Last Sunday we began to look at the story of the healing of the man who had been unable to walk for 38 years.
The first 16 verses of John chapter 5…describes Jesus’ healing of this man on the Sabbath…this starts the beginning of the hostility against Jesus that will ultimately culminate at Golgotha with His death on the Cross.
We see in Scripture that Jesus frequently chose to do miracles that alleviated people’s suffering…theologians believe that during the 3 1/2 years of Jesus’ ministry that He practically eliminated all disease from Israel for the duration of His ministry… ‘great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all’ [Matt. 12:15] Jesus did so many miracles that the Bible doesn’t record them all.
Upon His arrival in Jerusalem at the pool in Hebrew called Bethesda Jesus sees this man and asks the man lying there:
5:6 – “…Do you wish to get well?”
A man who hasn’t walked in 38 years…seems to be a rather obvious question…but instead of the man responding with ‘yea, I’d like that’ he launches into a well-rehearsed answer that was designed more at making people give him money rather than in being healed…then he repeats his sad story about how he has no one to help him get into the pool so he can be healed… completely ignoring Jesus’ request of ‘do you wish to get well’.
5:7 – “…Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up…”
The man’s focus is more on who’s going to help him into the pool of water… Jewish superstition believed that periodically an angel would come down and stir up the water…the first person into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured.
He was more intent on being cured by a superstition than the possibility that Jesus could cure him…that fact never entered his mind…his only concern was finding a way to be the first one into the pool when the water began stirring.
People are no different today…this story calls for people to put away from trusting in superstitious religions…or…of being superstitious in their religious devotions such things as prayer cloths…miracle water…using KJV only Bibles…God wants you to be rich… blood running from a crucifix…statue of Mary shedding tears…if I do my Bible devotions, I’ll have a good day…having a cross on my rearview mirror.
Relying on superstitions does nothing more than give false assurance…just as a rabbit’s foot promises luck…there are many promises in Scripture…these are not flippant, casual promises such as we often make; the promises of God are rock-solid unequivocal commitments made by God Himself….and because God is faithful, the recipients of His divine promises can have the full assurance that what God has pledged will indeed be realized.
In this instance Jesus exceeded this man’s expectations and gave the crippled man far more than he could have ever expected.
5:8 – “Get up, take up your mat and walk…”
Jesus doesn’t ask him if he has the faith to be healed…Jesus doesn’t debate with him about his superstitious system for being healed…instead…He tells him… ‘Arise’… ‘take up’ …’walk’ …all these are in the imperative voice…all are a command, not a suggestion …Jesus is telling the man ‘do it’ stand, carry…and walk.
5:9 – “Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk”
The man is healed even without believing in who Jesus is…there’s no mention of Salvation…Redemption…or Justification…the man is immediately healed based on nothing more than Jesus’s command.
Scripture later records that Jesus finds the man in the Temple and makes a statement to him that seems to connect the man’s prior condition to some sin in his life…that the man’s disability was the result of personal choices.
Today’s message focuses on the statement Jesus makes to him in the Temple.
5:14- “…do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you”
On the surface this is a very difficult statement to understand…certainly a very stern statement that suggest some grave consequences if not followed…this is not the only time Jesus speaks the words do not sin anymore…He tells thewoman who had been caught in adultery the same thing… ‘Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.’
Often times the wording in Scripture leaves us confused and unsure of what actually has been said or what the intended meaning was…what is the purpose of Jesus telling these people ‘do not sin anymore’ …there are a couple possibilities that need to be considered in the command “do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you”.
FIRST…Was the man’s condition actually the result of some sort of sin which caused him to be crippled…was his condition the result of God punishing him for something he did…some would suggest that the wording so that nothing worse happens to you implies that all diseases of the body are a result of sin…the idea was that God punished people by causing or giving them health issues.
This was the belief in why Job suffered so much…that the severity of Job’s suffering must be the sign of some grievous sin in his life…in the case of the man born blind…even the disciples asked: ‘..who sinned…this man or his parents that he was born blind’ [John l:2]
In this particular instance…not sure what the sin was…but the wording by Jesus is implying that if he continued in that sin…God could send a worse disease…OR…a worse affliction…OR…a heavier punishment than what he has already experienced …it’s possible that a worse thing might come to him.
