Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                  Chapter Four

                                                                                                                                      Verses 16-18 continued

Believers should know that a true marriage should always be between one man and one woman because Jesus taught that. Matthew 19:3-6. Nevertheless, God sometimes allowed even His great men in the Old Testament to have more than one wife, and He allowed Moses to write divorce into His Law. Matthew 19:7-9; II Samuel 12:8. Both divorce and multiple marriages are sins, and yet, the Old Testament holds no record that God ever punished His people for either one of these sins. God punished King David for adultery and murder, but his sins had to be deliberate since he knew the Law very well. But no record exists that God ever punished David for multiple marriages. God apparently had a lot of tolerance for sins of weakness in the Old Testament. But God holds humans saved by grace in the Church Age to a higher standard. God expects their marriages to be only between one Godly man and one Godly woman. God never condones sin, but He has great confidence in Himself that He can readily handle sins of weakness in His people of faith. But God will often severely punish deliberate sins because those types of sins go directly against faith in Him.

The Bible (KJB) makes a clear distinction between sins of weakness and deliberate sins. Sins of weakness happen when a person with a particular weakness becomes overcome by temptation and falls into sin. A deliberate sin happens when a person willfully disobeys God. Numbers 15:24-36; Exodus 21:12-14. This sin displays an attitude that one does not need God or that God does not exist or that He is weak. Great cruelty toward others can only be deliberate sins because even in atheists God has put His latent faith. Genesis 1:31; Genesis 1:27; Romans 12:3; Romans 1:18-23. Worship of anything other than God can also only be a deliberate sin. The Bible (KJB) relates that God has a lot more tolerance and patience with sins of weakness than with deliberate sins. Samson had a weakness for women, but God did not punish him for that. God punished him severely when he deliberately and willfully allowed his long hair to be cut because through it God had given him his great strength. When Samson did this, he acted as if he no longer needed God. Judges 16:20. King David also had a weakness for women, but God did not punish him for having many wives. But when he deliberately committed adultery and murder, God severely punished him. If one ignores God's Law then one ignores God. II Samuel 12:8-14. Jesus demonstrated compassion for sins of weakness, but He also demonstrated severe condemnation for the Pharisees and Sadducees who deliberately violated God's Law for their own purposes. John 8:1-11; Matthew 23:1-36. However, God holds Christians in the Church Age to a higher standard, although He seems to punish even Christians less for sins of weakness than for deliberate sins. But God will forgive and cleanse both types of sins when any person truly repents and puts their faith in the power that Christ has over their sins and evil. John 5:24; I John 1:8-9.