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 (Biblia) 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
Katika Yohana 5:1-15, Yesu alimponya mtu, ambaye alikuwa na udhaifu kwa 38 Miaka. Mtu huyu kiwete alilala kitandani kwenye kidimbwi cha Bethzatha.
When Jesus saw the lame man, He went to him and asked him if he wanted to get well. Yule kiwete akamjibu Yesu, that he didn’t have anyone to bring him to the water to get healed.
Kisha Yesu akamwamuru mtu huyo ainuke na kuchukua kitanda chake na kutembea. The man obeyed the words of Jesus and stood up and walked. Yule kiwete aliponywa na Yesu! 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, Yesu alimwamuru mtu huyo asitende dhambi tena. Why did Jesus say to sin no more? Lest a worse thing would come unto him.
Yesu alimponya mtu huyo kutokana na ugonjwa wake (udhaifu wake). Mtu huyo akawa mzima na Ufalme wa Mungu ukamjia.
Ufalme wa giza ulikuwa umemteka mtu huyo 38 Miaka. But when Jesus came and the power of the Kingdom of heaven came upon him, mtu huyo alifunguliwa kutoka katika utumwa wake.
Baadaye Yesu akamkuta ndani ya hekalu, akamwambia, Tazama, Wewe ni kamili: dhambi tena, isije kitu kibaya kije kwako
Yohana 5:14
Yesu alimfungua mtu huyo kutoka katika gereza la giza la kiroho
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.
Kwa maneno mengine; Jesus told the man to keep the commandments and do the Mapenzi ya Mungu and stay obedient to God instead of obeying and doing the will of the devil (Nani anafanya kazi katika mwili) kwa kutenda dhambi.
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.
Yesu alimwonya mtu huyo, 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.
Kwa hiyo, Yesu alimwamuru mtu huyo asitende dhambi tena.
Yesu alisema, Go and sin no more to the woman that committed adultery
Katika Yohana 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. Waandishi na Mafarisayo walimshtaki mwanamke huyo kwa uzinzi na kumwambia Yesu kile alichokifanya.
They suggested to stone her according to the Sheria ya Musa. 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.
Yesu aliandika ardhini kwa kidole chake na kuwaambia, “He who’s sinless among you, na awe wa kwanza kumtupia jiwe“.
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.
Wakati huo, Jesus had the power to condemn the woman and stone her. Because Jesus walked in the authority of the Kingdom of God (kama kiumbe kipya) and was sinless.
Hata hivyo, Jesus said to the woman that He wouldn’t condemn her either. Since it was not Jesus’ time to judge but to save.
LAKINI… Yesu haikuidhinisha of her work of adultery. Jesus commanded the woman to go her way and dhambi tena.
Yesu akamwambia, Wala mimi sikuhukumu: Nenda, wala usitende dhambi tena
Yohana 8:11
Uumbaji mpya umetenganishwa na ulimwengu
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, kukombolewa, and made whole and righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ.
You’ve become new creation and as a result of this spiritual transformation, wewe utakuwa achana na mzee wako na tabia zake za zamani.
Hutatembea tena jinsi ulivyotembea kabla ya toba yako, because you repented from that lifestyle and its works (ya mwili).
Ni muhimu kutambua hilo Wewe sio mwenye dhambi tena. 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.
Ulipozaliwa mara ya pili, ulitoka katika ufalme mmoja wa kiroho hadi mwingine (Wakolosai 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, hukuweza kunyenyekea kwa Mungu na kufanya mapenzi yake. Badala yake, 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 (mapenzi, tamaa, and desire of your flesh), na kuishi katika dhambi. Biblia inasema, kwamba ukitenda dhambi, you have the devil as father and do the lust thereof (Yohana 8:44).
When you decided kutubu, ulisema kwa njia isiyo ya moja kwa moja kwamba hutaki kuwa na ibilisi kama baba yako tena. Hukutaka kutii maneno yake na kutembea katika mapenzi yake. Ulichoshwa na maisha yako chini ya mamlaka yake.
Uliposikia maneno ya injili na kukutana na Yesu Kristo, ulimwamini na kumkubali kama Mwokozi na Bwana wako.
