Go and Sin no More

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When Jesus encountered a woman who had been caught in adultery—either betraying her husband or fornicating with a married man—he had a decision to make. He could abide by the standards of the Mosaic Law and consent to her being stoned to death, or he could illustrate the grace of God and the heart of what would be the New Covenant.

As we read in John 8:1-11, Jesus chose the latter.

Jesus urged the group of hostile Jewish leaders to check themselves for sin and, if none could be found, to impose the death sentence on the woman. Since none of them were without sin, they could not cast a single stone.

This certainly proved God’s grace toward sinners, but it also reveals something else: that sin is unacceptable. This is the part that is often ignored, to our detriment.

Before letting the woman return to her life, Jesus gave her these famous words of instruction: Go, and from now on sin no more” (8:11b, ESV). Whatever translation we look at, we get the same basic message: the woman was told to return to her life but to leave sin behind for good.

There have always been teachings to the contrary that have crept into the church. As Paul noted in Romans 6:1-2, the idea was present that we should take God’s grace as a license to sin:

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin. How can we live in it any longer?”

Today, we apparently have a very large number of Christian teachers and lay people who have adopted this same mentality. When you boil it down, nearly every excuse for sin can be reduced to the belief that God’s grace can be abused. This is evident in a myriad of ways but allow me to point out a few of the common statements one might hear.

“It’s not about what we do; it’s about what Jesus did.”

“God doesn’t see me; He sees the Cross.”

“Everyone sins; we’re only human!”

“Christians are still sinners; we’re just forgiven sinners.”

The list could go on and on. While there are kernels of truth in statements like these—which is what makes them so devastating—the inevitable take away from them cannot be missed: It is acceptable to continue in sin.

If you really think about it, this is the destination that all these perspectives lead us to. In this article, I want to show many of the concrete examples from Scripture that refute this mentality and, thus, affirm that Christians are called to live holy lives: lives pleasing to God, and apart from continuous sin.

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Commands Against a Sinful Lifestyle

For starters, let’s recall Jesus’ statement to the woman who was caught in adultery: “Go, and from now on sin no more” (Jn. 8:11b). Why would Jesus tell the woman to leave her life of sin if it wasn’t expected (or even possible) that she did so? Was Jesus lying to her?

The apostle John made it clear that a lifestyle of sin is not acceptable among those who are “born of God”:

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 Jn. 3:8-9).

In Galatians, Paul discussed a litany of sinful lifestyles (or patterns) that will cause one to be condemned:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (5:19-21).

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians that there are no excuses to commit sin, as God does not allow us to be tempted beyond our own abilities to endure:

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (10:13).

James seconded this notion, saying:

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7).

In this, we see that sin is avoidable for those who have been born again; it is not, as many teach, something that is just part and parcel of being human.

Far too often are these passages (and others) either ignored or mutilated, to the person’s own peril. Our Satanic society has long excused, or even celebrated, sinful behavior. That’s not surprising, since it is run by “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4). The alarming thing is that many within the church are doing the same. Little by little, false teachings, feel good theology, and the ever-increasing rise of counterfeit “Christians” have overtaken the hearts of many and given them every reason under the sun to continue in sin.

As previously mentioned, this is done at the peril of many and at great cost.

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Sin has Dire Consequences

The “great cost” I am speaking of could not, in fact, be greater. Not only does sin destroy a person’s life, but it can destroy the lives of those around them. God knows this better than we do, which is why sinners have been (and will always be) punished. The OT is chock-full of examples where God destroyed groups or nations—including the Jewish people—for their many sins.

This can be seen in the accounts of the Great Flood (Gen. 7:17-24), Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:1-29), the entire generation of Israelites in the wilderness (Num. 14:29), Korah’s Rebellion (Num. 16:1-40), and in countless other places within the OT.

However, this has not changed because neither God nor sinful humanity has changed. The NT is equally clear in its message that God will punish the unrepentant sinner, whether in this life or the next (in many respects, both).

