B I B L E L E S S O N

“Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.”

— John 8:47

Jesus told people the truth and the truth about themselves without condemning them. Jesus came into the world and did what His father wanted Him to do, and in John 3:17, Jesus said, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” When religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery before Jesus, He refused to condemn her, but He truthfully told her, “Do not sin again.” Without condemning the religious leaders who wanted to kill Him, in John 8:26, Jesus told them, “I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” Without condemning them, Jesus said that many of their thoughts and deeds deserved condemning. Once Jesus began telling them the truth, they could repent of their sins, turn to trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, receive God's forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. If Jesus had not told them the truth about themselves and the consequences of unbelief that He had learned from His father, they might never have had the opportunity to find salvation. In Luke 6:37, Jesus commanded, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned,” but Jesus did not mean that His followers should not tell people in loving ways all the truths Jesus taught about how to live pleasing to God and what can lead to God's just and ultimate condemnation.