What’s the worst that can happen?

If you remember, in my last post “I just can’t do it!” I wrote about the time when Jesus healed the man, who couldn’t walk, by the pool. I then went on to say that Jesus can heal us all too, from whatever we need healing from. It doesn’t have to only be a disability or illness, Jesus can heal us from our past trauma, addictions and bad habits. However when Jesus heals us, as Christians, apart from keeping our faith in Him as our Saviour and our only access to the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus asks us to do one other thing, this is to stop doing the same sinful actions over and over again.

The disabled man at the pool didn’t know the identity of the man who healed him at the pool, which allowed him to walk after 38 years. The man didn’t know that it was Jesus who healed him. However when the man with the healing powers found him again at the Temple, he immediately knew the identity of the man who made him walk again. The man knew it was Jesus talking to him because Jesus said to Him “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you” (John 5:14). 

Why did Jesus saying this one sentence make the previously disabled man go to the Jewish leaders and tell them that it was Jesus who healed him? It was because Jesus’ message when travelling around and preaching to people never changed. It was a consistent message of God’s kingdom, telling people why they need to love God and other people, sharing the good news of God the Father forgiving sinners and having a relationship with them through their salvation, telling people to follow Jesus in order to get their salvation and finally calling people to a personal transformation with Jesus’ help. 

The personal transformation part of Jesus’ previous messages is what would have stuck out to the man, during his very brief conversation with Jesus. As soon as he heard Jesus say to him “stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you”. He would’ve known that it matched Jesus' consistent message on repentance and the consequences of continuous sinning without repenting.

“The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him”  - John 5:13-15

The Greek for the word repent that is used in the Bible is “Metanoia”. Metanoia means a transformative change of heart especially around spiritual conversion. Therefore repent doesn’t mean regretting what you have done and carrying on anyway. It means changing your heart. Christians can only do this with the help of Jesus. This is so the transformed heart no longer wants to keep doing the same sin over and over again. God and the people in your life know when you have really repented because there is a change in aspects of your personality and how you live your life. You stop doing the thing or things that you know you weren’t meant to be doing. 

True change

When you have truly repented, God and others in your life see that you no longer only follow your own selfish desires. This is because they see you let God lead in the decisions you make.

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves” - Galatians 5:16

When you have truly repented, they see that you no longer always speak negatively, not constantly complaining, moaning or gossiping about everyone. This is because they now see you speak positively and not spreading gossip about others.

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” - Ephesians 4:29

 “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body” - Proverbs 16:24

“A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence”- Proverbs 11:13

When you have truly repented, they see that you no longer react with anger as a default to everything. This is because they now see you work on having patience. 

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” - Colossians 3:12

When you have truly repented, they see that you no longer give into your lustful thoughts, turning them to lustful actions with others. This is because they instead see that you have decided to honour God with your mind and body by choosing to be committed to one person emotionally and sexually in marriage.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

“This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one” - Genesis 2:24

“The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord” - Proverbs 18:22

“Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery” - Hebrews 13:4

When you have truly repented, they see that you are no longer greedy or jealous of what others have, including your friends and family! This is because they see that you have decided to work really hard to trust that God will provide what you need. 

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” - Philippians 4:19

When you have truly repented, they see that you no longer hold grudges towards people (this doesn’t mean you forget what they did to you). This is because they see that you have decided to really try to forgive people, like God forgave you when you didn’t deserve it. 

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” - Colossians 3:13

“Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”. “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven” - Matthew 18:21-22

When you have truly repented, they will see that you no longer let things become addictions. This is because they will see that you are really trying not to idolise items by being able to give them up.

If you can’t give up something and stick to it (whether it is overeating, comfort eating, gambling, drinking loads of alcohol, smoking, using social media for many hours days straight to get the latest celeb gossip, sex outside of marriage, binge watching Netflix, seeing a particular person as perfect (this can be sexually like your situationship or platonic like a pastor), listening to secular music with explicit, sexual or spiritually dark lyrics or anything else personal to you that you can’t stop) then that thing has become an idol to you.

The Bible says an idol is anything that you place at the same level as a god because you can’t give it up and you look to it as a source of comfort, direction or peace, instead of looking for all that from the one true God. God clearly says that we can’t have idols.

