Lord’s Day, Vol. 6 No. 36
Sin No More
Hear the words of Jesus to the infirmed man at the Temple, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” (John 5:14)
These words provide a grim reality of the devastation of sin since the Fall of man at the Garden of Eden. The curse of sin upon mankind is the cause of physical diseases and eventually death. What a sad state of helplessness and hopelessness if the curse of sin cannot be lifted. The curse of sin was lifted for this impotent man lying by the pool in Bethesda when he met Jesus that day. He has been plagued with thirty-eight long years of weariness and pain, an unbearable state of constant suffering. [JC Ryle]
That freedom from the bondage of sin must cause him to be grateful and choose wisely not to meddle with sin. Jesus says to him, “… sin no more, lest a worse thing come to thee.” Jesus speaks here of God’s future judgment that comes in this man’s life if he chooses to go the way of sinners again. It is a stark warning to cherish his freedom and yield not to temptation. In other words, may the fear of God cause him to depart from evil all the rest of his days on earth.