“Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: SIN NO MORE, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” (John 5:14 KJV)
There is no doubt that believers should strive to not sin. Sin has bad consequences. God still hates sin. However, read in context. Some are thinking if we sin the same sin again that we lose salvation because of this verse. We must remember context. In context of the Book of John, John 5:14 does not teach loss of salvation. Jesus said here “…SIN NO MORE, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” He did not say anything about losing salvation.
Also, what about what the other statements of Jesus that we read in the book of John? Jesus never contradicts Himself.
Earlier we read John 3,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18 KJV)
What about these statements as well?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24 KJV)
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:28-29 KJV)
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40 KJV)
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” (John 10:27-30 KJV)
The lesson of John 5:1-15 is that the crippled man believed an angel stirring the water would heal him. It is misplaced faith. We are not to give worship to angels but to God only. In context, this was the sin of this man Jesus says look…I healed you. No angel!! Do not do worship anyone but God. It is just like today where even pulpits preach religious rituals or traditions. It is misplaced faith and can result in the devils schemes for evil against the man.
We should not attribute the work of God to anyone other than Him alone. Apostle Paul warned that,
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8 KJV)
An angel may be an evil fallen angel of Satan ready to deceive you see? And he will scheme evil against you. We are not to worship angels as if they are God. This is the sin that Jesus was telling the man to stop doing. Otherwise something worse will happen. Satan will use it against him.
The lesson for us? Worship God. Trust only God to heal and for everything and every circumstance.
What does Jesus mean by this? Does this mean that we cannot enjoy anything in our life or we will lose salvation? Some are actually teaching this. Yet, to believe that as truth they would be ignoring COUNTLESS other Scriptures and even Jesus’ own words regarding Salvation and Justification with God by faith alone in Christ.
Let me state clearly that John 12:25 is not contradicting justification by faith alone. In fact, it is not even about our justification in Salvation.
As believers, are we living for the now or for our future with God?
This is a figure of speech. ‘Loving our life’ is all about this Earthly life and the NOW. Jesus stated , “Don’t lay up treasure on earth” (Matt 6:19). Living for only the NOW, with a focus on that as the main thrust of our living, is failing to serve Jesus. This life now is fleeting to say the least! Will your life be ended in the next seconds? Hours? Weeks? Could be in 2 seconds from now. The next verse in John 12 is Verse 26,
“26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” (John 12:25-26 KJV).
The person who “hates his life” is one who is living for the life to come. He/she understands that this life is fleeting, the Lord Christ Jesus is everything. They are believers who have a focus on the things of God, helping spread the good news of the Gospel of Salvation. Having good works FROM Salvation (not for). It is these who are obeying Jesus who stated that we should be laying up treasure in heaven, not Earth (Matt 6:20).
It is not that we cannot love things in our life right now on Earth. It is a figure of speech about our focus in life. As believers, we are in a race as Apostle Paul wrote and we should be focusing on this race for Christ and the Gospel preached. Sharing the Gospel. Supporting those who are. Helping the needy in love. Loving our enemies. Feeding the sheep. This is serving Jesus and will one day be honored by God.
Apostle Paul, talking about earning rewards once a saved believer gets to Heaven puts it this way,
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. ” (1 Corinthians 9:24 KJV)
At the Rapture Event, there will be a Judgment Seat for believers and Christ will REWARD the good deeds for the Gospel and loving others. It is not working for our Salvation nor working to keep our salvation. It is that “…without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a REWARDER of them that diligently seek him. ” (Heb. 11:6 KJV)
Righteousness Comes Not By Our Performance. Righteousness Comes By Faith In Christ Alone.
–
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (John 15:1-6 KJV)
A couple of things must be stated before we get into unpacking John 15 and the Parable of the Vineyard.
+ + + First,Jesus is speaking directly to the disciples, before the passion and Jesus’ crucifixion.
The Holy Spirit is not yet indwelling the disciples. We know this because Jesus said this,
“But WHEN THE COMFORTER IS COME, WHOM I WILL SEND UNTO YOU from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” (John 15:26 KJV)
So we know by this context that Jesus is speaking specifically to the disciples. In fact we see Jesus telling the disciples just prior to His going to the cross that they will be persecuted as He was because,
“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, THEY WILL ALSO PERSECUTE YOU; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because THEY KNOW NOT HIM WHO SENT ME.” (John 15: 20-21 KJV)
Jesus is telling the disciples what is going to happen TO THEM after He is crucified. Jesus knows what they will be going through in Jesus name, as ambassadors for Christ. This is a prophecy specially FOR THEM in John 15.
As with many prophesies, this also has meaning for us today who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. But we must be careful to understand the specific context addressing of the disciples who were NOT YET sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to indwell them. That came later at Pentecost AFTER Christ died on the cross and rose again. So Jesus is seen in John 15 encouraging them to keep on going and be patient in persecutions because the Comforter is going to come upon them.
+ + + Second, Jesus is telling the disciples in John 15 how to bear good fruit for the Kingdom. It is not about salvation of a believer in Christ.
