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Let me just go over one last thing before I let you go tonight. John chapter 8. Another thing that people will bring up is John chapter 8 and they'll say John chapter 8 proves that Jesus abolished the death penalty in the New Testament, but let's see if that's really true. It says in John 8 3, and the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned, but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him, but Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down and wrote on the ground, and when they which heard him, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one beginning at the eldest, even unto the last, and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto him, Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more. And they say right there, that's Jesus abolishing the death penalty in the New Testament. But first of all let me say this. Number one, when did the New Testament begin according to Hebrews chapter 9? The Bible says a testament is a force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. So this is Old Testament, number one, because the New Testament began with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you, he said. But number two, what we see here is why were they tempting him? What were they trying to trick him? Why were they bringing him to him, and turn to John 18, we're going to come right back to chapter 8, but turn to John 18. Why were they trying to test him or tempt him by saying, well here's a woman that committed adultery, Moses said to abstone her to death, what do you say? They're constantly trying to put Jesus in a situation where they can find a way to accuse him, and the Bible says they're attempting him to accuse him. So the question is, who are they trying to accuse him to? Because the Bible says they're trying to trick him so they can accuse him, okay? Well here's what the Bible says in John 18, 31, then said Pilate unto them, take ye him and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, it is not lawful for us to put any man to death. So let me ask you this, were the Jews allowed to follow their law and put people to death? So were they allowed to say, okay here's a woman taking an adultery, let's stone her, let's put her to death. Was that legal? Okay, is it legal for us in the United States? So we can relate to this, right? It's the same law today in America that it was in Rome. We're not allowed to put people to death according to God's law. So they're coming to Jesus and putting him in a catch-22 where basically if he says don't put her to death, they're thinking, well he's contradicting Moses, then we're going to accuse him to the Jews and say, hey this guy's preaching against Moses. This guy's saying that Moses is wrong. But if he says, yes let's put her to death, then they're going to go to the Romans and accuse him and say, oh this guy's telling us to kill people. This guy's a religious fanatic that wants to murder adulterers. See what I mean? So it was like a lose-lose. That's what they were trying to do because they're either going to accuse him to the Jews or they're going to accuse him to the Romans because they were not, because people are like, well the reason he didn't say to stone her is because they didn't bring the man with her because it said the adulterer and the adulterer should be put to death. So Jesus wrote with his finger on the ground, where's the man? That's not what the Bible says. Because you know what, who the man? But here's the thing, you know why Jesus didn't stone her? And you know why Jesus did not have her put to death? Because it's not his job to put people to death. Because he's under the Roman law, he's following the laws of the land. And he's not telling them not to do it, he basically just says to them, he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. Is that saying never put anyone to death, don't put people to death? Abolish the death penalty. In fact he told them to kill her, that's what he actually said. But he did it in such a way where it was impossible for them to do it because obviously nobody's without sin, right? So here's what it comes down to. He answered them with a really clever answer, I mean isn't that a smart answer? Okay, well he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. But look, did he answer them instantly with that? First he didn't even answer. Because look, it's a catch 22. I mean he could have just said, if I would have been there, let's say I would have been the one and they came to me, I would have just said, well you know what, we can't put adulterers to death because the Romans have made that illegal. But Jesus just did it in a more clever way that basically rebuked their own sins. So he's like killing multiple birds with one stone here. He's smart and clever and basically has a tricky answer that kind of shuts them up and makes them walk away with their heads down. He's also rebuking their hypocrisy, so it was just a smart answer all the way around. But also he's illustrating the fact that he has the power to forgive sin. And Jesus says to her, look at what the Bible says there in verse 11. She said, no man, Lord, and Jesus said to her, neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more. Now look, does Jesus have the power to forgive sin? That's what he's doing. Now do you and I have the power to forgive sins? You are absolved, my son. Do we have that power? No. Did Jesus have that power to forgive sins? So is he allowed to pardon people whenever he wants? Now look, people will say, but this is proof right here that Jesus in the New Testament does not believe that adultery should be put to death.