If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet you can rule over it. ―Genesis 4:7
Every believer should have a fear of the Lord.
“Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.” (Exodus 20:20)
When King David sinned against the Lord, he poured out the water that he had been given from the well at Bethlehem. When we sin against the Lord, we pour out a measure of the water of life which the Lord gave us from his death on the cross. In 2 Samuel 23:15, David had a “longing” or “craving” for water from the well near the gate in Bethlehem. He wasn’t dying of thirst. David’s three great warriors took a dangerous and unnecessary risk to their lives to get this water for him. David realized he was wrong. In verse 17, he asked himself how he could “drink the blood of these men,” so he poured the water on the ground. We know that pouring water on the ground means that we have sinned against the Lord:
When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out on the ground before the LORD, and they fasted that day, saying, “We have sinned against the LORD.” It was at Mizpah that Samuel began to judge the Israelites. (1 Samuel 7:6)
Water poured out on the ground cannot be recovered:
For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him. (2 Samuel 14:14)
Again, when we sin, we pour out a measure of the water of life given to us by God. Let’s read this scripture:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
When we follow Jesus Christ, we cannot continue to deliberately sin.
Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. (Romans 6:12)
In the book of John, Jesus forgives the woman who was caught in adultery:
“No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.” (John 8:11)
Jesus tells the woman to sin no more. Let’s look at this scripture:
After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, “Look, you are well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14)
Jesus tells the man not to sin anymore, and he adds the phrase so that nothing worse may happen to you. Let’s go to 1 John:
No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him. (1 John 3:6)
We don’t continue to deliberately sin once we’re saved. Let’s listen to the apostle Paul:
Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:34)
From these scriptures, we know that sinning is bad. When we’re tempted by the devil to sin, and we give in, we’re being trained for unrighteousness. When we resist sin’s temptation, we are being trained for righteousness. 1 Timothy 4:7 says to “train yourself for godliness.” This training is resisting sin’s temptation, averting our eyes from iniquity, and taking every thought captive. We must take control of ourselves and block suggestive and intrusive thoughts, even if we desire to let our imaginations run wild. Let’s look at sin like a wave on the ocean. Every wave of temptation to sin that we let pass strengthens us a little for the next wave. This is how we build endurance. It can be hard to resist at first, but it’s not going to keep building and building. Like a wave, it’ll pass, and some waves are bigger than others. We have to turn from the evil desires in our hearts. Let’s listen to James, the brother of the Lord:
But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires, he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:14-15)
These evil thoughts and desires give birth to the sinful act. So, we have to block them. If we’re not thinking about evil desires, the sinful act won’t happen. How can the sinful act happen if we’re not thinking about it? We have to change our thinking. If we keep deliberately sinning, it could eventually lead to death. Even though God is loving and patient, we don’t know when he might hand us over to the desires of our hearts. We should break with sin because we love the Lord and want to please him. Let’s look at the following scripture in regard to the forgiveness of sins:
whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed, (Romans 3:25)
Paul says we’re forgiven for “sins previously committed.” False teachers add to the scriptures by saying that “future sins” are automatically forgiven as well. In the following scripture, the apostle Peter is speaking in the context of values required by those saved in Christ:
But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. (2 Peter 1:9)
Peter says that we’re cleansed from our past sins. When we grow to maturity in Christ, our obedience is complete. We should no longer be deliberately sinning. Let’s listen to the apostle Paul:
And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:6)
In 1 John 3:2, the apostle John speaks of a time when we’ll see Jesus as he really is and when we’ll be like him. Let’s continue in verse 3:
3 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure. 4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and no sin is in him. 6 Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t know him. (1 John 3:3–6)
Some who teach in error say that sinning leads to “bodily death,” but not eternal destruction. They say that people will die from sinning, but they’ll still be saved. This is false. We know from the following scriptures that when the word death is used, it’s speaking of eternity—hell:
21 What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. (Romans 6:21-22)
The outcome of holiness is eternal life. The outcome of our former way of life in which we lived in ignorance and unbelief is eternal destruction. Let’s read this scripture:
All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. (1 John 5:17)
We know from this scripture that, if there isn’t sin that leads to death, then there is sin that leads to death. If we continue to deliberately sin, we’re slaves to sin. If we choose to do righteousness, we’re slaves of God (see Romans 6:16–22). Here’s the apostle Paul:
But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin. (1 Timothy 5:20)
Some struggle with sin, and those who do should be helped and admonished:
Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. (1 Thessalonians 3:15)
A blessing from God is turning us from our sins. Let’s listen to Peter:
When God raised up His servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:26)
After we’re saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we grow spiritually from infants to maturity in Christ. As we grow, our sins should become less and less, and we should never deliberately sin. The Spirit of Jesus in our hearts gives us the ability to live righteously:
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
Sin is a choice. We have the free will to listen to the evil desires of the heart or not. Let’s look at this scripture:
I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, (Romans 15:18)
Paul says obedience by “word and deed.” We don’t have to sin. We can rule over it. We need to train for godliness. With training, the sea will get calmer, and the waves will become less frequent. Let’s remember the following scriptures:
26 If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27)
If we sin out of human weakness, we go to Jesus Christ to ask for forgiveness:
1 My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. 2 He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2; see Luke 18:13)
Jesus died for every human being (see 2 Corinthians 5:15). Because Jesus died for every human being, everyone has the capability to believe and be saved. Those who perish do so from unbelief and disobedience.
As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. (1 Peter 1:14)
In these last days, let’s reap the fruit of the Spirit by being obedient to Jesus Christ.
And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9)
Peace to everyone.
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God. (Isaiah 50:10)
Futile World 