The parable of the Vineyard can also be extended to us today in understanding how we can BEAR GOOD FRUIT FOR GOD and HIS KINGDOM and also what God does to help believers do just that. Jesus is talking about how a believer should bear fruit and how God helps a believer to bear good fruit. He is talking about a saved person (here specifically to the disciples) and He does this with an analogy that the people listening at the time He told it would understand very well; a vineyard. He starts with a parable of a vineyard and a vine. He is not talking about salvation nor damnation in hell of an unbeliever. He is talking to saved believers and this parable is all about fruit bearing in our lives. Fruit bearing for Christ and the Kingdom.
A tree is a plant that has a wooden based support structure for the leaves to flourish. It is interesting to note that a Vine is a plant with stems thatrequire support. A vine has a root but the stems must climbs up a tree or other structure. Without that outside support structure it will just lay over the ground and not be as productive in bearing good grapes. This is actually important knowledge for this parable as it is all about relying on the support Jesus provides a believer!
What is it that makes the vine look the way it does? What determines if a vine will bring forth healthy fruit or withered fruit? Or no fruit at all? Is it the stem? Is it the leaves? Is it anything externally on the tree at all? No. It is the health of the vine’s root. The part that is unseen and buried deep in the earth. What an amazing analogy Jesus is using here when we compare it to an actual vine plant.
“Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” (Matthew 12:33 KJV)
Jesus also spoke about a person in an analogy of a tree in Matthew 12 and this is comparing the unsaved person to a saved person. It mentions fruit bearing and some take this verse and then apply it to John 15. But we should not because the context is different in Matthew 12. God wants salvation and righteousness before God, not of our own works, but through faith in Jesus the Christ.
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16 KJV)
The bottom line is that we all have a problem with our hearts, which is our Spirit, our inner man, our “root” until we believe on Christ (John 3:18). It is all about the tree of knowledge of good and evil because we were all born into sin. So Jesus says that we need to “…make the tree good and its fruit good.” It is important to notice and understand that Jesus did not say to do good works which would be good fruit. Instead He says TO MAKE the “tree” (our root) good and by doing so our fruit would be good. Good fruit bearing is God within us flowing outward into our life. And that can only happen if a person has been born again by belief on Christ (John 3:14-18, Ephesians 1:13-14). God’s righteousness, which He made believers by belief on Christ, is the source of the good fruit Jesus is talking about in John 15. So the concept of bearing fruit in Matthew 12 and John 15 is pretty much the same; but John 15 is not about salvation.
John 15 Is Not About A Saved Believer Losing Salvation
John 15 is not about a believer losing Salvation as some pulpits are teaching these days. The truth is, by using proper context, John 15 is Jesus telling the disciples how to bear more fruit. And if we apply this to believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit today, how a believer bears good fruit as well. Before John 15 came, John 3:16, John 5:24, John 6:28-29, John 6:37-40, John 10:27-30 and the previous chapter John 14 where it is clear that Jesus tells us that Salvation is by belief and trust in Him alone.
For us on THIS SIDE of the cross event, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and sealed in salvation, so keep that difference in mind. Jesus made it clear to the Jewish believer’s during His Earthly ministry, that we are saved by believing that He is the foretold Messiah who has come at the appointed time. We are saved today for the same belief, but from the New Covenant side of the cross. In our current dispensation a believer is sealed from the very moment of belief on Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14) and salvation can not be lost. Before the cross the Holy Spirit did not INDWELL people and they had to keep believing in the foretold Messiah who would one day come and be the final blood atonement for the sins of the whole world.
Today we have more knowledge about this because we are on the other side of the cross and as Apostle Paul taught us that by believing Jesus is the Messiah, come as the Only Begotten Son of God, who never sinned, died for our sins on the cross for our sins and rose again, and that this BELIEF ALONE is the only thing God requires of us. That He will never condemn us or lose us as believers. And that no one can take us out of His hands! Jesus also made the promise to the Jews back then as seen in the previous passages in John that I have just mentioned, if they continue in belief on Christ. These Scriptures are in the very same book of John and are Jesus own words and it is the very context that must be used in interpreting John 15. To take one verse (verse 6) from John 15 and turn it into a believer losing Salvation is completely wrong by the book’s own context and Jesus’ own words.
John 15 Is About How A Believer Bears Fruit From The Spirit
In John 15, speaking to the disciples, Jesus tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches as believers. Now let us think about that for just a moment. For us today, from the very moment of our belief and trust on Christ to save us, we are SEALED by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) and our Spirit was recreated into the righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21). We have a new redeemed Spirit now as believers. We have a new root in our core being which is the Spirit. The Holy Spirit now indwells the believer forever and we are COMPLETE IN HIM (Colossians 2). Jesus becomes our new root and source of life. Jesus is one with the Father and Holy Spirit and we are IN CHRIST , also now one with God (John 17).
What Does Jesus Mean By The Word ABIDING in John 15?
This is very important to understand or you may not see the truth on what Jesus is talking about. Not understanding what the phrase ‘ABIDING IN CHRIST’ actually means is one reason some are teaching that John 15 is about a possibility that a believer can lose their Salvation today. Yet, that is just not the truth at all. The New Testament was originally penned in Greek and translated into the English Bible. When we look at the Greek this was penned we find Strong’s Concordance Number G3306 which matches the Greek word μένω (menō). This Greek word occurs 127 times in 105 verses in the Greek concordance of the King James Bible. By comparing the meaning with other passages using the same word, the meaning becomes more clear.