People still believe today that God punishes people…even though there is not even a hint in the Bible that God ever punished any one…BUT…it must be true…why else would Jesus say, ‘Go and sin no more or else something worse will happen to you’ if it wasn’t true?
Is Jesus telling the man that if he remains in sin, he would suffer a fate worse than thirty-eight years of sitting beside some pool of water…so does the statement “so that nothing worse happens to you” suggest that he must give it up or suffer the consequences?
The SECOND possibility is…was Jesus really expecting this man never to sin again …that he is somehow going to leave his sinful flesh at the door and never be tempted again?
Here is where we have the benefit of the completed Bible to rely on …in both cases where Jesus uses the phrase ‘do not sin anymore’ is that literally what that means?
Want to look at three passages…two are especially difficult to understand and leave open the possibility of being mis-interpreted.
The first difficult passage is 1 John 2:1:
“I am writing these things to you that you will not sin…”
Seems to agree with what Jesus said…don’t sin anymore. A number of translations …NLT…NIV…KJV and others translate this verse exactly like that…I am writing this to you so that you will not sin’ EVERYBODY…that’s a bad translation of the Greek…not saying the Bible is wrong…saying in this instance it’s a bad translation.
It does not say… “that you will not sin” …the wording ‘you might sin’ …is one word in the Greek…is in the subjunctive mood…here’s why that’s important to know… the Greek subjunctive mood is implying “what may or might be” not what will be…it’s the mood of possibility or probability.
The addition of the Greek word ‘not’(μὴ) in front of ‘you might sin’ offers a more correct translation…“so that you might not sin” …that introduces a whole new meaning…a lot of difference between ‘will not’ and ‘might not.’
John is not saying…if you’re a Christian you’re not going to sin …people read this verse and doubt their salvation because there are times when I do sin and reading this verse incorrectly suggests if I’m a Christian I shouldn’t be sinning…that’s not what it says.
Here’s what John is referring to…he is speaking of a BELIEVER’S occasional sins that are the result of Satan’s fraud…deception…and malice attacks on us…the use of “anyone” implies the possibility exists that we are all capable of sinning.
If you’re a Christian the possibility exists that you’re going to sin…BUT…you still have the option to not sin…you may or may not sin…it’s your decision.
Here’s the difference…if you’re not a Christian…you have no choice…you are going to sin…John writes: “…I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” [John 8:34]
He uses the analogy of a slave and his master to make the point that a slave obeys his master because he belongs to him…slaves have no will of their own…they are in bondage to their masters…when sin is our master, we are unable to resist it.
That is the fate of the unsaved…they have no choice…they have no will of their own to resist sinning.
The second difficult passage is [1 John 5:18] …as with 1 John 2:1 if translated in a less than accurate way can also result in un-necessary confusion.
I am going deep this morning and I don’t want to lose anyone because this is important…I want to unpack this verse phrase by phrase and remove any mis-understanding regarding exactly what is meant…this verse has been titled: Our Security through the Guardianship of Christ.
If you have your Bibles with you I would like for you to turn to that verse…I want to do a detailed study of that verse and hope you see its importance because it goes back to what Jesus told the man at the pool and the woman caught in adultery…Do not sin anymore.
1 John 5:18 – 18We know that everyone having been born of God does not continue to sin; the One having been begotten of God protects him and the evil one does not touch him.
In the opening phrase of [1 John 5:18]some translations read:’We know that no one who is born of God sins’ (NAS)…’We know that whoever is born of God does not sin’ (KJV)both areinaccurate translations.
This seems to be in agreement with [1 John 2:1] “I am writing these things to you that you will not sin…”
Again…that wording implies that as a Christian…you won’t sin…how frustrating is that…if you accept this verbiage, you’ll spend the rest of your lives living a defeated …dejected Christian life believing that as Christians we should be sin free.
BUT…looking at [1 John 5:18] in the Greek there is a change in tense and wording that if not translated correctly and understood properly creates unnecessary confusion.
Here’s the importance of knowing…to some degree languages…we read the Bible and many times miss the importance of a verse and how it applies to our lives because we don’t see the true meaning of the verse in English.