“You must not have any other god but me.“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind” - Exodus 20:3-4

“So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world” - Colossians 3:5

When you have truly repented, they see that you no longer let fear control you. This is because you have decided to try and live in faith over fear.   

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” - Joshua 1:9

Can’t stop sinning

So we know that repentance is a genuine transformation of someone’s heart and is shown in their actions. It’s not just them saying they have asked God to forgive them for their negative behaviour. So what does the Bible say about a Christian living in unrepentant sin, which is when:

1. they are either just going through the motions of repenting and saying they have, like a tick box, but not actually trying to turn away from the problematic behaviours and actions

2. or they aren’t even pretending to repent for any of it at all. They are just living their life doing the things that I listed above and more (I’m talking to some of you church going folks too… you aren’t off the hook! I know the saying “come to church as you are”, however you don’t stay as you are).

The Bible says:

“Anyone who continues to live in him [Jesus Christ] will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him [Jesus Christ] or understand who he is” - 1 John 3:6

“But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil” - 1 John 3:8

Consequences

So going back to the disabled man at the pool who Jesus Christ healed. In the very short conversation Jesus had with the man when he went to find him at the Temple, after Jesus healed him. Jesus told the man two things:

1. Stop sinning

2. Or something even worse may happen to you (John 5:14)

Jesus told the man that now he had healed him, if he didn’t stop sinning, then his life may be worse than when he had his illness. This must have been scary for the man to hear because he has just been healed of his debilitating illness. Then he was being told that if he didn’t use this opportunity to change his ways, then something worse could happen to him!

So what were the bad things that could have happened and can still happen to all of us if we don’t stop sinning?

The consequences of deliberate continuous sinning, as a Christian are:

1. Correction from God:

“For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child” - Hebrews 12:6

2. Spiritual death:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” - Romans 6:23

“Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies” - Hebrews 10:26-27

“And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.”” -  2 Peter 2:20-22

3. Separation for God:

“It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore” - Isaiah 59:2

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God” - Galatians 5:19-21

4. Physical illness: 

   
   

   For context in 1 Corinthians, Paul explains how the members of the church in Corinth were taking communion in an unworthy way. This was because some were using communion for a free for all, getting drunk, taking more bread than they should, humiliating the poorer members of the church and taking communion when they knew they hadn’t repented for their sins. As a result of dishonouring God, Paul told the Corinth church that this was the reason why church members were getting sick and some even dying. This was God’s judgement on them for their behaviour when they should have been honouring Jesus. However, if they had examined themselves and repented then God wouldn’t have judged them in that way.

“So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way” - 1 Corinthians 11: 27-31

How do I stop sinning?

If you have a reluctance to stop sinning then it’s linked to a deeper rooted issue, that with God’s guidance you will have to address head on. Addressing the deep rooted issue head on will allow you to heal and no longer want to sin. 

The things that you can’t stop doing, are linked to something deeper. The sinful action or bad habit is just the outward symptom of the deep rooted issue. So if you have been through trauma no matter how severe, then if left unresolved, it will come out in bad habits. 

Now trauma doesn’t have to be the extreme stories we hear in the news like child sexual abuse or a family member being murder. A traumatic event is if it was traumatic for you. Professionals say child trauma which is also called Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) can also include you being bullied at school, living in poverty, being in a car crash, parents separating, living with a parent who had a mental health illness or a parent who spent part of your childhood in prison. 

So if your trauma or traumas, in childhood or adulthood, have led to rejection issues, abandonment issues or issues with control due to previously lacking control in your life. Then if this trauma is not dealt with, then your mind and body stays dysregulated. When we are dysregulated, we struggle to manage our emotions. If we are dysregulated for a long time, it can have long lasting negative effects. The trauma and dysregulation has to come out of your mind and body. If it doesn’t come out correctly then it will come out through bad habits and sinful actions. 

So for your body to find regulation from past rejection and abandonment, whether that's from a parent, a friend or partner. You might seek "regulation" in comfort eating, which leads to overeating or you may be so fearful that you "regulate" by putting a strong guard up with everyone, not letting anyone in because you fear being abandoned again. You might have started smoking or drinking at a young age to fit in with the popular kids at school, to prevent more rejection in your life, and now drinking or smoking is an addiction. 

