Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

John.5:13 But he who was healed didn't know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a crowd being in the place. 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you."

Here Jesus Christ makes a shocking statement if you believe the scriptures? Christ tells this man to sin no more? How can that be, when the bible itself state if we make the claim we have no sin we are a liar!

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

How could this man sin no more is the real question under the law, when the very power of the law was sin? In other words, the law did not remove this man's sin it only magnified them that he like all of us might know we are a sinner falling short of the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

Rom.7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good. 7:19 For the good which I desire, I don't do; but the evil which I don't desire, that I practice. 7:20 But if what I don't desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 7:21 I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present. 7:22 For I delight in God's law after the inward man, 7:23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?

Let us take a breath, stop, reflect on truth, and the context of all the scriptures so we may come up with what Christ meant? First, we must know our own nature, nature is this case means, if a weed is a weed it produce more weeds. Our being sinners, we produce more sin, its that simple. Yet, there is more, because we are born into sin, we have a mind that judges sin, always!

Gal.6:7 Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 6:8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Rom.1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 1:19 because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them. 1:20 For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse.

Our nature judges right and wrong by laws for sin, just like the divine law given to Moses. The law says we are sinners and the proof is we cannot keep the law from our own goodness, we must have faith in God's goodness to deliver us from death. Yes, death, because sin is death. Thinking in terms of sin is death, not life, thinking in terms of life means thinking in the law of freedom from sin, love.

Gal.5:13 For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don't use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another. 5:14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."{Leviticus 19:18}
5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don't consume one another.

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 2:11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery,"{Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18} also said, "Do not commit murder."{Exodus 10:13; Deuteronomy 5:17} Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 2:12 So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom. 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Could this man act on faith after being healed by Christ and sin no more? Yes, under the law God made a provision for salvation, his mercy expressed in giving us a substitute life for our sins. In other words, an innocent victim could pay for our sins by giving us its life that life force was found in the blood. Under Jewish law it was animal blood, blood not created to keep God's laws so it was innocent of breaking the law.

Hebrews 13:11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside of the camp.{Leviticus 16:27}

Hebrews 9:22 According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.

This is the only context that is in harmony with the scriptures, Christ had not yet given his sinless, innocent life for mankind, thus, this man must go to the temple and have his sins mercifully forgiven by a legal act God provided for him through innocent blood. Christ was not promoting as most teach working harder at not sinning, no! Let us speak truth here in context, he state to this man; “sin no more”. Nothing in the law removed sin, or we, and them would being lying if we stated we have no sin, the blood stop sin by God's mercy in redeeming this man from his debt owed God for sinning against his righteous law.

Rom.7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law, worked in our members to bring forth fruit to death.

Rom.7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn't have known sin, except through the law. For I wouldn't have known coveting, unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."{Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21}

The miracle Christ performed should increase this man's faith in a God of love that wants to heal us not just from physical death, but the thing causing us death sin spiritually. Now he could put complete trust in God's mercy upon the mercy seat knowing even though he was a sinner, God undeserved kindness redeemed him because God is love. This is the picture of the truth Christ was soon to express with his own life's blood for us.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.

Romans 9:32 Why? Because they didn't seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;

Romans 5:1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;

Romans 5:2 through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

See also: www.nu-truth.com