BYOS

      “ Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

      The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

      Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.”

      The woman at the well in Sychar was intrigued by the idea of living water that gave way to eternal life. Eternal life without labor is the stuff dreams are made of. It's not surprising Christianity has an allure. Man was designed to live in harmony with God in a perfect world which is just what Christ offers. Like this woman, people of every kind are quick to latch on to the promises of the gospel. That is until Christ gets down to, “Go, call thy husband” and the issue of sin rears its ugly head.

     The woman had five former husbands and was not married to the man with which she was living. What would Jesus do? He would not ignore sin. He called her on it. He didn't reject her or demean her, but He did let her know sin does not enter the kingdom of God.

      Christianity doesn't sit well with the world because it refuses to ignore sin. Nevertheless, to inherit to the promises of Christianity, one must face the issue of personal sin; not a theory about sin; not the sins and hypocrisies of others, but one's own sin. Our own sin is the only sin relevant to personal salvation. Sin is personal. It is the barrier between God and each living soul. When we encounter God, we will be confronted by our sin. This is what Jesus was saying to the woman.

      Bring your sin to Christ and let Him deal with it. This is the beginning of Christianity. Repentance is the one and only door to the kingdom of God. People glibly announce how Jesus let another woman caught in sin go free from religious men who condemned her as if her sin did not matter. However, they ignore the message Jesus left her with, “Go, and sin no more.” Whosoever comes to Christ must first confront their sin, then leave it behind. It's easier to say than to do. I've found it to be a continuous process.

      “ The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” Amazing! Not come see this judgmental Jew, but "is not this the Christ?" Its almost as if she expected the Christ should reveal of sin.