But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)
Owning My Sin
Sin is the scourge of humanity. Because of sin, God destroyed everything with the breath of life in the days of Noah. Only the eight souls in the ark were saved. The world became corrupt again and remains a realm of darkness. God preserved the Seed promise through the nation of Israel and brought Jesus into the world. The Son of God did what no man could do – He lived more than thirty years and never sinned – not even once. Because of His life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection, hope has returned to the soul of man to be redeemed back to the Father. As great as the miracle of resurrection is in declaring the glory of God, sin remains a dominant force in the world.
It was an understatement when Paul wrote that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The most godly men were sinners. Abraham was a man of faith who sinned. David was a man after God’s own heart, and he committed adultery, lied, deceived, caused a man to be drunk, and then had the man murdered to justify his sin. Job was a sinner. Peter sinned. Paul called himself the chief of sinners. Everyone accountable to God bears the burden of sin.
There are many reasons why men sin. The environment can create temptations that lead to losing control. Many put themselves in circumstances that lead to sinful acts. Much of the world has no conscience about sin and views it as a natural part of life. In the eyes of God, sin is the transgression of what He has determined is right and wrong. As Creator, God establishes what is right and wrong. He also reminds everyone that they are responsible for their sin.
In the Garden of Eden, Satan, through the subtlety of the serpent, deceived Eve into taking the forbidden fruit. Eve gave some to Adam, and he ate. When God demanded answers from Adam and Eve, they both blamed someone else. Adam blamed the woman and Eve blamed the serpent. God ignored their pleas because He did not accept their deflection of responsibility. Adam was to blame for his sin. Eve was to blame for her sin. Each bore the penalty of what they did, regardless of what the other person had done. They could not blame Satan for their sin. He tempted them, but they are the ones who disobeyed God.
James explains the nature of sin. Sin does not happen at once. A man may look upon a beautiful woman and not sin. Sin comes when the heart of the man is drawn away by his lustful desire and enticed to conceive evil thoughts of the woman. His lust gives birth to sin, and if sin remains uncontrolled, death. The nature of sin is that it is self-identifying. Everyone is tempted when their heart is drawn away. That temptation is an individual choice. No blame will be justified against another. A man can blame a woman for being seductive, but he had those evil thoughts because he chose to create those evil thoughts.
Sin is personal. The father does not bear the sin of his son, nor the son the father. Children cannot blame their parents for their sinful ways because sin is individual. In the eyes of God, each person is accountable for himself. The decisions he makes may be swayed by the influence of others, but the blame lies squarely upon the shoulders of the individual. It is hard for a man to admit his sin is his own, but that is all he can do with his sin. Every sin a man commits – he must own it as his own.
Too many people have a misguided notion about the day of judgment. Deep in their hearts, they hope that when they stand before God, the Lord will be merciful because of the circumstances the soul finds itself in. They will want to blame their parents, the country, the world’s influences, and they may even try to blame the devil himself. God said that every knee will bow and give their own account. There will be no excuses. Blaming others will not happen. In reality, the minute death overtakes the soul, eternity is determined. What is more amazing is that everyone who is lost will know they are lost, and they will know it is right to be punished in everlasting fire. One thing they will never do – blame someone else. Own your sin. It belongs only to you.
