SOAR Discussion Questions  |  28 April 2019

Grace is the foundation of the gospel message of Jesus Christ.  Yet, if we are honest, many of us really don’t understand the full implications of grace for our lives and the way we treat others.  The story of the woman caught in adultery illustrates grace in the most profound and powerful way.

Discuss one or more of the following questions:

1. Place yourself in this scene.  Not as Jesus, the Pharisees or the woman caught in adultery.  Rather, put yourself in the crowd. Why didn’t you speak out or say something? Share a time when you remained silent or did not act when you knew that Jesus would have wanted you to. If you were faced with the same situation again would you act differently?
2. To the woman caught in the act of adultery Jesus first said ‘I do not condemn you’ before saying, ‘Go and sin no more’ (John 8:11).  This order is significant.  Share how this will effect the way you treat others in the future who are different to you (e.g. the LGBITQ community, people of other faiths or cultures, that annoying person at work, school or church etc.).  Or
3. The basic idea of ‘grace’ in the Bible is that God loves us before we change or before we deserve to be loved.  In fact, people grow and change more profoundly once they are accepted as they are.  How does this affect your relationship with your children, spouse, university and work colleagues etc.? What is one simple step to show grace to them?
4. How did Jesus bring conviction to the Pharisees in this passage? Share how you have responded in the past to a judgmental person?  How effective were you and what have you learnt in this passage for future encounters with judgmental people?
5. There is a bit of ‘Pharisee’ in all of us. Share an area in your life where you are more like the Pharisees than like Jesus. Spend some time in prayer handing over this area to Jesus and asking for His help to change.  What is your next step to change in this area?
6. Share a time when you were shown grace and mercy. What affect did it have on your life?
7. How much did the Pharisees care for this adulterous woman?  How much do we truly care for those living in sin?  How can we show more grace in the future?

• Is there a truth that God wants you to obey?
• Is there someone you can share this message with?
• What is one thing you can do this week in obedience? (I will…)