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When Lust Hath Conceived - James 1:13-15
When Lust Hath Conceived - James 1:13-15 [13] Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
[14] But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
[15] Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
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INTRODUCTION
Sin is not something that man does by accident. It is something that man allows or willingly does based upon an unwillingness to stop the act before it becomes sin. According to the scripture, there is a process for sin. "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed" (James 1:14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
See All...). It would appear that temptation in and of itself is not sin, but submission to that temptation is what constitutes sin. The Bible states this truth by saying, "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin" (James 1:15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
See All...). Every man faces temptations. Many of these temptations are unavoidable. Sin, however, is avoidable. When a man gives in to temptation, he chooses to sin.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
- (For smaller children) Instead of believing God's word (Genesis 2:17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
See All...), Eve was tempted by the Devil and willingly partook of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1-6 [1] Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? [2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: [3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. [4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. [6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
See All...; compare 1 John 2:16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
See All...). Consider how Jesus handled temptation (Matthew 4:1-10 [1] Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. [2] And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. [3] And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. [4] But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. [5] Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, [6] And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. [7] Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. [8] Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; [9] And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. [10] Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
See All...). He told His disciples to watch and pray (Matthew 26:41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
See All...). - As long as men dwell in a sinful world temptations are going to be unavoidable. Why is it such a blessing to know that God does not constitute temptation as sin?
- Think of some examples where you might put this principle to the test. At what point did each of those things go from temptation to sin?
PRAYER NEEDS
- Ask God to help you recognize lust before it becomes sin.
- Thank the Lord for the truth found in His word.
HYMN
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
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Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.