John starts off by saying ‘we know’ meaning it’s settled (perfect tense) it’s intuitive knowledge…knowledge which has been divinely imparted…John is saying I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything I have told you is true…because ‘this is the message we have heard from Him’ [1 John 1:5].
You’ll notice the beginning phrase ‘everyone having been born’ —(πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος)—it’s conditional… ‘having been born’ is a perfect tense participle …it expresses completed action…referring to the person who is a Christian and who forever will continue to be a child of God…it’s a done deal…it’s complete…you will always be a child of God…once saved always saved…see how important just that one phrase is.
Then following that you have the difficult statementas translated by somethat implies you will not sin… (οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει) in the Greek ‘continues to sin’ is one word: (ἁμαρτάνει) …it’s in the Present tense indicating continuous action… something you’re going to continue to do…BUT
With the addition of the Greek word meaning ‘not’ (οὐχ) in front of ‘continues to sin’…the more correct translation is in line with the NLT which reads: ‘not make a practice of sinning.’
The wording is so obviously clear… ‘everyone having been born of God’ referring to Christians does not willfully…continually…make a practice of sinning …or make a lifestyle of living in sin.
Don’t know why you would translate it ‘does not sin’ …it doesn’t say that…it says “does not continually sin”.
This is in agreement with [1 John 3:9] ‘anyone having been born of God does not practice sin’ …when you understand what this says in the Greek—it becomes clear that John is saying the one who is born of God cannot habitually commit sins as their general pattern of life.
the One (He) who was born of God
‘The One who was born of God’ in Greek is ‘having been begotten’ that’s significant…Jesus is the only begotten of the Father meaning He came directly from the Father…John refers to Christians as ‘having been born’ but he refers to Jesus as ‘having been begotten’.
The phrase ‘having been begotten’ (ὁ γεγεννημένος) is a reference to God making Jesus His Son [Psalm 2:7] …it’s an aorist tense participle indicating past tense… Jesus has always been…BUT…when speaking of Christians John uses wording that indicates at some time you became and will forever be a child of God.
So what we have is…everyone having been born of God…is us…andthe One having been begotten…is Jesus…it is the One who was born (begotten) of God who:
keeps
Means to keep an eye on, to keep watch over or to attend carefully…the idea is guarding something which is in one’s possession…believers are God’s possession.
them safe
Carrie Underwood has a song out “Keep us Safe” so what’s that mean and how does God do that?
First of all, here’s what ‘keeps them safe’ does not mean.
John is not implying that God is going to keep us safe from the pain…sickness… death…and all the other ills that we’re subjected to because we live in this world …that those are all just suddenly going to go away…I don’t know anyone that is naive enough to believe that.
John is speaking about the troubles that come upon us all because we’re human, the troubles in life everyone experiences.
Just because you’re living a godly life does not mean you will avoid troubles in this life.
Neither is John referring to escaping the chastisement that will come to us as Christians.
In the world you will have tribulation [John 16:33] that is in the present tense meaning it’s going to happen…one because you live in a fallen world and two because you’re a Christian.
If you’re living a godly life seeking the Kingdom of God you must expect that persecution…affliction…and torment…will accompany your decision…nowhere in the Bible does it say that if you’re a Christian you won’t be persecuted or suffer affliction…those only come if you’re a Christian.
Here’s what ‘keeps them safe’ does mean.
‘The One born (begotten) of God’ speaking of Jesus…is the one who keeps us safe from the devil…not from worldly problems…or temptations…here’s the importance of the word ‘keeps’…it means to keep an eye on…to watch over…or to attend carefully.
We don’t keep ourselves safe in our own strength…the Christian’s safety is not in ourselves but from the Lord…we are to put forth our best efforts to keep ourselves from sin and by divine assistance God will be able to accomplish it.
the evil one does not touch him
God keeps us safe from the evil one…Satan…who cannot touch us…the word “touch” is somewhat too weak a rendering…here it means touching someone in a way that alters, changes, or modifies them…if someone touches you in such a way that it alters…changes…or modifies you…that’s a little more than a superficial touch…here it clearly conveys a hostile intention.
