Conquering Temptation—James 1:16-18
“Sin makes us unavailable to enjoy the richness of God’s blessings.”
What do you think of when you hear the words, “living by faith?” Most of us think of a life filled with religious activity – going to church, public praying, Bible reading. But people can go to church, pray in public, and even read their Bible and yet still not live by faith. Obedience characterizes the life of faith. Paul said in Romans 14:23b ” for whatsoever is not of faith is sin .” Living the life of faith requires learning how to overcome temptation and avoid sin. James outlines three “motivations to obedience” to help us conquer temptation.
Remember the Consequences of Sin . Just prior to James’ exhortation ” Do not err, my beloved brethren ” (James 1:16) is this frightening reminder: ” Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death ” (James 1:15). All sin brings death into our lives. For those who have never received Christ as their Savior, sin brings the ultimate death–eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire. But sin brings death into the lives of Christians as well. People in the church at Corinth irreverently partook of the Lord’s Supper. Paul said, ” For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep ” (I Corinthians 11:30). Some physically died due to their sin. Sexual sin can cause physical death. Other sins bring death to our marriages. Still others bring death to our testimony and to our spiritual effectiveness. Make no mistake. Where there is sin, there is death. King David’s sin of adultery brought death to his own sons, to the peace of his kingdom, to the baby born to Bathsheba, and to Uriah the Hittite. If only David had considered the consequences of sin when first tempted!
Remember the Charity of God . ” Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning ” (1:17). The Greek indicates that God continually showers down blessings and gifts. But sin makes us unavailable to enjoy the richness of God’s blessings. Gratefulness for those blessings provides powerful protection against temptation. Nathan chided King David for forgetting the blessings of God and thus sinning with Bathsheba. “I gave thee thy master’s house . . and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things ” (II Samuel 12:8). God had already blessed David and would have given David more blessings had he only asked. If only David had remembered this! Next time you’re tempted, remember the charity of God.
Remember that we’re Children of God . ” Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures ” (1:18). Every child has two biological parents. James 1:15 says that sin has two parents—a perverted desire (lust) and the assent of the will. So also, there must be two elements present for anyone to become a child of God—(1) the Word of Truth and (2) the Spirit of God. No one comes to Christ apart from the Bible. That doesn’t mean a leather-bound book must be present. It means that the individual must understand certain truths from God’s Word before he can become a child of God. He must know he is a sinner. He must believe Jesus is God’s Son and that He rose again from the dead after dying for our sins. And no one comes to Jesus unless the Spirit of God first works upon his heart. So the Christian is God’s child. Don’t stoop to serve sin—YOU ARE THE CHILD OF A KING! So don’t be a slave to sin!
Living by faith means remembering the awful consequences of sin, the gracious charity of God, and the fact that we are His children. Will you commit now in prayer to begin living the “life of faith” today?
Author: Robert W. Rohlin
This devotional first appeared October 11, 1998 in the Advancer , a Sunday school teacher’s guide published by the Baptist Publishing House . It is used here with permission from the publisher.