“And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there ABIDE G3306 till ye go thence.” (Matthew 10:11 KJV)
“And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there ABIDE G3306 till ye depart from that place.” (Mark 6:10 KJV)
“And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither ABIDE G3306 in any house, but in the tombs.” (Luke 8:27 KJV)
We can go on and on looking at such passages using the same Greek word and the meaning is very clear. Abiding is not a work we do to remain saved. That is the wrong teaching that seems to be rampant in many pulpits teaching the false ‘works for salvation gospel’ that is found in so many Christian Church Religions and Denominations today.
Abiding means where we live or where we stay. In John 15, Jesus is telling the disciples to live and stay in trusting Him. They were not yet indwelt by the Holy Spirit as we are. For us today, we can still apply this to ourselves because even more so, the Holy Spirit is indwelling believers today. Trust in Him as we go about working for His Kingdom. To live by The Spirit who God recreated us by belief on Him (John 3:18). To abide in HIM. Apostle Paul calls this ‘walking by The Spirit’ and not ‘The Flesh’.
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16-18 KJV)
Once we are born again in The Spirit (John 3:3), that is how we should be living. We have had a heart transplant at our very core of being, in our Spirit nature. Our old Spirit of Man nature (sin bent nature) DIED and has been reborn into The Spirit Of God (John 3:3, Romans 6, Colossians 2). We need to abide in Christ as our very life and support in order to produce good fruit from God to be used in love towards others. In order to Live in Jesus name as ambassadors for Him to the lost.
John 15 Verse By Verse, Watching The Context Carefully
Verse 2: Every Believer That Does Not Bear Fruit (John 15:2)
“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:…” (John 15:2 KJV)
This verse is not about fruit inspecting a person to see if they are saved or not as many are teaching today! Every branch ‘in me’, are already eternally saves believers. Those believers that do not bear fruit ‘He taketh away’. Some read this and believe it means God will take them away in judgment and condemnation but that is not so at all! The Greek word for this is airō. This is usually translated as “to raise up, to elevate, or to lift up”. Think about a field full of grape vines. Some branches of the vine may be slouching and even half in the dirt. Wind and tough times have this branch weary and weak, half covered and weighed down in the dirt. What does a person attending to the vines do? Cut it off? NO. This is common practice of a vine care taker and those not bearing fruit he will lift up off of the ground so that it takes to the nutrients better in hopes of bearing more fruit. He will prop it up with sticks to get more sun and nutrients from the vine root. This is all about God helping believers to bear more fruit! As believers, we sometimes receive miraculous help from God, the Vine care taker, in our time of need don’t we?
Verse 2: Every Believer That Bears Fruit (John 15:2)
“…and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” (John 15:2 KJV)
In the Greek, ‘purgeth’ is Strong’s G2508 and is defined as ‘to cleanse’. Such a branch (believer) is not laying in the dirt and God continually cleanses it so that it can bear even more fruit. This is where we want to be as believers and God is helping us to achieve that as our source and support and as our strong root.
Verse 3: Every Believer Is Saved and Cleaned (John 15:3)
“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3 KJV)
What are these words Jesus has spoken to them? Jesus has told the disciples so much truth during their journey with Jesus. By belief on Him as Messiah, they have been cleaned of their sins. Jesus is about to go to the cross for them and all of us! By context, the Words in the previous chapters in the book of John that Jesus spoke. Like John 3:14-18, John 6: 39-40, and the very previous chapter of John 14 which are all Jesus telling us that we are saved only by belief on Him and not by our works and Law of Moses following.
Verse 4 and 5: A Believer cannot do anything pleasing to God by living in The Flesh (John 15:4-5)
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: FOR WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING.” (John 15:4-5 KJV)
These two verses by context are very clear right? As a indwelt believer today, we too can choose to do good works with the wrong motive. Some believers believe they have to do good works to remained saved but that is not Biblical truth (read Ephesians 2:8-9 and Galatians 5:4-5). Good works are all good and we should be doing good works for God. But we are not to go off acting like we are our own vines. WE ARE BRANCHES! The point is the motive matters in bearing good fruit. Are we relying on our own effort in bearing fruit? Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches. As believers, we are not our own vine. We need to let God flow through us you see? A believer can do things by the wrong fleshly motives or they can live outwardly by ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16). If we act as a vine when we are a branch, we have no source of nutrients to bear any fruit that will matter. Doing so just cuts off God’s power working through us. Is such a person still saved? Yes. Again this is not about salvation; it is about fruit bearing. Yet, don’t we want God working through us and producing good fruit and helping others come to salvation through belief in Christ? We need the ‘sap’ from God. Bearing good fruit is about allowing God to bear good fruit for the Kingdom, through us. We must be humble and not boast about our good works because they are all God’s work. To bear good fruit for God is to trust and rely on Him and then good works will flow from the root , to the branches and to the leaves; and good fruit will grow.
