James 1:14-16
but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.
So did I turn into Big Apple or not? For a good cheesesteak...OF COURSE!!!! (I just can't resist) Which is really the point here.
James tells us that when we are "dragged away" by the temptation it gives birth to sin. It's not until we let the enticement get the best of us that sin takes place but if you and I don't have the power to resist we allow the enemy to deceive us.
Really....what good comes out of our sin? Temporary satisfaction of something that has NO eternal value. Which is where the "deception" is.
No matter how good cheesesteaks are, I guarantee that if I eat too many eventually my arteries will harden from all the grease (NO grease, No good cheesesteak!!!)and I will have a heart attack and die.
And just like that, I can guarantee that the more sin you have in your life the farther you will get from the perfect will of God and death (or eternal separation from Him) will be you eternal destiny.
Brothers, Don't be deceived!!! That's exactly what the enemy wants.
See you tomorrow!!!
Where the rubber meets the road
#
Thursday, February 12, 2009
6:00 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Is the desire in of itself sinful, or is acting on it the Sin? If the desire is of itself, then no wonder we are all sinners, because don't we all have desires?
It says that WHEN that desire is "dragged away, it gives birth to sin" and so the "desire" is the battle that we struggle with but when we act on it that's when it becomes sin.
HOWEVER, Jesus does say that if you "look" at a woman lustfully you've already committed adultery in your heart (OUCH) and so it does go to show that we really have that sin nature that we struggle with WAAAAYYYYY too much.
Are you implying in the last paragraph that someone could lose their salvation as a result of sin in their life?
Dean,
Absolutely not. Which verse are you referring to? (The blog or my comment to Bryan?)
If you are referring to the blog then I would say that James says that "when sin is full-grown it gives birth to death" now that either means that when we sin we die physically (which we know not to be the case or we'd never make it past lunch time) OR that the more someone sins the farther that takes them from an eternal relationship with God (death). I seem to think James means the second.
Now that brings your question to light then doesn't it. Because IF you're assuming James is ONLY writing to Christians then that means James thinks you could lose your salvation. HOWEVER, according to George Barna on any given Sunday in any given church only 34% of the people in a congregation are Christians (ACTUAL believers) and with the early church being mostly from Jewsih descent I would argue that number would've been MUCH lower.
And so I believe James is theologically correct in what he is saying (of course because he was inspired by the H.S.) and we (Christians, I saw your profile) need to stop "assuming" everything in the New Testament should be read with Gentile American Christian glasses on.
Hope to hear from you more....This is one of the reasons I started this blog.
Brian,
Unfortuneatly, George Barna has got it about right, which is why I make no bones about asking folks if they are saved and try to pry some sort of testimony of salvation from them, understanding that not everyone who claims to be saved actually are based upon their response. At that point, we have the priviledge and responsibility to tell them that Christ did EVERYTHING necessary to save their miserable Hell worthy souls in that He (Jesus Christ) died for our sins, was buried, and that He rose the 3rd day with victory over death, Hell and the grave, and when we trust what He did for our salvation, God counts our faith for righteousness and saves us, placing us into the body of Christ, forgiving all our trespasses, quickens us together with Him and seals us unto the day of redemption! By Grace, through Faith, alone!!
James on the other hand, is not writing to the church, the body of Christ, where there is neither Jew nor Gentile, but what he writes is for the folks he addresses in James 1:1, the twelve tribes scattered, that aint us. James is an Apostle to the circumcission (the little flock of Israel). James is addressing the same folks Jesus Christ told Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Israel did not enjoy what we take for granted in the dispensation of the Grace of God being a present pocession of the atonement (Romans 5:11). Israel awaits what Paul speaks to in Romans 11 concerning their atonement based on a covenant relationship in which Christ will take away THEIR sins when Jesus returns to the earth and establishes their Messianic, Davidic earthly kingdom with Christ on David's seated on throne...Romans 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. Peter gives the same testimony in Acts 3:19-21...A covenant is a system which is performance oriented, the if and then situation, we have no association with the covenant old or new, our relationship is based on Grace alone. The two are mutually exclusive and cannot be mixed.
The Gospel that saves our never dying soul was given to the Apostle Paul beginning in the 9th chapter of Acts, the Gospel of the Grace of God. James was writing to the twelve tribes which were scattered, they were scattered in Acts 8:1. They were not privy to the information given to Paul until Acts 15 which is retold in Gal 2, at which time, Peter James and John went back to Jerusalem to the circumcission (the little flock of Israel) and Paul went to the heathen. 2 Gospels, 2 audiences. There is nothing from James that is doctrine for us as the new creation, the church which is His body. Our marching orders come from Paul alone.
Proper exegesis results in what we are admonished to do in 2 Tim 2:15, rightly dividing the word of truth. When you get this right, your whole Christian world view lines up with what God is doing in what Paul tells us is the dispensation of the Grace of God.
Thanks for listening,
Grace and Peace!
AMEN!! AMEN!!! and AMEN!!!
Dean,
Thanks brother for checking in, and I hope you continue to do so.
I started this blog for the people of my congregation for some thoughtful conversation and insight and am glad that you have aided in that.
Keep pressin on!!
PS...LOVE that you used the word "dispensation"!!!
Post a Comment