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 (Bibelen) 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
I John 5:1-15, Jesus helbredte en mand, som havde en svaghed for 38 år. Denne lamme mand lå på en seng ved Bethesdas bassin.
When Jesus saw the lame man, He went to him and asked him if he wanted to get well. Den lamme mand svarede Jesus, that he didn’t have anyone to bring him to the water to get healed.
Så befalede Jesus manden at rejse sig op og tage sin seng og gå. The man obeyed the words of Jesus and stood up and walked. Den lamme mand blev helbredt af Jesus! 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 befalede manden ikke mere at synde. Why did Jesus say to sin no more? Lest a worse thing would come unto him.
Jesus helbredte manden fra hans sygdom (hans svaghed). Mennesket blev helbredt, og Guds rige var kommet til ham.
Mørkets rige havde betaget manden for 38 år. But when Jesus came and the power of the Kingdom of heaven came upon him, manden blev løsladt fra sin trældom.
Bagefter fandt Jesus ham i templet, Og sagde til ham, Se, du er gjort hel: synd ikke mere, at der ikke skal komme dig noget værre
John 5:14
Jesus løslod manden fra mørkets åndelige fængsel
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.
Med andre ord; Jesus told the man to keep the commandments and do the Guds vilje and stay obedient to God instead of obeying and doing the will of the devil (der arbejder i kødet) ved at synde.
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 advarede manden, 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.
Derfor, Jesus befalede manden ikke mere at synde.
sagde Jesus, Go and sin no more to the woman that committed adultery
I John 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. De skriftkloge og farisæerne anklagede kvinden for utroskab og fortalte Jesus, hvad hun havde gjort.
They suggested to stone her according to the Moseloven. 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 skrev på jorden med sin finger og sagde til dem, “He who’s sinless among you, lad ham være den første til at kaste stenen på hende“.
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.
I det øjeblik, Jesus had the power to condemn the woman and stone her. Because Jesus walked in the authority of the Kingdom of God (som den nye skabelse) and was sinless.
Imidlertid, Jesus said to the woman that He wouldn’t condemn her either. Since it was not Jesus’ time to judge but to save.
MEN… Jesus ikke godkendt of her work of adultery. Jesus commanded the woman to go her way and synd ikke mere.
sagde Jesus til hende, Jeg fordømmer dig heller ikke: gå, og synd ikke mere
John 8:11
Den nye skabelse er adskilt fra verden
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, indløst, and made whole and righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ.
You’ve become new creation and as a result of this spiritual transformation, du vil udskyde din gamle mand med sine gamle vaner.
Du vil ikke længere gå den vej, du gik før din omvendelse, because you repented from that lifestyle and its works (af kødet).
Det er vigtigt at indse det du er ikke længere en synder. 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.
Da du blev født på ny, du trådte fra et åndeligt rige til et andet (Kolosserne 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, du var ikke i stand til at underkaste dig Gud og gøre hans vilje. I stedet, 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 (viljen, begær, and desire of your flesh), og levede i synd. Siger Bibelen, at hvis du synder, you have the devil as father and do the lust thereof (John 8:44).
When you decided at omvende sig, du sagde indirekte, at du ikke ville have djævelen som din far længere. Du ønskede ikke at adlyde hans ord og gå i hans vilje. Du var træt af dit liv under hans autoritet.
Da du hørte evangeliets ord og mødte Jesus Kristus, du troede på ham og accepterede ham som din frelser og Herre.
Du ville have Gud som din Fader i stedet for djævelen og adlyde hans ord og vandre i hans vilje. Du ønskede ikke at adlyde djævelens ord og vandre i hans vilje.
Guds natur vil gøre hans vilje
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. Hvis en jordisk far vil det bedste for sine børn, hvor meget mere din himmelske Fader.
Det er derfor, God revealed His will to us in His Word (Bibelen).
God revealed to us not only what pleases Him and what displeases Him, but He also revealed the way of salvation, hvordan man blive en ny skabelse and how to walk as the new creation in His will.
God revealed it all in the Bible which is His Word. Så det, Hans måde bliver din vej og His thoughts becomes your thoughts.
Did the people choose to sin or not to sin?
Jesus fortalte manden, som blev helbredt fra sin skrøbelighed og kvinden, der blev taget i ægteskabsbrud, ikke at synde mere. Derfor, 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?
sagde Jesus til ham, Du skal elske Herren din Gud af hele dit hjerte, og af hele din sjæl, og af hele dit sind. Dette er det første og store bud. Og det andet ligner det, Du skal elske din næste som dig selv. På disse to bud hænger hele loven og profeterne (Matthew 22:37-40)
Kvinden havde magten til at sige 'nej’ til utroskab, fordi ellers, Jesus ville ikke have givet hende budet om ikke at synde mere. Spørgsmålet er, svarede kvinden Jesus’ bud om ikke at synde mere?
Did the adulterous woman obey the commandment of Jesus or did she let her feelings, hendes lyst, and her desire rule over the words of Jesus and give in to her feelings of lust and desire?
Huske, da Jesus befalede ikke mere at synde, His crucifixion and the udgydelse af Helligånden had not taken place yet.
So these people were not born again. De var stadig den gamle skabning. However the old creation had the power to say ‘no’ at synde og ikke mere synde.
Du har også magten til ikke at synde mere. Du beslutter dig for at synde eller ikke at synde.
Gennem Jesu Kristi forløsningsværk, du er gjort hellig og retfærdig. Nu hvor du er gjort hellig og retfærdig, du er også blevet kaldet til at leve i hellighed og retfærdighed (2 Korinterne 5:21).
Frelst af nåde og gør Åndens gerninger
Du bliver ikke frelst af værker, but by grace. Men at være under nåde betyder ikke, at du har lov til at blive ved med at synde. For hvis dit kød er dødt i Kristus, da du blev født på ny, hvordan kan du gøre kødets gerninger?
Du skal elske Herren din Gud af hele dit hjerte, og af hele din sjæl og af hele dit sind, og du skal elske din næste som dig selv (Matthew 22:37-40)
When you are saved and born again, you see the nature and effect of sin, som er dødens frugt. You will hate sin, ligesom Gud. Du vil hade dit tidligere liv som synder og vil ikke vende tilbage til det. (Læs også: Kan du blive ved med at synde under nåden?)
Når du elske Gud af hele dit hjerte, sjæl, sind, og styrke skal du elske at gøre hans vilje.
You shall spend time with God and renew your mind with the Word of God (Bibelen) and apply His words into your life, så du bliver en gør af Guds ord og gør Åndens gerninger. Det behøver du ikke, men du vil, fordi du er blevet til i hans lighed, og du elsker Gud.
Når Ordet og Helligånden bor inde i dig, du vil vandre efter Ånden i lydighed mod Ordet. Du vil gå i kærlighed, hellighed, og retfærdighed, gør Faderens vilje og ophøjer og herliggør ham.
'Vær jordens salt”