It is also true that without a person believing on Christ for salvation, God is not indwelling them and not working through them to bear good fruit at all. They are more like a weed in the vineyard growing next to a vine. They are not bearing good fruit because they cannot. Their root is the Spirit of Adam and is a sin bent nature. It is their very nature to sin. This is the Spirit of Man that we are all physically born with since the fall in the garden. But when a person comes to accept the free gift salvation through belief on Christ, there root was replaced by God and they can start producing good fruit in their life because they have become IN CHRIST and Christ is IN THEM. It is the very life of God residing within their very core being.
Verse 6: A believer NOT Living By The Spirit of Christ (John 15:6)
This verse has caused massive confusion in the Christian community and led many to believe that Jesus is talking about losing Salvation. But the context is clearly not about salvation in John 15. It is about a believer’s fruit bearing. It is about Jesus telling the disciples to keep Abiding In Christ. That is, LIVING, IN CHRIST. For indwelt believers today, a believer not abiding in Christ is not living by the Spirit of Christ within us. This is a saved person living carnally just like the Corinthians were living. They were saved but walking more by The Flesh than The Spirit of God. The Flesh is all the wrong sinful thoughts in the mind left over from when our old, now dead Spirit of Adam was our core being. We now have The Spirit of God as our core being but our MIND is not yet fully renewed. This is why Apostle Paul taught we need to renew our MIND in Romans 12. Jesus also mentions it in his prayer for believers before the passion and cross event in John 17:17.
“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6 KJV)
Jesus says that those that do not live in the Spirit of Christ, will ‘wither’. In the Greek the word ‘wither’ is xérainó, meaning ‘to dry up’. They become dry and stale and so they do not bear any fruit at all. What happens to a branch not receiving nutrients from the source? It drys up. It withers. And eventually it is cast off, collected and burnt up as useless to bear good fruit. We need to walk by Christ in us. As Apostle Paul wrote, we need to “…Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). If we are a saved, Holy Spirit indwelt, born again believer and then we ignore the Spirit and live carnally, our works are useless for the Kingdom! Just as James said, such faith is DEAD, which in Greek is used as as analogy for useless.
What about the burned up part in John 15:6? Some are teaching that God will cut these believers off, they will lose Salvation and be burned for eternity in hell. But is that correct? NO. It cannot be because Jesus in John 14 talks about Salvation by belief on Him alone and John 15 is written to the disciples who definitely are BELIEVERS – not unbelievers. Look closely at the Scripture words Jesus uses in verse 6. It does not read like this,
WRONG: ‘and GOD WILL gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.’
That is the lie being taught by so many pulpits these days teaching this is about loss of Salvation. NO. NO. NO… it reads exactly like this,
CORRECT: “..and MEN GATHER THEM, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
Men! Not God!
Jesus is saying that not living in Christ will be looked at by the unsaved as a believer being a hypocrite. Their teaching and witnessing to others is withered as they are by how they are living. It will cause them to be useless for the kingdom. They are saved but their life is being played out by acting as vines and not branches. They are living carnally and without regard for fruit bearing in love towards others. Useless.
Jesus is simply using an analogy here of a well known thing to the Jewish people; and that is running a Vineyard. And this is exactly what they did with old withered and dried up branches. They cut them off so that they do not hurt the entire vine. It is NOTHING more than that. It is not about losing Salvation. Not everywhere in Scripture when the word ‘fire’ is used, is it all about condemnation in hell. In fact, what about in the upper room when tongues of fire were seen above the disciples heads? That was referring to the Holy Spirit. What about the burning bush Moses seen? So we must be careful about thinking that the word ‘fire’ only means hell in Scripture. We must look at context closer to see the truth.
Verse 7-10: Abide in Christ’s Love By Living By Christ’s Words and the Word of God (John 15:7-10)
“If ye abide in me, and MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that YE BEAR MUCH FRUIT; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: CONTINUE YE IN MY LOVE. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” (John 15:7-10 KJV)
This is such encouragement from Jesus. Live by the Spirit of Christ in us – not The Flesh. If Christ’s WORDS are living in our mind, they are changing our mind (the definition of repent for a believer) and they have replaced wrong fleshly beliefs. We live outwardly as we believe IN THE MIND. The more we read Christ’s words from the Bible, the more we will make better decisions and act in love toward others, bearing good fruit from God through us.
Christ is The Vine and we are The Branches. We need to live as branches today, just as Jesus instructed the disciples not yet indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and allow God’s love to flow through us to others. There should be no boasting in this and we need to be humble. For believers today, our old Spirit of Adam is DEAD. BELIEVE IT!
Walk in the new Spirit God made us when we were converted by belief on Christ (John 3:18, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 6, Colossians 2 and 3, 2 Cor. 5:17-21). If we live in Christ by the New Spirit He made us, we will bear much fruit and God will help us to bear more and more fruit! And the beauty is, each fruit we bear has many seeds. And each of those seeds produce more fruit! Amen! God will help us in bearing good fruit in our lives. He keeps our leaves clean and branches strong in the Lord. What a great God we serve!