Mlitaka Mungu kama Baba yenu badala ya shetani na kutii maneno yake na kutembea katika mapenzi yake. Hukutaka kutii maneno ya shetani na kutembea katika mapenzi yake.
Asili ya Mungu itafanya mapenzi yake
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. Ikiwa baba wa kidunia anawatakia mema watoto wake, si zaidi sana Baba yenu wa mbinguni.
Hii ndio sababu, God revealed His will to us in His Word (Biblia).
God revealed to us not only what pleases Him and what displeases Him, but He also revealed the way of salvation, jinsi ya kuwa kiumbe kipya and how to walk as the new creation in His will.
God revealed it all in the Bible which is His Word. Kwahivyo, Njia yake inakuwa njia yako na His thoughts becomes your thoughts.
Did the people choose to sin or not to sin?
Yesu alimwambia mtu huyo, aliyeponywa udhaifu wake na yule mwanamke, ambaye alikamatwa katika tendo la uzinzi, Kutenda dhambi tena. Kwa hiyo, 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?
Yesu akamwambia, Mpende Bwana Mungu wako kwa moyo wako wote, na kwa roho yako yote, na kwa akili zako zote. Hii ndiyo amri kuu na ya kwanza. Na ya pili inafanana nayo, Unapenda jirani yako kama wewe mwenyewe. Katika amri hizi mbili hutegemea torati yote na manabii (Mathayo 22:37-40)
Mwanamke huyo alikuwa na uwezo wa kusema ‘hapana’ kwa uzinzi, kwa sababu vinginevyo, Yesu asingempa amri ya kutotenda dhambi tena. Swali ni, mwanamke alijibu kwa Yesu’ amri ya kutotenda dhambi tena?
Did the adulterous woman obey the commandment of Jesus or did she let her feelings, tamaa yake, and her desire rule over the words of Jesus and give in to her feelings of lust and desire?
Kumbuka, Yesu alipoamuru tusitende dhambi tena, His crucifixion and the kumwagwa kwa Roho Mtakatifu had not taken place yet.
So these people were not born again. Walikuwa bado uumbaji wa zamani. However the old creation had the power to say ‘no’ kutenda dhambi na kutotenda dhambi tena.
Wewe pia una uwezo wa kutotenda dhambi tena. Unaamua kutenda dhambi au kutotenda dhambi.
Kwa njia ya kazi ya ukombozi ya Yesu Kristo, Mmefanywa watakatifu na wenye haki. Sasa kwa kuwa umefanywa kuwa mtakatifu na mwenye haki, umeitwa pia kuishi katika utakatifu na haki (2 Wakorintho 5:21).
Kuokolewa kwa neema na kufanya kazi za Roho
Hujaokolewa kwa matendo, but by grace. Lakini kuwa chini ya neema haimaanishi kwamba umeruhusiwa kuendelea kutenda dhambi. Kwa sababu ikiwa mwili wako umekufa katika Kristo ulipozaliwa mara ya pili, unawezaje kufanya kazi za mwili?
Mpende Bwana Mungu wako kwa moyo wako wote, na kwa roho yako yote na kwa akili zako zote na mpende jirani yako kama nafsi yako (Mathayo 22:37-40)
When you are saved and born again, you see the nature and effect of sin, ambayo ni tunda la mauti. You will hate sin, Kama Mungu. Utachukia maisha yako ya zamani kama mwenye dhambi na hutarudia tena. (Soma pia: Je, unaweza kuendelea kutenda dhambi chini ya neema?)
Wakati wewe kumpenda Mungu kwa moyo wako wote, nafsi, akili, na nguvu utapenda kufanya mapenzi yake.
You shall spend time with God and renew your mind with the Word of God (Biblia) and apply His words into your life, ili uwe mtendaji wa maneno ya Mungu na kufanya kazi za Roho. Sio lazima, lakini unataka, kwa sababu umeumbwa kwa mfano wake na unampenda Mungu.
Wakati Neno na Roho Mtakatifu anakaa ndani yako, utatembea kumfuata Roho kwa kulitii Neno. Utatembea kwa upendo, utakatifu, na haki, kufanya mapenzi ya Baba na kumwinua na kumtukuza.
‘Kuweni chumvi ya dunia”
