John 5: Sin

John 5: The Sabbath
John 5: 1-17  The Savior
John 5: Suffering

John 5: Society

John 5: Sin

John 5: The Scriptures

John 5: The Son pt1
John 5: The Son pt.2

We've gone through John 5 a number of times, finding different perspectives that reveal the various color threads woven together.  Untangling the individual threads that come together in this one passage, we want to trace them through other passages to get an idea what that one thread reveals about the character of God, the nature of man, and the implications on us as we believe.

Read John 5:1-17.  Look again at verse 14.  What would you imply was the source of the man's infirmity?

Read  Matt 9:6, Mark 2:7ff, Luke 5:21ff. What is the difference between those situations and this man's experience?   By the fact that He healed him, was He also forgiving the sin that was the source of it?

Can you have an infirmity that has nothing to do with your sin?  Can you have an infirmity that is the result or consequence of your sin?  Give examples. Can you be forgiven a sin that led to infirmity and yet not be healed of the infirmity?  Why or why not?


What is the definition of sin?

What is the source of sin?

Did the man sin after Jesus healed him and he went and told the church leaders about Jesus (which led to Jesus' persecution)?

Read James 1:13-16.  What are the steps in the process of sin?

Read John 8:34. What is the result of someone sinning? What becomes of them?

Read Romans 1:18-34.  Is sin the cause of dishonor to God or the result of it?  Explain

Read John 3:16.  Why did Jesus come into the world?  Read John 3:17 why didn't Jesus come into the world?

Is sin doing something wrong against God's commandments?  If God's commandments are a description of His character, (God is truth, therefore thou shalt not bear false witness), how else would you describe sin in context of the commandments?

Do I lie and therefore become a liar, or am I a liar and therefore I lie? If someone tells you a lie, what do you call them? If someone steals what do you call them?  If someone cheats on their spouse, what do you call them?  If someone takes someone else's life maliciously, what do you call them?  If someone takes God's name as a curse word or uses it in a way that doesn't give Him the glory He deserves, what do you call them? If someone worships a created thing and not the Creator, what do you call them?

If the man in John 5 (and the other passages) was healed (something he is) by being forgiven (something he did that caused infirmity), is sin about something I do or something I am that merely presents itself by what I do as a symptom of what I am?

Should we merely ask forgiveness for what I did or also ask forgiveness for what I am (a liar, thief, adulterer at heart, idolator, blasphemer...)?  Is sin more than doing wrong things? Is forgiveness more than getting relieved of the punishment of doing wrong things?

Read Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, and 10:9-10.  Describe the relationship of sin, our character, God's character, and the cross.