Verse 11: John 15 is all about God Wanting Our Joy To Be Full – Not About Salvation Loss!
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, AND THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL.” (John 15:11 KJV)
Here we see Jesus encouraging the disciples because He knows what they are about to go through, severe persecution. This too can be applied to believers around the world today who are being persecuted for Jesus’ Name sake. Know where Jesus is taking us!
What Is Bad Fruit And What Is Good Fruit?
For believers today, we are born again in the Spirit and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Apostle Paul told us about good fruit and bad fruit.
The answer comes in Galatians 5 starting at verse 19.
(i) The Bad Fruit Of A Person…
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 KJV)
(ii) The Good Fruit Of A Person…
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, LET US ALSO WALK IN THE SPIRIT. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26 KJV)
The goal is to not make yourself look clean on the outside while we are full of sin inwardly, in our inner man and mind. We need to be clean inside and it will work it’s way to your outward man. But we can’t do this ourselves. We need Christ’s forgiveness of sins and we need to read the Word of God to renew our mind to God’s viewpoint, and the Holy Spirit also changes us from within.
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” (1 Peter 3:3-4 KJV)
God looks at us inside; not outwardly. It is not what you DO but the motives you have inside that He looks at. Your Spirit is the real you regardless what is happening outwardly. And we can align our own thinking to what the Holy Spirit is doing in us so that we will bear good fruit as we see in Philippians 4:8:
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK ON THESE THINGS.” (Philippians 4:8 KJV)
Rest in God
Allow Christ to change us from the inside out, through the true vine; Jesus Christ. And in time, we will bear the good fruit of God. And it will be our joy, the joy Christ wants for us! Love one another just as God loves and loved you in the blood sacrifice for sins through Christ Jesus. Abide in the words of God. Abide in the words of Jesus and we will learn to say as Paul and the writer of Hebrews also wrote,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16 KJV)
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Hebrews 4:1 KJV)
Jesus said, “15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 KJV)
#1: Jesus Was Not Referring To The Ten Commandments
Watching the context closely in John, it is clear that Jesus was NOT referring to The Ten Commandments, nor the whole Law of Moses. Jesus was most definitely not referring to the Law of Moses because He has already FULFILLED those as we see in the next chapter. Remember that chapters were not part of the original writings. They were added for our referencing later. It is to be read as one continuous writing and we see in John 15:
“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” (John 15:10 KJV)
Notice the words Jesus uses here. He is showing TWO DIFFERENT sets of commandments. We are to abide in JESUS’ COMMANDMENTS. During Jesus’ life, under the Old Covenant, Jesus had to be sinless and that meant that HE had to keep ALL THE LAW OF MOSES, a feat no human has ever done without fail. He had to keep them all so that He could be the ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD (1 John 2:2). Jesus kept His Father’s Commandments (The Law) perfectly.
Now once Jesus died on the cross, the New Covenant REPLACED the Old Covenant. Jesus’ >NEW< commandments under the New Covenant is found a chapter before in John 13:34-35 KJV:
“34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35 KJV)
The context of a chapter earlier makes it clear that these are the commandments Jesus’ is speaking about HIS NEW COMMANDMENTS. Jesus says this because if we love each other, not as the world loves, but as Jesus loves us, then we too fulfill the law through love. Our NEW SOURCE is the Holy Spirit within. Walking by the newly created Spirit in us after Salvation,
will we want to murder?, Will we want to covet, steal etc.?
Look at this Scripture in Romans 13:10 KJV:
“10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
#2 This Scripture Should Not Be Taken As A Threat Of Loss Of Salvation
Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 KJV)
Notice that Jesus did NOT say, ‘You must keep my commandments if you love me.’ Nor did Jesus say, ‘You must keep my commandments to remain saved’. Yet, I see some believers stating that is what this verse means. TO make this statement o Jesus to mean either of these is to ignore proper context. This is actually very important. Jesus was very clear when He spoke and how He spoke matters. We need to watch how He states things very closely.
In Ephesians 2:8-9, Apostle Paul made it clear that Salvation is not of ourselves nor our works. Our Salvation does not rely on our self righteous efforts in being a good person nor by not sinning. Yes, we should avoid sinning. Of course! But is being legalistic and Law keeping the way to not sin? Absolutely NOT! Using Law keeping to make you saved and keep you saved is a belief headed for complete failure. Thinking this statement by Jesus, in John 14:15, is a threat of loss of Salvation is to hear these words in a very legalistic way, based on our own efforts to keep us saved. It is no different than relying on keeping the Law of Moses to justify us before God and Apostle Paul is clear that the truth is the opposite!
“Knowing this, that the law is NOT MADE FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,” (1 Timothy 1:9 KJV)
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED in his sight: for by the law is the KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.” (Romans 3:20 KJV)
“Moreover the law entered, that the offence MIGHT ABOUND. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” (Romans 5:20)
“The sting of death is sin; and the STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW.” (1 Corinthians 15:56 KJV)
What does Jesus mean by this then? If one only reads this one verse, yet ignores the rest of the book of John they can be very wrong in their interpretation. If you read just Chapter 13 and 14, then this verse in John 14:15 become much clearer.
