What did Jesus mean with "go sin no more"?

[BobRyan]

Have you ever asked yourself why he told this to the adulterous woman? Did he refer to adultery or did he refer to sinning in general? And what would have happened if she sinned again?

Do a Bible study on all the places this SAME advice is given,

Matt 7,
Romans 2
1John 3,
James 2
Romans 6
etc.

There you have entire chapters that deal with the subject. They can not all be "spun" one way or the other. At some point you just have to read and accept them. Start to see the pattern that is forming.

 

[xdisciplex]

You are being a real stinker. :tongue3:

:wavey:


@ HP

I think the problem is the will. This man was scared of prison and this fear made him overcome his drinking, but as a christian it's different and I also don't think that fear is such a good motivation. If you don't sin because you're scared of God punishing you then this wouldn't work for me because I couldn't deal with this fear. The fear would only be paralyzing and sooner or later it would go away and I would sin again. It's the same with the fire & brimstone sermons. Some people are so scared by them that they repent and accept Jesus but sooner or later this fear goes away and then they might simply slide back to where they were before.
Another problem is that there are also triggers for sin or things which make you vulnerable to sin. When I'm depressed I'm much more vulnerable to sin. Sin is influenced by a lot of things and some of them are not under my control and this makes it really hard to have a real victory of it. For example when I feel good then I might not even be tempted to sin but then there comes a day where I become depressed for some reason and then I suddenly find myself being heavily tempted again, this is the problem. If I could simply get rid of all these factors which correlate with being tempted then it would be much easier but it's not possible to get rid of all these things, for example I cannot say that I will simply not become depressed anymore, this is something I cannot control. There are so many things which influence these things and I can't control all of them and the problem is that when I'm depressed and then all of a sudden temptation comes over me like a dark cloud then I don't do what I should do, this is the problem. In such situations I don't even really try to resist.

@ Bob

Thanks, I'll look into these chapters.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

Xdisciplex: For example when I feel good then I might not even be tempted to sin but then there comes a day where I become depressed for some reason and then I suddenly find myself being heavily tempted again, this is the problem. If I could simply get rid of all these factors which correlate with being tempted then it would be much easier but it's not possible to get rid of all these things, for example I cannot say that I will simply not become depressed anymore, this is something I cannot control.

HP: You may no be able to control when the depression comes or goes, but you can control, if you are a moral agent, what you do while in that state of depression, and you are, if again while remaining in that state of depression 'a moral agent,' responsible for your intents and actions while in that state. If you are a moral agent, you are responsible for your actions whether you ‘feel’ depressed or not.

In the illustration I gave you, the mother may have felt depression, and rightfully so, raising her small children. I do not know the cause of your depression and it well may be a clinical problem. Just the same, your depression may in fact be triggered knowing the cycle of temptation and subsequent sin, with its associated and induced guilt it has brought upon you in the past and subconsciously you know you are about to encounter those feelings once again as you complete the cycle of sin, triggering the depression you sense.

One fact we must face, is that if something is sin in our lives, we are responsible for that action before God and our fellowman. No one or no influence can physically or mentally ‘coerce or force’ you to sin. Sin is a willful choice of disobedience to a known commandment of God. If you honestly cannot do anything other than what you do under the very same set of circumstances, morality cannot be predicated of such action.

We all have certain areas of our lives that are more prone to temptation, sin, and subsequent depression than is the case with others. Just the same, Scripture tells us that “There is therefore now no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.” Your issues with temptation have been experienced by others, and there are others, through the power and aide of the Holy Spirit that have overcame like temptations, sin and subsequent depression. We all have battles to face and confront. Mine are most likely not yours, and yours are most likely not the ones most severe for me, yet we are all called to repent (that involves turning from the sin and forming a different attitude towards the sin, seeing it from God’s perspective) for our past failures, look to Christ for the atoning work of Christ in our lives, and seek the Lord daily to provide the strength we need for a victorious daily walk with Him. God promises us tin the last part of the verse, ‘but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted above that which ye are able, but will with the temptation make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

That way of escape may lead to the loss of a job, or the loss of your reputation among old friends, or in some cases even the loss of ones most close or trusted friends, or of ones livelihood up until that point, or the physical denial and withdrawal pains associated directly with it. In the case of Joseph in Scripture, it took him to prison for a few years.

No one faces more depression that the person who knows how to live and has tasted the victory of such a life at one time, but is currently failing to live accordingly. To know how you are expectesd to live, but fail to live accordingly will end in sheer insanity. I have personally witnessed such a testimony by a man in a mental institution I visited at the request of his family which had asked me to visit him.

