
Intro Question: How does Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in adultery reveal the true meaning of righteousness?
Key Passage: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)
Devotional:
We all tend to measure righteousness by how well we follow the rules.
Do the right thing.
Avoid the wrong thing.
Stay on the straight path.
It’s like we’ve internalized a checklist of behaviors to make sure we look good from the outside. But when righteousness becomes just about behavior, we turn into judges — constantly sizing ourselves and others up based on how well we stick to that checklist.
And then Jesus steps into the story, and like He always does, flips the whole thing upside down.
The danger of judging by behavior
In John 8, we see this dramatic moment unfold.
A group of Pharisees and teachers of the law catch a woman in adultery. They drag her before Jesus, ready to stone her. They’re not just angry; they’re convinced they are defending God’s law. Legally, she’s guilty. According to their rules, she deserves death.
And here’s where things get tricky — the Pharisees see themselves as righteous. They’re following the law to the letter.
But their obsession with her sin blinds them to their own.
Jesus looks at them and says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)
In one sentence, He cuts to the heart of the issue.
The problem isn’t just her behavior — it’s their hearts.
Righteousness starts with grace
Jesus doesn’t ignore the law. He acknowledges the woman’s guilt, but then He does something the Pharisees don’t expect. He shifts the focus from legalism to grace.
He exposes a truth we often forget: righteousness doesn’t start with rule-following — it starts with recognizing our need for grace.
As the Pharisees drop their stones and walk away, Jesus is left alone with the woman. Vulnerable. Expecting judgment. Expecting death.
But instead of condemning her, He extends forgiveness.
“Neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declares. (John 8:11)
This is where real righteousness begins — with forgiveness.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating.”
The Pharisees were blind. Blind to their own sin. Blind to their need for grace. But Jesus, in His love, offers the woman something far more powerful than judgment.
He offers her a fresh start.
Go and sin no more: a call to right living
And here’s the part we can’t miss. After offering grace, Jesus gives her an invitation: “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11)
This is key.
The forgiveness Jesus offers isn’t a free pass to continue living the way she has been. It’s the power to live differently.
He’s not just telling her to stop sinning. He’s showing her that the foundation for a life of right behavior is the understanding that she is forgiven, not condemned.
Her encounter with Jesus, the mercy she receives, changes her.
Right relationship with God comes first — then comes right behavior.
Jesus doesn’t say, “Fix your life, and then you’ll be forgiven.” He says, “You are forgiven, now go and live like it.”
The grace of God isn’t an excuse to continue in sin — it’s the very thing that frees us from it.
Righteousness rooted in relationship
And this is where it all comes together.
If we reduce righteousness to just following the rules, we end up stuck in guilt and judgment — either toward others or toward ourselves.
But when we start with grace — when we start with relationship — everything changes.
Jesus invites us to something far deeper than rule-following. He invites us into a life where righteousness flows from the experience of being loved, forgiven, and set free.
This is what the woman caught in adultery experiences. She encounters the love of God in the face of her sin, and that love enables her to live differently.
For us, it’s the same.
When we truly grasp that we are forgiven, that there is no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1), we are empowered to “go and sin no more.”
Not from fear. Not from guilt. But from love.
This is what righteousness looks like in the kingdom of God. It’s not about rule-keeping or punishment. It’s about restoration. It’s about right relationships — with God, with ourselves, and with others.
And from that place of grace, right behavior naturally follows.
Because the love of God transforms us from the inside out.
And that kind of righteousness — the kind rooted in forgiveness and relationship — leads to life.
Reflection Questions:
- How do you typically view righteousness — primarily as rule-following or as something deeper? Why?
- Are there times when you find yourself judging others based on their actions without considering their need for grace?
- How can you cultivate a righteousness that starts with relationship rather than rule enforcement?
Prayer: “Jesus, thank You for showing us what true righteousness looks like. Help me to extend grace to others just as You have extended grace to me. Teach me to prioritize relationships over rule-following, and guide me in pursuing a righteousness rooted in love and compassion. Amen.”
Devotional: Is Righteousness About Following Rules or Right Relationships? was originally published in GoodLion Theology on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.