“See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worst thing come upon you.” This was the charge that Jesus Christ gave the man he healed man by the pool of Bethesda. Can anybody imagine anything worse than being plagued with an incurable infirmity that rendered one incapacitated, stagnated, useless, helpless and wasting away for thirty-eight years?
There is every possibility for many to see this charge, “see, you have been made well. Sin no more, so that a worst thing does not happen to you” as only applicable to the individual spoken to, yet it is not. This admonishment is a very important one applicable to all true believers; all that have met Jesus Christ and have embraced God’s gracious salvation that they totally avoid sin, so that more terrible afflictions/bad experiences than what they experienced before embracing God’s gracious salvation do not happen to them.

True as it were, through God’s gracious salvation by Jesus Christ, believers (those who put their faith in Him and His finished works on the cross of Calvary) have received by forgiveness of sins (Acts 10: 43; Romans 4: 6-8; Colossians 1:14). They have passed from spiritual death to spiritual life-eternal (John 3:16; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 5: 11; 1 John: 3:14). They have passed from power of sin to the power of the Lord (Romans 6:17-23) and from the dominion of satan to the dominion of God (Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:13). They are in new personal relationship with God as sons (John 1:12; Romans 8:16-17; Galatians 3:26) and are rescued from the penalty of sin (Romans 1:16; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 1:18). They are new creatures created after God in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4 : 24; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3: 9-10). After salvation, it is expected of Christians to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. This is because Christ gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquities and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2: 11-14).

However, Jesus knowing that there is possibility for the healed man/believer to relapse in faith due to careless living and not being mindful of the powerful forces capable of leading one to sin around him gave the healed man at the pool that charge. These powerful forces are:
(i) The World: believers are still living in this sinful world described as lying in wickedness, 1 John 5:19. The world it controlled by satan and exists independent of God. Many things of the sinful world such as the worlds ideas, morality, music, governments, culture, education, entertainments, mass media, religion, sports, philosophies, science, art and medicine are under the influence of satan and are in opposition to God and His righteous standards.
(ii) Satan the untiring evil and wicked impostor, the arch-enemy of man’s soul is still very much around in the world going about with his bag full of lies, temptations, old tricks, deceits looking for who to devour (2 Corinthians 11:13; 1 Peter 5:. He does not act alone but with his cohorts and human agents
(iii) The Flesh: Believers are still having the fallen nature of humans that predisposes them to sin and makes them leave out God in their lives. The flesh is always at war with man's spirituality (Romans 8: 6-8,13; Galatians 5:21 Galatians 5:19 -21). According to 1 John 2:26, Satan influences the flesh to resist the believers enslaved to old habits and sinful ways using the enticing things of the sinful world in three aspects to create open hostility to God and His people.
(a) The lust of the flesh- impure desires, sinful pleasures and sensual gratification 1 Corinthians 6:18; James 1:14; Philippians 3:19.
(b) The lust of the eyes - coveting or lusting for things that are attractive to the eyes but are forbidden by God (Exodus 20: 17; Romans 7:7).
(c) The pride of life – the spirit of arrogance, pride and self sufficient independence that does not recognize God as Lord,. to seeking to exalt, glorify and promote oneself as the center of life.

Jesus gave this charge secondly, because of the complex nature of sin in itself which makes it easy for one to commit knowingly and unknowingly. Sin is just a little deviation from the right thing, thereby making it very easy to fall into without realizing it. Sin is subtle yet powerful in the sense that it looks harmless on the surface; yet has a very strong grip on its victim, it pulls down. One small sin leads to another. Sin fascinates, it entices, it trills and it has sweet feelings, yet it is addictive. It is a dragnet satan uses to lure people. Sin most times has sweet feeling yet is a slow potent poison that gradually and systematically spreads and destroys the immune system of the body, spirit, soul and life of man. It is harmful, it is deadlier than AIDS, consumes than cancer and its end result is eternal damnation. It is a snare, a trap and an evil projection secretly laying in wait for its victim. It assassinates, the wages of sin is death. Below are the definitions given to sin in the Scripture;