The life of a believer, and one whose heart is set on God, will more than likely endure persecution, trials, afflictions, and hardships in this life. Read of the trials of those mentioned in the NT. Heb 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith,”

Look at the trials those throughout Scripture including the hardships and trials Christ, Paul and others faced. Christ was tempted in ALL points as we are, yet without sin. He proved once for all that a man can do the right thing in spite of every obstacle or temptation. Look at the life and experiences of brother Job. Even his wife turned against him. Yes some of them suffering great depression. Still the same, they had caught a vision of a heavenly kingdom that’s sparkle and radiant hope so far surpassed the pleasures and trials this life had to offer, that they kept the faith and endured until the end, casting themselves upon the Lord in faithful obedience and came out victorious over every sin, foe, and form of depression and evil.

You and I can find that victory as well, if we desire to live and walk with the Lord more than any other thing. How much do you desire that victorious walk with the Lord? Make a commitment to the Lord, that regardless of the depression you may endure, or the hardships you may encounter, or the ridicule of friends and family you may face, or the financial disaster that may come your way as a result of that commitment, or the lack of the fulfillment of sinful desires you will have chosen to live without, that your heart is fixed upon the Lord and being an obedient child, and you are determined not to sin with the help promised you by God Himself.


“God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able, but will with the temptation make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it!” You are not going through anything more difficult that others have went through and came out victoriously with the help of the Lord!

 

[xdisciplex]

No one or no influence can physically or mentally ‘coerce or force’ you to sin.

I don't know if this is really true. Did you know that most of the people which commit suicide have a low serotonine level? Saying that nothing can influence you to sin or make you sin doesn't make sense to me. If somebody puts you on drugs or gets you drunk then you will not be able to control yourself anymore. Or do you think that if you're drunk you can still control all your thoughts and actions?
You might now say that nobody has to get drunk. This is correct. But this was also only an example. Where is the difference between alcohol which affects your thoughts and deeds and neurotransmitters? If a person has an imbalance of neurotransmitters then why shouldn't this make the person do things she doesn't want to? Or what about drug addicts? Do you think they can simply stop cold turkey because nothing can make them sin? Come on. Do you think your spirit is so superior over your body that you can totally control your body?

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

I don't know if this is really true. Did you know that most of the people which commit suicide have a low serotonine level? http://www.baptistboard.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=792126
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HP: No one is saying that ‘nothing can influence you to sin.’ That would be a ludicrous and unfounded notion.

Rather than to address this post in its entirety, I believe it would be wise to start a discussion on the word 'sin.' I believe from that direct discussion, a lot of other questions might be answered in your own mind as a result of your own logical deductions that might serve the discovery of truth in your personal life and understanding far better that just my ideas on these particular questions. Fair enough?

 

[xdisciplex]

You mean discussing wether a sinful thought is already a sin?
Because sin should be clear. The only thing which is debatable is wether a sinful thought is directly a sin or wether it only becomes a sin if you dwell on it.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

Xdisiplex: You mean discussing wether a sinful thought is already a sin?


HP: Yes, that inevitably will be part of the discussion. I believe you will find this discussion on sin to be an eye opener. It is sad, but sin means may different things to different individuals. This will prove to be a live and informative discussion. We all do not understand sin from the same perspective. Our job as indivuals is, to be sure we understand sin as God understands it and in the context of the judgment we will all face in regard to it.

A discussion of sin will is not a shallow topic, nor will it be without disagreement as to its nature, as we shall soon see. This will be an exiting robust, and informative discussion if many such as yourself get involved! Search the Scriptures for your definition(s) and fire away.

 

[BobRyan]

Quote:
No one or no influence can physically or mentally ‘coerce or force’ you to sin.

I don't know if this is really true. Did you know that most of the people which commit suicide have a low serotonine level?

Someone clearly needed to address that point with Paul -

1 Cor 10
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

 

[xdisciplex]

@ Bob

And what about a person which loses all inhibition thresholds due to a brain damage? These cases exist. Are they also able to control themselves? I don't think so.

Or what about a person which is addicted to meth? I heard that there is nothing which helps against it. So once you are addicted to it does God still have the opinion that you could simply stop it?
I know christians which have tried to stop smoking many times and always failed. Do they simply not have a strong enough will or what kind of stance does God have towards them?

Or isn't fear also a sin? If fear is a sin and if God always provides a way for us not to sin then this would mean that there is always a way not to become afraid. Let's say you're afraid of narrow rooms and somebody puts you in a coffin would you not become scared?
Do you think God blames you for becoming scared because the bible says that there is always a way not to sin?

 

[BobRyan]

Wait a minute!! How big IS God anyway??

Maybe we need to water down the scripture "just enough" to accomodate serotonin levels.

What if God's word in 1Cor 10 only applied to the "easy sins" the ones we can easily defeat on our own "anyway". Oh but wait! it turns out that with our sinful nature (Rom 3) that would be ZERO Sins overcome - we needed a miracle for ALL of them - not just the so called hard ones.