Earlier in John 13:34 we see Jesus state this,
“A new commandment I give unto you, ++ That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34 KJV)
And if you continue reading into Chapter 14, just before He states verse 15, you see Jesus say this,
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
Two key commands Jesus gave in John 13 and 14 and these are precisely the commands Jesus is referring to in John 14:15.
#3 KEEP VS OBEY : NIV Translation Has It Wrong.
Corrupt new modern Bible versions have added to the confusion regarding John 14:15 because they mistranslated.
John 14 New International Version (NIV):
“23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will OBEY my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
John 14 KJV/NASB:
“23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will KEEP my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him”
John 14:23 New American Standard Bible (NASB):
“23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will KEEP My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”
The NIV has it wrong. The word is KEEP….NOT OBEY! And no, it is not the same meaning. How do we know that? Look at the Greek:
The word TO KEEP in both Hebrew and Greek does NOT mean “to obey” or “do”.
The Hebrew word for KEEP IS ‘Shamar’ in the KJV, NKJV, and NASB Bible translations and means ‘to keep, to observe, to take heed to, to preserve, to be a watchman, and to regard.’
The Greek word for KEEP is ‘teereo’ and means ‘to keep, to guard, to watch, to preserve, to reserve, to take care of, to keep watch over, and to hold fast.’
“Consult all the Greek Lexicons you wish. Take a good look at Moulton and Milligan, Thayer’s, Vines, Liddell and Scott or the Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich Greek lexicons. They all list the meanings of this Greek word teereo as “to keep, to preserve, to observe, to give heed to, to guard, to hold, to not lose, to protect, to hold firmly” but not one of them lists “to obey” or “to do” as being one of the definitions of this Greek word. ”
(Quoted from Will Kinney at http://brandplucked.webs.com/tokeepvstoobey.htm)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 KJV)
Many people think this verse is saying that we must continually ask for forgiveness of sins we commit after our moment of belief on Christ and after receiving the free gift of Salvation through Christ, or else they will lose Salvation. But is this true? The answer is an emphatic, no.
It is important to understand that the context of John’s letter is to thwart a heresy that false teachers were trying to get true believers to accept. This heresy is called Gnosticism. This is the sin that John is referring too in his letter. Those believing this heresy.
Gnosticism in incompatible with Biblical Christianity because Gnostics do not believe that a person can be born again through Christ. They deny that we are saved because Christ died in our place and took on the punishment for our sins but instead rely on extra Biblical ‘secret knowledge’ they say has been imparted to them as if they are special somehow. The Gnostics believed that there was no such thing as sin and that we do not sin. This was a big heresy in the early church and is being shown as false by John.
The Gnostics teachings were causing fear in some of the believers and had them questioning their faith on Christ alone for Salvation. Another of the Gnostics claims was that Jesus did not really come in the flesh and that Jesus was not God. John puts an end to that argument from the get go stating very clearly Jesus was real and did come in the flesh! John says WE HAVE SEEN WITH OUR EYES and TOUCHED WITH OUR HANDS. They had first hand knowledge. They seen and touched Jesus when He rose fro the dead. John puts an emphatic end to the belief of the Gnostics that Jesus was not here in the flesh as the Son of God that died and paid for our sins and rose again.
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
(1 John 1:1-3 KJV)
John then goes on to keep destroying the beliefs of the Gnostics and to eradicate the fear it brought to believers of Christ stating he is writing this for the believer’s so that their JOY MAY BE FULL. John seeks to restore their full belief and assurance in Christ alone for their Salvation.
“And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:4-7 KJV)
Another good point here is to acknowledge that John is not only addressing believers in this passage as many believe. In fact, he is addressing the Gnostics and believers with emphasis to having Gnostics change their mind (repent) of their wrong beliefs and for believers to keep full assurance of their Salvation. The use of the word WE here does not mean it is believers only. Why? Let me give you an example:
Your best friend is about to steal something from a store. You see trouble. You say to him, “Hey brother, WE do not want to do that. It is wrong and could send you to jail and wreck your life.” Now, were you going to steal or was your friend the one doing something wrong? You were right and he was wrong….right? So why use the word WE? It is something people do to be gracious. That’s what is going on here in 1 John 1. John is telling the Gnostics they are wrong and the believers to keep their assurance of Salvation. This message benefits both believer and Gnostic. We know John is also addressing Gnostics because we read, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:“. What is John saying here? He is addressing the Gnostics who are saying they are saved but are not believing in the fact they have sin nor that Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world on the cross. They think they are living in light but they are living in darkness, without light.
The key to understanding this passage of Scripture is in the understanding what it means to walk in the light and walk in the darkness. John is giving a comparison here to be sure that the one reading he letter is confident that they are truly saved. He uses the contrast of dark verse light to achieve this.
+ Walking In The Light
Jesus is the ‘light of the world’ (John 8:12) and so walking in the light is simply believing on Christ as your Savior. Believing that we have sins. That the sins have to be paid for and punished. That God became flesh in the person of Jesus The Christ, died on the cross, paying for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) and then rose from the dead. That all who believe this by faith and belief have all their sins forgiven.