The word ‘touch’ is in the present tense meaning the ‘evil one’ is persistent in his effort to ‘touch’ you in a way that alters, changes or modifies you…Satan is “the accuser of the brethren” [Revelation 12:10]…his desire is for us to be fearful and doubt our salvation…he accuses us of sin to keep us stuck in sin or to make us despair of ever being right before God.
He accuses us before ourselves and he accuses us before God to try to get God to renege on His promise of forgiveness.
That’s where the imputed righteousness of God overrides Satan’s accusations… imputed righteousness is God seeing us without sin…and declaring to Satan we are and will be forever His children…Satan may attack us but he cannot lay hold or ‘touch’ us to make us captives of sin…he cannot sever the connection between the believer and Christ.
If you’re a Christian, God has a purpose for your life…in fact He has a purpose for every person’s life…an unbeliever will never get the opportunity to experience that purpose…AND…for some Christians they will never get the opportunity to experience it because they will never submit to God’s will for their life.
In life there are detours…had a study on that a while back…at times our plans become derailed…circumstances leave us perplexed…afraid of the future…feeling powerless to improve our situation…that is the consequences of living in this world.
BUT…despite how helpless we may feel in these moments…we are never truly helpless…because the phrase ‘keep us safe’ doesn’t mean we’re not going to have detours in life…it doesn’t mean that at times we won’t become overwhelmed with the issues of life…it means that regardless of life’s situations they are never a surprise to God…He works in those difficult times using us…always for His glory.
I realize this has been a lengthy explanation of that verse…but I want you to understand what the statement “do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you” means and how it apples to us in maybe more detail than you wanted.
Having spent a considerable amount of time on this verse…here’s the Peluso paraphrase of 1 John 5:18:
We know that everyone (who) has been born… [referring to Christians… completed action—you are and always will be a child of God] …does not continually sin [does not continue in a lifestyle of habitual sin] …but the one having been born (begotten) of God [who is Jesus the Son of God] …keeps (believers are the possession of God who watches over them] them safe [the Christian’s safety is not in ourselves but from the Lord]…the result is the evil one [Satan] does not touch Him… [Satan cannot lay hold of you to sever your relationship with God].
See the importance of this verse…when you break it down…word by word…phrase by phrase you see the eternal truths contained in this verse…this all goes back to Jesus is telling them…telling us… “do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you”.
God does not punish people…He doesn’t cause pain…sickness…or kill people… so…what’s the worst that happens to you?
It has nothing to do with physical harm…the worst is that sin severs our fellowship with God…it stops the Holy Sprit’s work in our lives…it opens the door for Satan to hamper God’s purpose in our lives.
SO…tointerpret Jesus’ words to mean you are no longer going to sin is incorrect …that’s not what that means.
In fact John confirms the fact that you are going to sin… ‘we are liars if we say that we do not have sin’ [1 John 1:8] …WARNING…that is not a license to sin.
Jesus’ words are actually a reminder to say NO to the sin that dwells in us…stop the desire before it conceives and becomes sin…because desire when conceived brings sin …and sin when completed brings death [Jas. 1:15]
As a Christian you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in you to help you stop the temptation from becoming sin…the phrase “do not sin anymore” is a sober warning regarding taking a casual position about how we approach sin.
This man’s physical healing was followed by a spiritual healing…earlier I said… Jesus exceeded this man’s expectations and gave the crippled man far more than he could have ever expected…you can’t have an encounter with Jesus and not be changed.
Jesus did this in two ways:
FIRST, He healed the man of a 38-year ailment.
SECONDLY the man had a personal encounter with God…after having come in contact with Jesus he was made aware of his sin…Jesus knew his heart…He wanted to emphasize the bad decision of returning to a lifestyle of sinful choices.
It’s what happens when Jesus has an encounter with us…when we enter into the Lords presence and behold His glory…His mercy…His perfection…His purity and holiness…we come face to face with our own sad imperfections…I like how Isaiah responded when being in the presence of God “Woe is me”.
Just being in His presence reveals the flaws in our lives and we immediately recognize the changes He wants to make in us.
God wants to have a personal encounter with us…He wants that every day of our lives…to have a personal encounter is for all, everyone (who) has been born of God…and who are being indwelt by the Holy Spirit…it’s having a lifelong process of growing in the knowledge of Him.