From Lust to Sin to Death James 1:15

James, “the servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”, wrote to the “twelve tribes” who were “scattered” and told them to not “say” they are “tempted of God” when they are “tempted”. He declared, “God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man”. He further explained “every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed”, and in chapter one and verse fifteen of his letter, James shared how “lust” brings “forth sin”, and “sin brings forth death” where we read:

Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin:

and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.

The verse begins, “Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin:” James began with the words, “then when lust” which means “next and after desire, craving and longing for that which is forbidden” “has conceived” or “seized, taken one as a prisoner”, “it brings forth” which means “bears, produces and delivers” “sin” which is the Greek word “hamartia ” and means “to miss the mark, to err and be mistaken”. When people allow their “cravings and desires for that which is forbidden” to flourish, it produces “missing the mark” of perfection before God.

The verse goes on to say, “and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.” James continued, “and sin” or “to miss the mark, to err and be mistaken” “when it is finished” which means “perfected, brought quite to an end and accomplished”, “brings forth” or “produces, breeds and begets” “death” which refers to “that which separates from life and the soul and the body by which the life on earth is ended”. Once the “lust” of people has “imprisoned” them, the end result is not only “physical death”, but also separation from life with God.

When we consider these words of James, we understand the seriousness of “unbridled lusts”. When our “cravings and desires” for that which is “forbidden” has fully “conceived” we subject ourselves to the end result of “death”. This is why we need Jesus in our lives. “Sin” separates us from “God”, and without a “Savior and Lord”, we will not only “die” physically, but our “souls and spirits” will also die as well. We will be “eternally separated” from God if we do nothing about our “conceived sin”. May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ reveal our need for Him, and may He help us to know and put away our “lust” for things which He has forbidden.

Next time James tell his “beloved brethren” no to “err”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.