The Bible defines it in several ways such as in 1 John 3:4, sin is defined as, “the transgressions of the law”. Talking about the law, the Lord God has given us ten commandments to observe and keep as recorded in Exodus 20:3-17. Any break or deviation from one of these is not only a break of that particular sin, but also a contravention of all the other laws (James 2:10) “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all”.
“A high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked is sin” (Proverbs 21:4). In Proverbs 14:21, we have it that,“He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth.” Proverbs 10:19 contributes to this, “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”
Proverbs 24:9 have this to add to the definition of sin: “The thought of foolishness is sin.”
The Bible in Romans 14:23 says, “...whatever is not of faith is sin,”
In James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
“Every act of unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17).
Last but not the least, Jesus gave this charge to save the believer from the grave consequences going back to sin might cause.

CONSEQUENCES OF SIN
The Bible contains stories of believers who despite their relationship with God continued in sin as well as the consequences that they faced for their sins. They are written for us to learn from to avoid their mistakes, 1 Corinthians 10: 11. We shall study the life of Samuel to learn more about some of the consequences of sin on the believer. The story of Samson is recorded in Judges Chapters 13 to 17.
Samson was an individual that could be said to have operated under God’s special anointing and grace. His conception was divine and with instructions to his parents on how he should be brought up, Judges 13: 5,7, 24-25. Samson was one of the judges of Israel. He was a Nazarite, a man separated for God unto holy living and services for life, Numbers 6: 1-8; Judges 13:7. He was a man of physical powers and endowed with the Spirit of God Judges 13:24-25; 14; 6, 19; 15:14.

SINS OF SAMSON
Samson as a Nazarite for life and one destined to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines was supposed to be a man totally devoted and committed to God and His people in addition to being an example for others to emulate. As such, he was expected to live a life of holiness, sanctity, and commitment. He must not shave his hair, drink or eat anything made of the vine tree for life or any unclean thing. He must live in the midst of the people of God, marry from among them and must not come near any dead body be it of man or animal, Numbers 6:1-8.
However, he took the grace upon his life as a license to live carelessly and he sinned in the following areas:
(a) As a Nazarite, self-denial and love for God was supposed to be his lifestyle. However, he chose to pursue his own interest, emotions and desires.
(2) He disobeyed God’s commandments on mixed marriage, Exodus 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3. All the women in his life were non-Israelites Judges 14:2-3; 16:1, 4.
(3) He disregarded his parent’s God-given instructions on how he should live as a Nazarite in total dedication and commitment to God, in self denial and personal purity all the days of his life. He ate unclean food (honey found inside the carcass of the dead lion he killed and defiled his body by contact with dead bodies, Judges 14: 8-9; 19.
(4) As a Nazarite and a judge over Israel he was expected to stay and be in the midst of his people however He was found of going to the Philistines' side outside God’s designated place.
(5) He misused God's gifts and empowerment for personal gain and advantage.

CONSEQUENCE 1:
Sins create openings for satanic to invade and attack. Luke 11: 24-26. If he had stayed within his place of jurisdiction, he wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of all the strange women that caused him great pains, afflictions and his life. God’s unbreakable hedge of protection is upon the lives of His children and all they have, keeping them safe from Satan and all his works. Satan/demons cannot force their way into any believer’s life and attack as Satan himself testifies in Job 1:10. Satan couldn’t attack Job and had to seek for God's permission to do so because Job was a righteous man, Job 1:1. However, sin in the life of anyone breaks and creates an opening for satanic invasion and attack. Sin is Satan's property and it attracts satan to anywhere it is. Satan could not enter and operate in Jesus' life because there was no sin found in Him, John 14:30. Jesus was Holy and without sin. Samson’s love for self-gratification was his undoing. “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins” (Proverbs 5:22).

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