You might be trying to “regulate”, from being emotionally or physically distant from your mom or dad as a child, by seeking comfort from anyone who is willing to sleep with you. 

You might “regulate” the lack of control you had in childhood or adulthood, by controlling narratives through gossip and manipulation. This is because the humans in your life had control over your life and it was a bad experience. Therefore, you don’t let God take the lead in your life because you want to control the narrative to prevent bad things happening to you. 

You might have been raised to never show emotions and to avoid challenging conversations. Therefore, you don’t know how to release your emotions when you feel dysregulated due to challenges in your life. As a result, you might get your “release” from your dysregulation from watching porn. 

All these examples are just temporary “fixes” to regulate your mind and body. The regulated feeling never lasts and you will feel dysregulated again. So you then have to go back to the sinful actions to get “regulated” again and the vicious cycle continues. 

True regulation 

So how do you get your mind and body regulated so it lasts? You do it through:

1. Talking about your trauma: If you can afford it, this can be through a therapist. Some charities provide free counselling for certain traumatic events. If you are reading this in the UK and your trauma is affecting your mental health in a severe way, then you can go on the waiting list to get a number of sessions free on the NHS. 

If you aren’t eligible for free therapy and can’t afford private therapy. Then just talk to someone who you can trust. The Bible says that the truth will set you free. Jesus was saying that His teachings are the truth and following them will set you free. However, also being honest with someone you trust can also play a part in setting you free. This is because just talking about your past battles and traumatic experiences with a trusted person is the first step to feeling regulated. This will prevent you from burying the trauma, by turning to sin, to get regulated.

2. Get peace through Christ: Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. Before He went up to heaven, Jesus left a gift to all who believe in Him and repent for their sins. The gift is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us inner peace. This inner peace isn’t temporary, it is consistent and on-going. This peace doesn’t only come when someone is nice to you or you have had a good day. This peace doesn’t disappear when someone insults you, you’re made redundant or you get the diagnosis. If you feel that your peace does this, then you aren’t experiencing peace, you are experiencing the emotions of happiness and sadness, which are fleeting. 

The Holy Spirit comforts us, advocates for us, counsels us and gives us inner peace, even when everything around you is chaotic. So a sinful action, no matter how exciting, calming or releasing it is will never give you the lasting inner peace that the Holy Spirit gives you. 

So facing your trauma by talking about it with a trusted person, believing Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, asking God the Father for forgiveness, through Jesus and then turning away from your sinful actions, will give you the Holy Spirit within you. This will regulate your mind and body, give you inner peace and ultimately will transform your heart so you no longer want to do the same sin that you’ve been doing daily for years and then the main thing... you do actually stop doing it. 

Don't leave it too late

So why am I writing about all this? Because I care and want everyone to not be defined by their past trauma, so they can feel the true release of inner peace. Also I don’t want people to have their hearts hardened so much by being deceived by their bad habits and sin, that they become hardened to God. This is because once God decides that you have become so addicted to sin that you have become too hardened to God, then God will give you what you want. So if your actions show it isn’t Jesus and His teachings that you want, then God the Father will leave you to your “foolish thinking” (Romans 1:28) and let you do “things that should never be done” (Romans 1:28). He will give you over fully to Satan, in the hope that you use your free will to come back to Jesus before you die (1 Corinthians 5:5) because once you die it’s too late for Jesus to save you.

“You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God”-  Hebrews 3:13

"Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done" - Romans 1:28

“Hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns” - 1 Corinthians 5:5

Now if you go too far in your sin and hardened too much to God, then know that God will always welcome you back with open arms if you decide to truly repent. Now you might think “Oh then I have time to get right and God will welcome me back”. The thing is you don’t know when you are going to die. If you died today without transforming your heart, then it would be too late for God to welcome you back. Also, why wait until you are handed over to Satan while on earth, going through all the torment of dealing with the devil and his schemes, before you decide to really change and stop the sinful action that has a stronghold on you, when you can just decide to transform and change today, without God having to get Satan involved!