the whole account in John 8:2-11, but it is actually the very next verse that has maintained my attention.

Christ, who was teaching in the temple had just finished giving this woman, caught red handed in her sin, extraordinary grace.  He then told her that He doesn’t condemn her and to “Go and sin no more.” (vs. 11) With an audience captivated by what has transpired, the following verse is extremely significant.

John 8:12 says, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ”

Jesus takes a moment of darkness and transforms it to be a moment of freedom, the opportunity for new life.  Christ, in His moment of influence, intentionally chooses to teach us that if we choose to follow Him and truly believe that He is the Light of the world, we will have the light of life, never to walk blinded by darkness again.

This is a very powerful verse if we choose to believe it, and believe it not only with our head because it sounds good to us, but hold tight to it in our hearts. When there is a disconnect between what our head and our heart believe, there will be no evidence of that belief in our life.  It is only when our heart takes the fullness of the Gospel and claims it as truth, that we will have the ability to walk in the belief that we are loved by God and He has set us free.

Just like the woman caught in adultery, if we truly believe that Christ has come offering forgiveness and not only know it in our heads but claim it in our hearts, we are indeed free from the sin that chains us to a life of guilt and shame.  It is only when we claim this offer of grace deep in our hearts can we truly be set free from what held us in the darkness.  When we allow this gap, this disconnection of belief if you will, it allows Satan a foothold in our lives.  It gives him the space to cleverly make himself at home in our lives as he whispers to us, “You can’t truly be forgiven. You’ve let this sin become such a part of you that you will never be free.”

Dear friends, these are the whispers of darkness that are nothing but a footstool under the feet of our Savior.  They hold no power over you, no truth. John 8:32 tells us that if we know the truth, then the truth will set us free.  What is the truth?  The truth is the Gospel in its entirety.  Jesus came to die for our sins so that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  And if we are saved, beloved friends, we are indeed free.

What are some things God has set you free from after you believed not only with your head, but also your heart?

Stand firm in the faith,

Rachel