Let’s recall Ananias and Sapphira, who were struck dead for their sin. Peter explained the reason, just prior to their deaths:

“But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?” (Acts 5:3).

The author of Hebrews laid out the dire seriousness of sin perhaps more emphatically than anyone, saying:

“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” (10:26-29).

Clearly, a life of continuous sin “tramples underfoot the Son of God.” There no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. Do you see that persisting in a sinful lifestyle will lead to utter destruction?

Sin brought death and devastation into this world, and, because of it, all will die (1 Cor. 15:22a).

Worse, sin will also lead all who do not repent to suffer the “second death” (Rev. 20:14). That is, everlasting destruction in hell. I have written extensively about the nature of hell in this article, so please reference this to understand how dreadful this reality will be.

All this illustrates a critical reality—God hates sin. Let me repeat: God Hates Sin. Any theology or perspective that teaches otherwise is crudely heretical and needs to be thrown down:

“We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

If we do not uphold the belief that God despises sin—as Scripture clearly teaches throughout its pages—then we are left with nothing. The entire biblical narrative is predicated, in one way or another, on the certainty that God hates sin and that it must be destroyed.

After all, did Jesus come to save the world from the very problem that God created? As Paul would say, “By no means!” God is not the author of sin, but He certainly is its destroyer.

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Go and Sin no More

Notice that I have referred to a “lifestyle” or “pattern” of sin multiple times. Let me be clear about why I have done so.

Anytime we hear about the need to live a life apart from sin—which is increasingly rare these days, hence the need for this article—our alarm bells go off. “Is this person saying that we can never sin? That we can never morally fail, even on occasion?” In short, this is not what I or the scriptures teach. It is certainly possible for even the most committed believers to sin and fall short. However, what cannot be accepted is a lifestyle of continuous sin. What cannot be accepted is an excuse or rationalization to repeat our sins or persist in disobedience.

I believe this is precisely why John recorded the following words:

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:1-12).

We are commanded not to sin . . . but if we do . . . we can find forgiveness in Jesus Christ. This is indeed the Good News. This is the very reason why salvation is possible.

However, let’s not forget about the first part: we are commanded not to sin.

The one who continue in sin cannot be holy and, as the author of Hebrews tells us, we must be holy:

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

As Peter revealed by quoting Leviticus: “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16). This is why Jesus made the following command: “Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48).

I could continue, but I trust the point has been made.

In conclusion, all of us who genuinely follow the Lord Jesus Christ and are known by God should understand the task before us.

First, we must stop sinning. There are no two ways about this. If you are a liar, then stop. If you are involved in sexual sin, then stop. If you are a gossiper, slanderer, drunkard, whore or whoremonger, drug addict, and any of the like, then stop. If you display any narcissistic behaviors, then stop!

Yes, this not only can be done but must be done. We must repent (metanoeó)—meaning, to change our minds or “think differently afterwards.” We must think differently about our sinful behavior, such that we go the other direction and leave it behind. This involves taking our sin to Christ—our advocate—in prayer and then working with the Holy Spirit to leave it behind for good.

Second, we cannot teach others that sin is acceptable. As I have shown—and almost entirely through Scripture—sin is clearly not acceptable. It will not be tolerated and will ultimately be destroyed. We must check ourselves and be sure that we have not fallen in with either the world or the many false doctrines that make excuses for sin. Teaching others that sin is acceptable is, itself, most certainly a sin. Such a terrible deed results in a ripple-effect that goes in all directions and affects a great many people. Without question, there will be a price to pay:

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes” (Mt. 18:7).

The last exhortation I want to leave you with comes with urgency. If you are either stuck in a sinful lifestyle and/or are embracing doctrines that permit such a thing, then make today the day you repent. Repent, change your mind about your beliefs and behaviors, and walk the path of righteousness.

The Satanic Age has fully arrived, and the days are short. Go and sin no more.

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If you found this helpful, then you might also like my article, Am I Really Saved? In it, I describe how we can truly know that we are on the path to salvation.