Is God Relatable?

Is God relatable? I think this is an interesting question to explore. I think many of us as Christians have sought so hard to be relatable to the culture that we have begun to view the Bible and Jesus through the lens of culture rather than letting the Bible and Jesus tell us the truth about culture. I think sometimes the church has worked to make Jesus relatable to culture. We have lost the wonder and the majesty and mystery of God. There is something amazing about a God who could take us out with one flick of a finger but instead chose to come to earth and pay the ultimate price for our sins. Why do we not tell people about a mighty and powerful and wonderous God? Why do we not tell people yes, you have sinned. In fact, you might have sin in your life right now. But you know what? Jesus died for all that sin. He has a better way and more love than the world could ever offer you. His way is life not death. 

John 8 is an interesting passage of scripture. This chapter opens with Jesus in the temple teaching the people. The Pharisees, as you probably know, were not fans of Jesus. He threatened their very existence. The Pharisees were supposed to be the experts on God and His word, but they had given their life over to religion and made that their god. The Pharisees were so committed to religion that they did not even recognize Jesus when He was standing in front of them. In fact, they accused Jesus of working for Satan. 

While Jesus was teaching in the temple, the Pharisees brought Him a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. They made her stand in the middle of everyone. “Then they said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we caught this woman in the very act of adultery. Doesn’t Moses’ law command us to stone to death a woman like this? Tell us, what do you say we should do with her?’” John 8:4,5 The Passion Translation.

You can tell by the setup of this story that the Pharisees had no compassion whatsoever for this woman nor were they in search of holiness. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about this woman. We don’t know what the circumstances were surrounding her sin. But the Pharisees drug her to Jesus in front of the entire Temple, effectively humiliating her, and demanding her death. They claimed correctly that according to Moses’ law she should die. So if Jesus agreed to her stoning, He was siding with the Pharisees in their religious zeal. If He did not agree to her stoning, then they could claim He was a fraud. They could accuse Him of refusing to follow God’s law put forth by Moses.

Jesus knew their hearts. He knew what they were up to. Instead of answering them, He bent down in the dirt and began to write with His finger. “Jesus stood up and looked at them and said, ‘Let’s have the man who has never had a sinful desire throw the first stone at her.’ And then he bent over again and wrote some more words in the dust. Upon hearing that, her accusers slowly left the crowd one at a time, beginning with the oldest to the youngest with a convicted conscience.” John 8:7-9 The Passion Translation.

The Bible does not tell us what Jesus wrote in the dirt. Some believe He began to write out their sins. Some believe He wrote scripture. The point is whatever Jesus wrote effectively shut the accusers down. They left realizing none of them could pick up stones and kill her. They could not be her judge that day. The story goes on to tell us that after they all had left Jesus asked the woman where her accusers were. She looked around realizing they had all left. “Jesus said, ‘Then I certainly don’t condemn you either. Go, and from now on, be free from a life of sin.’” John 8:11 The Passion Translation. Other translations of the Bible say, “go, and sin no more.” 

I have always struggled with that statement “go, and sin no more”. I always read it as Jesus saying to the woman, I have saved you from the people that were coming after you. Now return the favor and don’t sin anymore. I guess my thought was if she was struggling with that sin, how does she just stop. Have you ever tried to stop doing something out of sheer will power? How did it work out for you? Most of us will eventually go back to it because we need an internal change. There is a reason we are allowing that sin in our life. We need our hearts and our minds and even our emotions around that sin to change. In other words, we need God’s help to pull out the root of what caused us to become entangled in the first place. 

However, in The Passion Translation this verse is interpreted as “go, and be free from a life of sin.” I then began to understand that during this entire exchange this woman had an encounter with Jesus. She understood who He was. And when she had the encounter, He set her free from her sin. He severed whatever lie from the enemy she was believing about herself that ensnared her to that sin. He gave her a new identity free from that sin. And isn’t that the whole reason Jesus came to Earth in the first place. He came to show us who we are really supposed to be in God. We are children of the Most High God, created in His image and from that identity we can live free from sin!

Jesus showed this woman compassion and did not condemn her to death. However, He also set her free from her sin. I think we as well meaning Christians who want to show compassion often tell people that it is okay for them to hang on to their sin. We tell them, Jesus understands and loves you anyway, even with that sin in your life. That is true, but if we tell people to hang on to their sin, what was the point of Jesus dying on the cross? As long as it is okay to live in their sin, they can not experience the true identity of who God made them to be. Also, they can not live in the abundance that God has for them. Why would we want people to live life here on earth tormented by their sin if they could live a life of abundance and set free from their sin. 

Living in sin is usually signing up to live a life in torment. Most people when they allow sin into their life don’t realize this truth until they are completely ensnared in their sin and can’t get out. This woman caught in adultery was living in torment. She knew if she was ever caught she could die. And when she was caught, she was humiliated and probably was certain she would die. Living her life set free from her sin now means she could live a life free from torment. That means she was now free to live a life of abundance in Christ.

That was what Jesus did for all of us on the cross. He died so we could live. He died so we would no longer have to be tormented by our sin. He died so we would never have to be separated from God. Let that revelation really sink into your spirit. You will never have to be separated from God ever. Jesus provided the way for you to always be with God. Forever. You will always be able to experience His love and His presence and His healing. Forever.