Apostle Paul makes the Gospel very simple when he wrote to the Corinthian church,
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV)
This is the Gospel of the Grace of God through Jesus Christ. A person is walking in the light from the very moment they became born again by belief in Christ alone for Salvation which is not of ourselves nor works of any kind (Ephesians 2:8-9).
What if a believer sins? Well , he is a person walking in the light yet sinned. The believer is still in the light. Why? Well when we go to 1 John 2:12 (KJV) we read, “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you FOR HIS NAME’s SAKE.” We see in Hebrews this is supported as well where it states clearly that “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL.” (Hebrews 10:10 KJV) and in Colossians that we are (present tense) COMPLETE IN CHRIST (Colossians 2:10). Should we just ignore our sin then? No. We strive to not sin. But the point here is that those walking in the light are those who acknowledge they have sin and confess (agree) with God they are sinners and by faith in Christ alone in HIS finished work on the cross, atoning for our sins, and by His death and His Resurrection, we are freed from the debt of our sins as believers. 1 John 1:9 is NOT saying we need to confess every sigle sin or a sin is not forgiven. Not at all.
+ Walking In Darkness
This is the state of every person who has not yet accepted the free gift of Salvation through Christ. They walk in darkness because they have not come to the knowledge of the TRUTH in Christ and accepted the free gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is not dwelling in them nor guiding them.
The Gnostics were saying they were saved people, yet they were walking in darkness because they did not believe that we sin nor that Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, who is God, came in the flesh and died for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD – ALL SIN FROM ALL OF TIME (1 John 2:2). They said they were saved but the Holy Spirit was not even indwelling them. This is still going on today! False religions claiming they are saved people as members, but they are walking in darkness. Such as Scientology, for just one example.
This is why the teaching of falling in and out of Salvation is completely wrong when reading 1 John 1:9. A person is only saved by the Grace filled free gift of God through Christ’s atonement for sin or they are living and believing they require good works and never sinning. It cannot be both! In John 3, Jesus is very clear and simple about how a person is forgiven of their sins and saved for all eternity and the word ‘good works’ nor ‘sin’ is not mentioned.
“He that BELIEVETH ON HIM is not condemned: but he that BELIEVETH NOT is condemned ALREADY, because he hath not BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)
Apostle Paul also acknowledges this truth stating,
“For by grace are ye saved THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT OF GOD: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
Many teach that they must CONFESS their sins after Salvation or they will not be forgiven sins not confessed. The thing is John NEVER STATES THIS in 1 John 1, even if a pulpit is teaching that falsely. 1 John 1 is about encouraging the believers that the Gnostics teachings are completely FALSE and showing the Gnostics they are flat wrong thinking they are saved without Christ. Yet, they read the word ‘CONFESS’ in Scriptures as if it means to ‘ASK FOR FORGIVENESS’ but that is not how the Bible defines the word ‘CONFESS’. A believer’s sins were COMPLETELY forgiven and the Holy Spirit comes and indwells the person from the very moment of belief as we see in Ephesians where we read,
“In whom ye also trusted, AFTER that YE HEARD the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that YE BELIEVED, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the EARNEST (don: means guaranteed down payment) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV)
Again here we see the word BELIEVE as the way to be saved just as in John 3 when Jesus Himself stated so. Peter says the same things to the Jews when he told them that they crucified Christ and that HE was really the Lord God. It ‘pricked’ them in their hearts because once they realized this as truth, some were very sorry and fearful. Peter says to them,
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Then Peter said unto them, Repent (Added for Greek meaning: change your mind), and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Act 2:36-39 KJV)
We need to use the correct Biblical definition for the word ‘confess’. The Greek for the word ‘confess’ in the New Testament is ‘homologeō’ and has a meaning of ‘to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent’. To confess is to agree with God that you did and have sin. We know all our sins were already forgiven, even our future sins because all sins are future to the cross. When we confess, we basically say to God, ‘God.. I blew it again and sinned. Thank you for your amazing grace and for already paying for this sin on that cross for me. I have remorse about this sin. Please help me stop this by the Holy Spirit.’ Do you think that is a prayer that God will honor? Yes, He will. This is proper belief and gives all the glory to God where it belongs! The process of our Sanctification takes time. In fact, a lifetime! Yet we are still saved by the grace of God through our BELIEF on Christ alone.
Look how Paul uses the word ‘confess’ in Romans 10 KJV where we read,
“That if thou shalt CONFESS with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt BELIEVE in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man BELIEVETH unto righteousness; and with the mouth CONFESSION is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever BELIEVETH on him shall not be ashamed.“
We also need to use the correct Biblical meaning for the word ‘repent’ as well, which means ‘ change your mind’ in the Greek. It is not Biblically defined as the modern dictionary states. It does not mean ‘turn from your sin’ nor ‘to be penitent’. Yes, we should turn from our sins and I am not saying otherwise. The Holy Spirit will convict us to. The reading of the Word of God for the renewing of our mind will also. Our newly created Spirit wars with our flesh for us to turn from our sins. Perfectly? Not yet. It is a real struggle! (Romans 7) However, we cannot have sinless perfection until our bodily resurrection when the sin nature will no longer exist within us. However, the definition of the word ‘repent’ in the Bible is not ‘turn from your sin’; it is ‘change your mind’. By changing our mind about sins we should be turning from sin but the repenting is not the turning from sin. The turning from sin is a result of repenting; that is changing of mind. And Apostle Paul tells us to renew our mind by the Word of God.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2 KJV)
I hope this helps to clarify 1 John 1:9 by using the proper context.
