When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”  She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

John 8:10-11 (NKJV)

The religious leaders forced Jesus to put a woman on trial for adultery. After dismissing her accusers, Jesus told her that since no one was left to condemn her, he would not condemn her either, but instead advised her to leave and sin no more.

The beauty of the gospel can be seen in one single remark: "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." The strength of not sinning is firmly rooted in God's refusal to judge us for our sins.

The finished work of the Cross demonstrates that God always forgives us before correcting us.

Forgiveness without correction is letting someone off the hook without resolving the problem and helping the individual to learn from their mistakes and make amends. It isn't true forgiveness since it lacks the true love and freedom that true forgiveness provides. Correction without forgiveness means not absolving someone until they express remorse for their acts and openly recognise their error. It is more about appeasing our ego than repairing the relationship.

Both extremes do not place enough value on friendship to bridge the divide and repair the wounds. We do not portray the gospel as thoroughly as Christ did when we are strong in forgiving but weak in correcting or strong in correcting but weak in forgiving.

We must remember to forgive even when someone has not asked for it, because unforgiveness can lead to bitterness and anger. However, forgiving is more than just a good thing to do—it creates something greater for the other person and oneself, namely a potentially meaningful future of friendship as ordained by God.

When Jesus forgave the woman and urged her to go and sin no more, He was releasing her from her past and allowing her to move on with her life without fear of being judged. By offering us a new identity that is holy and without blemish, Jesus frees us from self-condemnation and the condemnation of others.

When you live out the truth of your identity in Christ, you free yourself from the false idea that you are less than the person God believes you are and can be in Christ, and you also learn to accept your brothers and sisters in Christ as God accepts them. This creates a healing environment for forgiveness and correction to occur, and instead of crippling one another, we enable one another to develop in the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.