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 (te Paipera) 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
Kei a Hoani 5:1-15, Ua faaora Iesu i te hoê taata, i mate nei i te ngoikore mo 38 tau. Ko tenei tangata kopa e takoto ana i runga i te moenga i te puna wai o Petehera.
When Jesus saw the lame man, He went to him and asked him if he wanted to get well. Na ka whakahoki te kopa ki a Ihu, that he didn’t have anyone to bring him to the water to get healed.
Na ka whakahau a Ihu i taua tangata kia whakatika ki runga, ka mau ki tona moenga ka haere. The man obeyed the words of Jesus and stood up and walked. Na Ihu i whakaora te kopa! 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, Ua faaue Iesu i te taata ia ore e hara faahou. Why did Jesus say to sin no more? Lest a worse thing would come unto him.
Ua faaora Iesu i te taata i to ’na ma‘i (tona ngoikoretanga). Kua ora taua tangata, kua tae mai hoki te rangatiratanga o te Atua ki a ia.
Na te rangatiratanga o te pouri i mau te tangata mo 38 tau. But when Jesus came and the power of the Kingdom of heaven came upon him, ua matara mai taua taata ra i to ’na tapearaa.
Muri iho ka kitea ia e Ihu i roto i te temepara, ka mea ki a ia, Nana, kua ora koe: kati te hara, kei pa ki a koe te mea kino atu
Hone 5:14
Ua faatiamâ Iesu i te taata i te fare tapearaa pae varua o te pouri
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.
I etahi atu kupu; Jesus told the man to keep the commandments and do the te hinaaro o te Atua and stay obedient to God instead of obeying and doing the will of the devil (e mahi ana i roto i te kikokiko) ma te hara.
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.
Ua faaara Iesu i te taata, 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.
No reira, Ua faaue Iesu i te taata ia ore e hara faahou.
Ka mea a Ihu, Go and sin no more to the woman that committed adultery
Kei a Hoani 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. Ua pari te mau Papai e te mau Pharisea i te vahine i te faaturi e ua faaite atura ia Iesu i ta ’na i rave.
They suggested to stone her according to the Ture a Mohi. 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.
Na ka tuhituhi a Ihu ki tona maihao ki te whenua, ka mea ki a ratou, “He who’s sinless among you, mana e aki te kohatu ki runga ki a ia“.
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 taua wa, Jesus had the power to condemn the woman and stone her. Because Jesus walked in the authority of the Kingdom of God (Ka rite ki te hanga hou) and was sinless.
Heoi ano, Jesus said to the woman that He wouldn’t condemn her either. Since it was not Jesus’ time to judge but to save.
ENGARI… Ihu kihai i whakaae of her work of adultery. Jesus commanded the woman to go her way and kati te hara.
Ka mea a Ihu ki a ia, e kore ano ahau e whakatau i te he ki a koe: haere, a kati te hara
Hone 8:11
Ko te mea hanga hou kua wehea mai i te ao
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, kua hokona, and made whole and righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ.
You’ve become new creation and as a result of this spiritual transformation, Ka koe whakarerea to koroua me ana tikanga tawhito.
Eita outou e haere faahou mai ta outou i haere na mua i to outou tatarahaparaa, because you repented from that lifestyle and its works (o te kikokiko).
He mea nui kia mohio ki tera kua kore koe he tangata hara. 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.
I whanau hou koe, i taahi mai koe i tetahi rangatiratanga wairua ki tetahi atu rangatiratanga (Kolosa 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, kihai i taea e koe te ngohengohe ki te Atua me te mahi i tana i pai ai. Engari, 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 (Te hinaaro, tīweka, and desire of your flesh), a noho ana i roto i te hara. E ai ta te Paipera, e ki te hara koe, you have the devil as father and do the lust thereof (Hone 8:44).
When you decided kia ripeneta, kare koe i pai kia riro te rewera hei matua mou. Kaore koe i pai ki te whakarongo ki ana kupu me te haere i runga i tana i pai ai. I hoha koe i to oranga i raro i tana mana.
I to outou faarooraa i te mau parau o te evanelia e i to outou farereiraa ia Iesu Mesia, ua ti'aturi outou Ia'na e ua farii Ia'na ei Faaora e ei Fatu no outou.