In John 8, we see a scene where a woman was caught in adultery and the Scribes and Pharisees were going to stone her which is what the Law Of Moses says should happen to such a person. These men thought that they could trap Jesus in His own words as they feared the loss of power as so many were flocking to belief in Jesus. So the Pharisees sought to exposure Jesus as a fraud.
“And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” (John 8: 3-9 KJV)
In response to their trying to trap Jesus in His own words Jesus started to write something with His finger on the ground. This passage does not say what Jesus was writing with His finger for these men to see but one could speculate that His response in words to them likely has a big clue. “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.”
It is likely that Jesus was writing down sins that the Pharisees and Scribes had committed themselves but were not punished for by the Law of Moses. Jesus was showing them their own sins and now, whoever among you is without sin to go ahead and cast the first stone at the woman. Jesus knew none would do so. They could see their own sin. How could they stone the woman?
And another couple of interesting thoughts about this scene. One is the question, where is the man she committed adultery with? Because the Law of Moses demanded He too be put to death. Yet, he is no where to be found. Another is where it states ‘being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last:‘. Why does it state ‘begginnig at the Eldest’? If you think about it, they have lived longer and have also sinned more! And they recognize how hopeless not sinning at all really is. Anyway, a couple of interesting observations to see. It is clear that the motivation of the Scribes and Pharisees really had little to do with the woman caught in adultery. They brought her to Jesus to accuse Jesus Himself! The Scribes and Pharisees simply wanted to discount Jesus and be able to accuse Him and shut Him up. They feared the popularity Jesus was gaining with the people.
These same Pharisees and Scribes were the group that Jesus said this about:
“O generation of VIPERS, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12: 34-36 KJV)
He called them VIPERS out for the kill. Coveting for money and instilling fear to accomplish this. And then we see Jesus get quite upset at these religious leaders in Matthew 23:
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 23: 29-39 KJV)
Look at those TOUGH TOUGH words of Jesus! We see here clearly just how much God hates religion! Religion is man working their way through self righteous deeds to be justified with God. But that is the sin of PRIDE, the same sin that caused Lucifer (the shining angel closet to Gods throne) to become Satan (our adversary and hater of God and humans). And more than that, these leaders were coveting for money and power to control the people. Just as Jesus warned Israel, in 70 AD, the Jewish people were dispersed into other nations.
“When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, LORD. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
(John 8: 10-11 KJV)
These are the verses of this scene where some are teaching that we must not sin or we may lose Salvation. Or others teach that we must ask forgiveness for every sin after Salvation or they are not forgiven. However, a close examination of the specific words and how they are arranged shows a different truth.
Here are some points that I see by looking closely at the words:
1. She called Jesus LORD.. not Rabbi, not prophet. She already believed that Jesus was LORD; the prophesied Messiah to come, God in the flesh as the Torah foretold as that is how she addressed Him.
2. Which came first ? Did Jesus say Sin no more and then I will not condemn you ? (works salvation) Or did Jesus first say NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU.. go and sin no more? (Salvation by faith alone) Go and sin no more or she will be condemned and lose Salvation? No. Go and sin no more so you do not have to deal with the consequences of the sin like she almost just got stoned for. Jesus first said He does not condemn her. The word condemn here in the Greek it was penned in Strongs concordance is: κατακρίνω from G2596 and G2919 and is defined as to judge against, i.e. sentence:—condemn, damn.
Jesus is saying He does not condemn her to punishment in physical death and hell. He says this first. And then He says to go and sin no more. In essence Jesus is saying to this woman that You are forgiven and saved (because she believed Christ was the Messiah and God) and no longer condemned and now go and live a Godly life.
That is picture of the Gospel Of Grace. REPENT and BELIEVE (change your mind about your sins and how you plan to pay for them and BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ and Messiah-God in the flesh who paid your sin debt and you shall be saved.) and then live Godly to the best of your ability.
“And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15 KJV)
That is how I see it through the Gospel of Grace that Paul taught. Salvation and justification is a gift to be received without good works, nor religious rituals, nor not sinning as requirements. After we are saved we should be renewing our mind by the word of God (see Jesus prayer for believers in John 17) and the Holy Spirit guides and sanctifies us by the Word Of God.
“Sanctify them through thy truth: THEY WORD IS TRUTH.” (John 17:17 KJV)
Eventually, as we grow in the Word Of God and our mind is renewed we see things through God’s view and He places desires in our heart to accomplish good works that He sets before us. For Salvation? For our justification with God? NO. We are already saved and justified by faith alone in the only atonement for our sins; Christ who shed His blood and was crucified on the cross to pay for our sins. After Salvation is it more about conforming to the image of Christ.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ” (Romans 12:2 KJV)
“For by GRACE are ye saved THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
