To sin or not to sin is the decision you make in life. Every person is responsible for his or her own life and decides to believe God and His Word (die Bybel) and walk in the will of God or not. Just like the Father, Jesus gave a command to sin no more but it was up to the people to give heed to his command or not. Let’s look at the story of the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda and the woman who committed adultery and was caught in the act.
The healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda
In Johannes 5:1-15, Jesus het 'n man genees, vir wie 'n siekte gehad het 38 jare. Hierdie kreupel man het op 'n bed by die bad van Betesda gelê.
When Jesus saw the lame man, He went to him and asked him if he wanted to get well. Die kreupele man antwoord Jesus, that he didn’t have anyone to bring him to the water to get healed.
Toe het Jesus die man beveel om op te staan en sy bed te neem en te loop. The man obeyed the words of Jesus and stood up and walked. Die kreupel man is deur Jesus genees! But what did Jesus say to him about the decision to sin or not to sin?
Why did Jesus say to Sin no more?
When Jesus met the man who was healed of his infirmity in the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus het die man beveel om nie meer te sondig nie. Why did Jesus say to sin no more? Lest a worse thing would come unto him.
Jesus het die man van sy siekte genees (sy swakheid). Die mens is gesond gemaak en die Koninkryk van God het na hom gekom.
Die koninkryk van duisternis het die man geboei vir 38 jare. But when Jesus came and the power of the Kingdom of heaven came upon him, die man is uit sy slawerny bevry.
Daarna het Jesus hom in die tempel gekry, en sê vir hom, Sien, jy is heelgemaak: Sonde nie meer nie, dat daar nie iets ergers oor jou kom nie
John 5:14
Jesus het die man uit die geestelike tronk van duisternis vrygelaat
Jesus released this lame man from this spiritual prison of darkness. Now that this man was released from this spiritual prison of darkness, Jesus commanded the healed man to no violate the spiritual laws by sinning.
Met ander woorde; Jesus told the man to keep the commandments and do the wil van God and stay obedient to God instead of obeying and doing the will of the devil (wat in die vlees werk) deur te sondig.
Because if the man decided to reject the commandment of Jesus and disobey God and sin, he would be taken captive again by the forces of darkness and worse things would happen to him.
Jesus het die man gewaarsku, because the man was carnal. He didn’t see the spiritual realm and couldn’t discern the spirits. But Jesus was spiritual and knew the spirit realm and the spiritual laws and revealed it to him through His word.
Jesus knew the Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of darkness. He wanted this man to stay free and not become a prisoner of the devil and darkness again.
Daarom, Jesus het die man beveel om nie meer te sondig nie.
Jesus het gesê, Go and sin no more to the woman that committed adultery
In Johannes 8:1-11, we read about a woman that was caught in the act of adultery. The woman that committed adultery was brought unto Jesus. Die Skrifgeleerdes en die Fariseërs het die vrou van egbreuk beskuldig en vir Jesus vertel wat sy gedoen het.
They suggested to stone her according to the Wet van Moses. But the words of these men didn’t come from a good conscience. They only wanted to tempt Jesus, so that they could accuse Him.
Jesus het met Sy vinger op die grond geskryf en vir hulle gesê, “He who’s sinless among you, laat hy die eerste wees om die klip op haar te gooi“.
Jesus knew that the people that belonged to the old generation of fallen man were carnal. They were trapped in the sinful nature of the flesh.
Instead of stoning the adultrous woman, the men left one by one until there was no one left except Jesus and the adultrous woman.
Op daardie oomblik, Jesus had the power to condemn the woman and stone her. Because Jesus walked in the authority of the Kingdom of God (as die nuwe skepping) and was sinless.
Egter, Jesus said to the woman that He wouldn’t condemn her either. Since it was not Jesus’ time to judge but to save.
MAAR… Jesus goedgekeur het nie of her work of adultery. Jesus commanded the woman to go her way and Sonde nie meer nie.
Jesus sê vir haar, Ek veroordeel jou ook nie: gaan, en sondig nie meer nie
John 8:11
Die nuwe skepping is geskei van die wêreld
When you repent and become born again in Christ and enter the Kingdom of God, you leave the kingdom of darkness and are separated from the world. You have been forgiven, verlos, and made whole and righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ.
You’ve become new creation and as a result of this spiritual transformation, Jy sal stel jou ou man af met sy ou gewoontes.
Jy sal nie meer loop soos jy voor jou bekering geloop het nie, because you repented from that lifestyle and its works (van die vlees).
Dit is noodsaaklik om dit te besef jy is nie meer 'n sondaar nie. You have become a saint through regeneration in Christ.
If you don’t realize and believe this, you will always think and live as a sinner. You’ll be stuck in your sins and never be freed from your sins.
Toe jy wedergebore is, jy het van een geestelike koninkryk na 'n ander gestap (Kolossense 1:13-14)
In your old life, you thought like the world and walked in sin (sin = disobedience to God. It’s everything that goes against the Word of God that represents the will of God) and you were of the devil.
