In saying, “Go and sin no more,” Jesus was not speaking of sinless perfection. No one is sinless.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Sinfulness is the general characteristic of all humanity; we are all guilty before God. We are sinners by nature and by choice.
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” Romans 5:6-9
Justification comes from the Greek word “dikaiósis,” which primarily refers to God declaring a sinner righteous, right with God, based on faith in Jesus Christ. The New Testament describes the process by which believers are made right with God, mature, or complete. It emphasizes the transformative power of faith and grace to become more like Christ as we grow and live through the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, who dwells in all who believe. In this life, we will always struggle with a sinful nature, meaning our desire to live by our flesh. No one will be “perfect” (sinless) until we leave this world and will be with Christ in Heaven.
The word translated “mature” in Ephesians 4:13 is the Greek word “teleios”. It is used throughout the New Testament to mean “perfect,” “complete,” “full-grown,” and “mature.” Ephesians 4:13 teaches that the more we grow in Christ, the stronger and more unified we will be as a church. The verse does not teach that we will stop sinning.
Another passage that people sometimes get confused about is Colossians 1:28, which says, in some translations, that Paul wants to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Also, in Colossians 4:12, Paul prays that we will “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” In both verses, the Greek word for perfect means “mature” or “full-grown,” not “having no sin.”
As human beings, we are bound by Adam’s nature in this world. No matter how hard we try not to sin, no matter how much scripture we know, we will still sometimes choose to sin against God. This is true for everyone. For example, the apostle Paul rebuked Peter for showing favoritism (Galatians 2:11–13). Late in his ministry, Paul called himself the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). Peter, James, John, and Paul all admitted they were imperfect. How could you or I claim anything different?
There are two instances in the New Testament when Jesus told someone to “sin no more,” and they were each under very different circumstances. The first is when Jesus healed an invalid by the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–15). Afterward, Jesus found the man and told him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you” (verse 14). Jesus knew what had caused the man’s condition. We don’t know the specifics of the man’s physical impairment, but the context implies that sinful choices caused it. Jesus warned the man that he had been given a second chance and should make better choices. If the man returned to his sinful behavior, he would have wasted the opportunity Jesus gave him to live whole and forgiven.
The second instance is in the account of the woman taken in the act of adultery (John 8:3–11). When the woman’s accusers brought her before Jesus, expecting Him to pronounce judgment, He told them that the one who was without sin should throw the first stone. One by one, the condemning crowd left. Then Jesus told the woman, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more” (verse 11). She had been caught and was guilty. She did deserve stoning according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). But the religious leaders who had dragged her there had no concern for holiness. They were trying to trap Jesus into saying that the Law did not matter (verse 6).
He was warning against a return to sinful lifestyle choices. His words both extended mercy and demanded holiness. Jesus is always the perfect balance of “grace and truth.” With forgiveness comes the expectation that we will not continue on the same path of rebelliousness against God and his plan for our lives. Those who know God’s love and choose to obey the Holy Spirit’s voice in them will naturally want to follow Christ and not their own desires that are against His best for us.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
Forgiveness is not cheap and does not excuse the sin that separates us from God. It cost God everything to take on the penalty of our sin, which is eternal death and separation from God. Although, as sinful humans, we will never be free of our desires to go our own way until we leave this world, we do have choices to follow our flesh or to follow our Lord and Savior.
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
The challenge for all of us is not to try to live a sinless life but instead draw close to the one who saved us from eternal darkness. He gives us choices to live life to the full with Him by reading His word, praying, and obeying his most excellent command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love others as you love yourself. To do this, we must choose to move from our self-centered “gimme” path that led us astray from Him to begin with and move with our mind, soul, and strength into a worshiping relationship, thanking Him for who He is and for all He has given us.
Psalm 100: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”