Go, and sin no more

In John 8, the religious leaders and lawyers brought to Jesus a woman accused of breaking Jewish law. The most famous line from that episode is undoubtedly Jesus' challenge (John 8:7, KJV),

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

The religious leaders and lawyers, recognizing their own guilt, file away, leaving just Jesus and the woman. After a brief exchange, Jesus lets her know that she is forgiven. He then sends her away with the command (John 8:11, KJV),

Go, and sin no more.

Each word here is crucial. First, "Go" implies that she should get on with her life. The "and" indicates that getting on with her life comes with another requirement. And that, of course, is to leave her sinful lifestyle.

We all know the process of repentance. We know the words required to confess our sins. But let us not ignore the other part of repentance: Sin no more. That does not mean that we'll achieve sinless perfection going forward. But it does mean that a crucial part of repentance is a firm commitment to leave our sinful lifestyles.