The nature of the devil will do his will
You had the character and nature of your father the devil. In your fallen state, jy was nie in staat om jou aan God te onderwerp en Sy wil te doen nie. In plaas daarvan, you lived after the will of the flesh in rebellion.
You were rebellious towards God and His Word and obedient to the words and will of the devil (die testament, wellus, and desire of your flesh), en in sonde geleef het. Die Bybel sê, dat as jy sondig, you have the devil as father and do the lust thereof (John 8:44).
When you decided te bekeer, jy het indirek gesê dat jy nie meer die duiwel as jou pa wil hê nie. Jy wou nie sy woorde gehoorsaam en in sy wil wandel nie. Jy was keelvol vir jou lewe onder sy gesag.
Toe jy die woorde van die evangelie gehoor het en Jesus Christus ontmoet het, jy het in Hom geglo en Hom aangeneem as jou Verlosser en Here.
Jy wou God as jou Vader hê in plaas van die duiwel en gehoorsaam Sy woorde en wandel in Sy wil. Jy wou nie die woorde van die duiwel gehoorsaam en in sy wil wandel nie.
Die natuur van God sal Sy wil doen
From the moment you are born again and receive the nature of your Father God, you will long for Him and the things of His Kingdom. There must be a desire to do the will of God and to walk according to what God says.
A real father knows what is good for his child. A real father wants the best for his child. As 'n aardse pa die beste vir sy kinders wil hê, hoeveel te meer jou hemelse Vader.
Dis hoekom, God revealed His will to us in His Word (die Bybel).
God revealed to us not only what pleases Him and what displeases Him, but He also revealed the way of salvation, hoe om Word 'n nuwe skepping and how to walk as the new creation in His will.
God revealed it all in the Bible which is His Word. Sodat, Sy manier word jou pad en His thoughts becomes your thoughts.
Did the people choose to sin or not to sin?
Jesus het vir die man gesê, wat van sy krankheid genees is en die vrou, wat op heterdaad betrap is, om nie meer te sondig nie. Daarom, these people had the power to sin no more. They had the power to say ‘no to sin’. But did they obey the commandment of Jesus and choose to sin no more or not?
Jesus sê vir hom, Jy moet die Here jou God liefhê met jou hele hart, en met jou hele siel, en met jou hele verstand. Dit is die eerste en groot gebod. En die tweede is daarmee gelyk, Jy moet jou naaste liefhê soos jouself. Aan hierdie twee gebooie hang die hele wet en die profete (Matteus 22:37-40)
Die vrou het die mag gehad om 'nee' te sê’ tot egbreuk, want anders, Jesus sou haar nie die gebod gegee het om nie meer te sondig nie. Die vraag is, het die vrou op Jesus gereageer’ gebod om nie meer te sondig nie?
Did the adulterous woman obey the commandment of Jesus or did she let her feelings, haar lus, and her desire rule over the words of Jesus and give in to her feelings of lust and desire?
Onthou, toe Jesus beveel het om nie meer te sondig nie, His crucifixion and the uitstorting van die Heilige Gees had not taken place yet.
So these people were not born again. Hulle was nog die ou skepping. However the old creation had the power to say ‘no’ om te sondig en om nie meer te sondig nie.
Jy het ook die mag om nie meer te sondig nie. Jy besluit om te sondig of nie te sondig nie.
Deur die verlossingswerk van Jesus Christus, jy is heilig en regverdig gemaak. Noudat jy heilig en regverdig gemaak is, jy is ook geroep om in heiligheid en geregtigheid te lewe (2 Korintiërs 5:21).
Gered uit genade en die werke van die Gees te doen
Jy word nie deur werke gered nie, but by grace. Maar om onder genade te wees, beteken nie dat jy toegelaat word om aan te hou sondig nie. Want as jou vlees in Christus gesterf het toe jy wedergebore is, hoe kan jy die werke van die vlees doen?
Jy moet die Here jou God liefhê met jou hele hart, en met jou hele siel en met jou hele verstand en jy moet jou naaste liefhê soos jouself (Matteus 22:37-40)
When you are saved and born again, you see the nature and effect of sin, wat die vrug van die dood is. You will hate sin, Net soos God. Jy sal jou vorige lewe as sondaar haat en sal nie daarna terugkeer nie. (Lees ook: Kan jy aanhou sondig onder genade?)
Wanneer jy Wees lief vir God met jou hele hart, siel, verstand, en sterkte sal jy liefhê om Sy wil te doen.
You shall spend time with God and renew your mind with the Word of God (die Bybel) and apply His words into your life, sodat jy 'n dader van die woorde van God word en die werke van die Gees doen. Jy hoef nie, maar jy wil, want jy is na sy gelykenis gemaak en jy het God lief.
Wanneer die Woord en die Heilige Gees binne-in jou woon, jy sal na die Gees wandel in gehoorsaamheid aan die Woord. Jy sal in liefde wandel, heiligheid, en geregtigheid, om die wil van die Vader te doen en Hom te verhoog en te verheerlik.
‘Wees die sout van die aarde”
