The Danger of Sin running its Course - James 1:15

The Danger of Sin running its Course
James 1:15

“Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

What happens when we do not deal with sin in our life?  James gives us a picture of the sin process when left unattended.  Just as a child is conceived in the womb...sin is conceived in the heart.  Sin doesn’t happen by accident, instead, it is almost always a conceived and premeditated plan.

Sadly, marital infidelity has permeated our society and our churches.  Consider a married man who lustfully looks at a coworker.  He sees her day after day allowing his mind to fantasize about her giving birth to desire.  He thinks he is okay because he hasn’t done anything... hasn’t taken any action toward his thoughts.  Jesus, in his sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:27-28) reminds us how sin begins in the heart long before the action takes place.  "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."  This is why Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart…” 

Getting back to our example... the man succumbs to his desires, putting them into action.  He begins to flirt with her, again justifying himself that no sin has been committed, but James tells us this action is the birth of sin.  Desire conceived in the heart gives birth to sin in the form of action.  Let's be honest with ourselves.  Why is the man flirting?  He is seeking a response from the woman, a sign of approval, something to give him permission to proceed to the next step in fulfilling his desires.  Just as a newborn baby begins to grow so does the act of sin.  As the flirting increases the man begins to spend more time with the woman.  Please remember this same sin pattern can develop in women. "Most statistics found that about 50 to 60 percent of women admitted to having an affair" (Penn, 2012, para. 6).

Just as a baby will grow up into a full-grown adult, the sin pattern will also mature until it becomes full grown.  The man pursues his ultimate desire to have a sexual encounter with the woman…which was the conceived fantasy from the start, and his sin becomes full grown, or complete.  

The aftermath of sin can be devastating.  James’ describes the final state of sin as giving "birth to death.”  The moment a baby is born, his or her (physical) life timeline begins and will end in death at some point in the future.  Because of sin, the baby is also also placed on a spiritual timeline that will end with eternal separation from God ...unless the gift of salvation intervenes.  This sin curse has been passed along from the baby's father, and every father throughout history since Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12).  The end result is every person born on earth will die.  Sin, when left to become full grown (without Christ), will end in spiritual death.

This passage is not teaching a person will lose their salvation if they commit a sin.   Remember James is dealing with many people in his church who are not truly saved.  Some in his Jewish congregation are clinging to their incorrect view of being God's chosen people.  James is warning these “pretenders” in his church about spiritual death, an eternity without God.  He wants to point these pretenders, these unsaved individuals in his church, to the only answer, to Jesus Christ, who can save them from the path of death and the sin curse.  

So what happens when a believer, secured in his or her salvation, allows sin to become full-grown?  The aftermath of sin can be catastrophic.  Sadly, when it comes to marital infidelity we have all seen, and some have experienced first hand, the result of marital sin.  The consequences of adultery reach far beyond the two individuals involved in the sin.  Spouses feel betrayed, confused, and blaming themselves.  Many wives are left financially destitute.  Children are left wondering why their mother or father do not love them anymore.  The consequences of divorce spread like a wild fire of destruction ...and with some cases even in suicide.

I know of a man ...let's just call him John.  John was married and had two precious little children under the age 8.  He was a prominent and active member of his church, well liked by everyone.  John worked as the principal of a Christian School and fell prey to the devastating effects of sin described by James in this study.  An affair with one of his teachers became public and John, becoming consumed by the shame of his sin, momentarily lost sight of God's forgiveness and his family ...and took his own life.

A recent study by the National Institute for Healthcare Research in Rockville, MD states, "Divorced people are three times as likely to commit suicide as people who are married. The Institute says that divorce now ranks as the number one factor linked with suicide rates in major U.S. cities, ranking above all other physical, financial, and psychological factors" (Borden, n.d., para. 2).

There are many dangers when sin is allowed to run its course.  I ask you consider your life and family when it comes to sin.  I ask that you examine yourself and cling to God, confessing your sins and seeking the forgiveness that God is more than willing to provide.  Left unchecked, your sin can, and will, cause catastrophic pain and suffering to you and those you love.

 

References

Borden, L. (n.d.). Suicide and Divorce. Retrieved from http://divorceinfo.com/suicide.htm

Penn, L. (2012, June 7). Cheating Statistics: Do Men Cheat More Than Women? Retrieved from http://magazine.foxnews.com/love/cheating-statistics-do-men-cheat-more-women

 

God Never Changes James 1:16-18

God Never Changes
James 1:16-18 

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

Appealing to his church James says, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brother” into thinking God would ever tempt you to sin.  The word deceived here relates to how you are thinking about God and his character.  Don’t let the circumstances of the trial trick you into believing God is tempting you to sin.  Some have allowed themselves to believe God is angry with them and is punishing them by sending trials.  James offers comfort and confidence in God by saying, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.”  The gifts, the blessings, God gives us are always good and always perfect.  Remember, the word “perfect” here is the same word used back in verse 4 where God is making our faith complete.  

God's gifts are never lacking in giving us everything we need.  For example, the gift of salvation is complete... there is nothing more to add to it, nothing that can take our salvation from us. From the day you accepted Christ into your life, your position in God's family and place in His Kingdom has been eternally secured.  I have been graciously blessed by God with the gift of teaching.  

God is the “Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  God is not only the Father, meaning the Creator of light (Genesis 1:3), but He is light himself.  Psalm 36:9 tells us, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”  Jesus also proclaimed himself as God in the same manner in John 8:9 when he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  

In contrast to God being light is the image of "shifting shadows.”  When I was a kid I would sit in the shadow, or shade, of a tree to keep cool in the summer.  I would lay down on the grass and close my eyes only to find my shade had moved away.  So I would get up and move back into the shade only to have it slowly move away again and again.  Shadows are always moving.  Another thing to remember is that a shadow is only an image of the real thing.  God is the real thing and He does not change.  There are many things and people in this world we can not trust completely, but we can place our complete faith in God who will not tempt us to sin.  We can also completely trust God to give us blessings that are good and complete.  He is reliable, He can be trusted, He will be there for you every moment of every day.  God does not change (Malachi 3:6).

God chose “to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”  It was God’s choice, His decision, His will and desire, to bring salvation into our lives.  He wanted to bring us into His family so much that He even sent His own Son to die and rescue us from our sins. 

God chose to give us birth through the vehicle, or by the means of, “the word of truth”.  In John’s gospel (John 1:1-4) we find a clear picture of how God would give us birth through the word of truth.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”  Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).  Through Christ we become a type of firstfruits.

We will be a “kind of” meaning a type of “firstfruits” similar to the command God gave the Israelites in Deuteronomy 26:1-15.  They were to bring an offering from their harvest to the Lord.  What made this offering special was the offering was to be from the first produce picked.  These firstfruits of the harvest were considered the best of all the produce picked.  The idea behind the command was to make God first and foremost in their minds and to always bring God the best of what they had to offer before meeting their own needs.  Believers are symbolized by James here in the same way.  We are the first of the harvest (of salvation) and a small picture of how great the total and complete harvest will be once it is complete.  Do you see the picture James is presenting?  A day is coming when the harvest, those being saved, will be complete and the church which often referred to as the bride of Christ will be ready for the her groom.  The church will finally be with the Lord forever.