I hiahia koe ki te Atua hei Matua mo koutou, kaua ki te rewera, me te whakarongo ki ana kupu me te haere i runga i tona hiahia. Kaore koe i pai ki te whakarongo ki nga kupu a te rewera me te haere i runga i tona hiahia.
Na te natura o te Atua e rave i To'na hinaaro
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. Ki te hiahia te matua o te whenua ki te pai mo ana tamariki, tera noa ake to koutou Matua i te rangi.
Koinei te take, God revealed His will to us in His Word (te Paipera).
God revealed to us not only what pleases Him and what displeases Him, but He also revealed the way of salvation, me pehea hei hanga hou and how to walk as the new creation in His will.
God revealed it all in the Bible which is His Word. No reira, Ko tana ara ka riro i to ara a His thoughts becomes your thoughts.
Did the people choose to sin or not to sin?
Ua parau Iesu i taua taata ra, i ora i tona ngoikoretanga me te wahine, i mau i te puremu, kia kaua e hara. No reira, 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?
Ka mea a Ihu ki a ia, Kia aroha ki a Ihowa, ki tou Atua, kia mau ki tou Atua, kia aroha ki tou Atua., me o wairua katoa, me ō hinengaro katoa. Koinei te ture tuatahi me te nui. Ko te tuarua he rite ki taua mea, Kia aroha koe ki tou hoa tata ano ko koe ano. I runga i enei kupu e rua e whakairihia ana te ture me nga poropiti (Matiu 22:37-40)
He kaha te wahine ki te kii ‘kao’ ki te puremu, no te mea ke atu, Kare a Ihu i hoatu ki a ia te whakahau kia kaua e hara. Ko te patai, i whakahoki te wahine ki a Ihu’ te ture kia kaua e hara?
Did the adulterous woman obey the commandment of Jesus or did she let her feelings, tona hiahia, and her desire rule over the words of Jesus and give in to her feelings of lust and desire?
Kia mahara, i te wa i whakahau ai a Ihu kia kaua e hara, His crucifixion and the te ringihia o te Wairua Tapu had not taken place yet.
So these people were not born again. Ko ratou tonu te hanganga tawhito. However the old creation had the power to say ‘no’ ki te hara, ki te hara ano.
Kei a koe ano te kaha ki te kore e hara. Ka whakatau koe ki te hara, kaua ranei e hara.
Na roto i te mahi whakaoranga a Ihu Karaiti, Kua tapu koe, he tika hoki. Na kua whakatapua nei koe, kua tika, kua karangatia hoki koe ki te noho i runga i te tapu me te tika (2 Koriniti 5:21).
I whakaorangia e te aroha noa me te mahi i nga mahi a te Wairua
Kaore koe e ora i nga mahi, but by grace. Engari ko te noho i raro i te aroha noa ehara i te mea ka tukuna koe ki te hara tonu. Mehemea hoki kua mate o koutou kikokiko i roto ia te Karaiti i to koutou whanautanga hou, me pehea e taea ai e koutou nga mahi a te kikokiko??
Kia whakapaua tou ngakau ki te aroha ki a Ihowa, ki tou Atua, me tou wairua katoa, me tou hinengaro katoa, me aroha koe ki tou hoa tata ano ko koe (Matiu 22:37-40)
When you are saved and born again, you see the nature and effect of sin, ko te hua o te mate. You will hate sin, rite tonu ki te Atua. Ka kino ano koe ki tou oranga o mua, ano he tangata hara, a e kore e hoki ano ki reira. (Panuitia hoki: Ka taea e koe te hara tonu i raro i te aroha noa?)
Ina koe Aroha ki te Atua Ma tou ngakau katoa, wairua, hinengaro, me te kaha ka aroha koe ki te mahi i tana e pai ai.
You shall spend time with God and renew your mind with the Word of God (te Paipera) and apply His words into your life, kia riro ai koe hei kaimahi i nga kupu a te Atua, kia mahi hoki i nga mahi a te Wairua. Kaore koe e whai, engari e hiahia ana koe, he mea hanga hoki koutou kia rite ki a ia, e aroha ana hoki koutou ki te Atua.
I te wa e noho ana te Kupu me te Wairua Tapu i roto i a koe, ka haere koe i muri i te Wairua i runga i te ngohengohe ki te Kupu. Ka haere koe i runga i te aroha, tapu, me te tika, te raveraa i te hinaaro o te Metua e te faateiteiraa e te faahanahanaraa Ia’na.
'Kia tote mo te whenua”
