01/30/2026
Have we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Forgiveness - Sweating Through Sin, or a Free Pass?Savior, but find that we continue to sin on occasion? If so, do we do this with great regret, remorse, tears, and sweating, or freely as if we hold the king’s pardon in your hand and feel immune to any penalty? How does Jesus expect us to treat our sin once we have come to Him and been healed of it?
“Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you."”
John 5:14 ESV
In this verse Jesus had just healed a sick man on the Sabbath. But then He says the words that terrify us to this day... “Sin no more,” and the encounter ends. Does He mean this for just this one man, or does he expect us all to “Sin no more?” Just as we are beginning to console ourselves and believe that this was a single instance, Jesus says these words again...
“She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."”
John 8:11 ESV
In this instance Jesus had saved this woman who had committed adultery from a mob that was about to stone her. Then, he tells her the same thing that he told the man he healed on the Sabbath... “Go, and from now on sin no more.” Now we realize that there is no doubt; he expects each of us to sin no more. We find that we remain convicted by our sin, but we also realize our weak nature and propensity for it. So, we ask ourselves how we can possibly live up to this commandment, and we are terrified by the thought of failing Jesus.
Jesus made provision for us with His blood. He died and was resurrected to free us from sin; to separate us from it, but the most wonderful thing about His sacrifice is that He doesn’t just dab us once with His blood and then convict us of any subsequent sins that follow, His blood is eternal and applied to us continuously. We hear this in the upper room during the first communion when He says...
“In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."”
1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV
So, we have received His blood as an inoculation against sin and go back to our lives with the terror of sinfulness having abated, when suddenly something unsettling occurs… we find that we have sinned again. What do we do now? We had convinced ourselves that we were free of sin but here we are… feeling that old familiar sense of failure and unrighteousness again. In this dire moment we might even convince ourselves that we can rub sin all over ourselves and wash it off again, and again, as often as we like, but is that what Jesus said and expects of us? Are we to walk in the darkness of sin without fear or remorse? Did Jesus ask us to sin no more, or simply free us from the consequences of our sins?
“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
1 John 1:6-8 ESV
Yes, it was expected that we might sin again, but, no, if we convince ourselves that we are immune from its ramifications we are living a lie. Living without sinning should be our greatest desire. Each day we should rise from slumber and strive with all our might to go into our day and “sin no more”, but if we should slip and fall back into the mire of sin in some way, we have the blood of Jesus to wash us clean once again if we ask with contrition, remorse, and desiring to make an honest attempt to sin no more.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
1 John 1:9-10 ESV
Confession, contrition, the sorrow for having sinned, and the tears we cry as we ask for His forgiveness. This is how we approach sin after Jesus tells us to “sin no more.” He didn’t suffer and die so that we could fall into anarchy and back into the chaotic nature of sinfulness without consequence. But He did suffer and sacrifice to cleanse us, and on those occasions when we fail Him while trying hard to walk in the light, and attempting mightily to obey Him, He will continue to forgive us… that is if we make an honest commitment to sin no more with the right heart.
“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1 ESV
Jesus calls us by name, and we are His; so how great is your love for Him? Is it great enough that we will try with all our might to “go and sin no more” and do so in good faith? Will we seek to be righteous and sin free with an all-consuming desire to obey him? Or are our efforts a sham, and are we attempting to use the gift He has offered us as a cover for continuous unrighteousness?
What is our intent? What is our approach to sin, and what do we believe the gift of Christ’s blood actually is?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your mercy and grace; thank you for the sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ that I might come before you cleansed of sin, and with a pure heart. Holy Father, I hold the cup of His precious blood in my hand; it is my greatest treasure, and I treat it as a fragile egg that might break at any moment. I revere it Father and sweat at the thought of failing Him. Strengthen me against the darkness Holy Father and give me courage as I face the sin that surrounds me every day. You are the focus of my life, and the pinnacle of my desire. In those times when sin overtakes me, witness my sobs of remorse, and hear my plea before the table of Christ as I beg forgiveness, His absolution. Never let me take your forgiveness for granted or as an attempt to use your promise against you. Let my intention always be to serve and obey you. When I do fall to sin, let it be my greatest sorrow and regret. Praised be your name Merciful Father, for through your grace that flows from Jesus am I saved, and in the cup of your Son’s precious blood is my hope and faith... the promise of forgiveness, and of renewed righteousness. Great are you now, and forevermore, and amazing your love for me that absolves me of my sin through Christ.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
Amen, Amen, Amen!
Rich Forbes