Everyone Who Sins Breaks The Law; In fact, Sin is Lawlessness.

As a young man pursuing his education away from home, John Wesley who later founded the Methodist Church wrote to his mother seeking her advice on “acceptable pastimes” and “temptations to be resisted.”  Instead of sending him a lengthy list of dos and don’ts, this is what she wrote:

Would you judge the lawfulness of pleasure, take this rule:

Whatever weakens your reason,

Whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind,

Whatever impairs the tenderness of your conscience,

Whatever takes away your relish for things spiritual,

Whatever obscures your sense of God,

That is sin to you, no matter how innocent it may seem in itself.

All “born again” believer’s have three primary enemies, the devil, the world, and the flesh.  These three work in conjunction for the purpose of leading God’s children into disobedience; tempting them to live their lives independent of God. As believers grow, so does the opposition.

So what is sin? 1 John 3:4, the Bible says, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. James 4:17, If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Our natural inclination to sin is due to the influence of an inborn, rebellious, self-centered nature inherited from “Adam” the “Federal Head” of the human race (Romans 5:12) which draws us into disobedience, (Romans 7:14-25, James 1:13-14).

The more we yield to sin the stronger it becomes.  When we habitually ignore the warnings of the indwelling Holy Spirit we grieve and eventually quench His influence (Ephesians 4:30, 1Thessalonians 5:19) thereby making it easier and easier to sin.

Conversely, each time we resist sin’s temptation we weaken its power and influence.  We find this principle illustrated in (Matthew 4:1-11) when the devil tempted the Lord Jesus to sin.  Notice that in each instance Jesus resisted the enticement to sin by quoting Scripture, the tempter had no choice but to flee.  Also, consider  (James 4:7).

God sees our sins under the blood of His Son.  Our sin (past, present, and future) was judged by God at Calvary.  Romans 6:23 states “For the wages of sin is death…”  Jesus died the death due for our sins; He died in our place for our sin as our substitute  (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1Peter 2:24 & 3:18 “For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14).  When a believer sins, it is not his salvation that is affected but his fellowship with the Lord (Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 66:18).

Due to our second birth, God is now our Father and as such He will chastise us when we sin ( Proverbs 3:11-12, Hebrews 12:5-11).

One of the greatest temptations that believers face is the temptation to blame something or someone else for their sin.

Therefore, the first step in overcoming sin is to own it, take responsibility for your sin, (Psalm 51:3-4, 38:18, Proverbs 28:1).

Be quick to judge your sin, don’t waste time trying to justify yourself, (1 Corinthians 11:31, Daniel 10:12).

Confess your sin to God; acknowledge and repent, (1 John 1:9, Psalm 32:5).

Separate yourself from the ways of “this present evil world” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 1John 2:15-16, and Galatians 1:4).

Avoid tempting situations and sinful activities (Romans 13:14,  “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof”; because opportunity and temptation go hand in hand. Also consider (I Thessalonians 5:22, Proverbs 27:12).

Hide God’s Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11, Psalm 37:31, 1 John 2:14) and apply it in your life, (James 1:22-25, Psalm 103:17-18.)

Every sin begins with a thought which should have been rejected; guard your thought life… don’t entertain wrong thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5, Proverbs 23:7). Replace old thoughts and habits with God’s truth, thereby enabling your thought life to be renewed, restructured according to God’s principles,  (Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8 ).

A month ago, a report of gross misconduct of a servant of God,  the late Ravi Zacharias emerged and many who he mentored and preached felt that they were betrayed and some even felt whatever he defended was a scam. In one of his last talks before he died aged 74 years, he said, “Those of you who have seen me in public have no idea what I’m like in private,” Zacharias told his supporters in a talk he gave about a year before he died, in a recording shared with CT. “God does. God does. And I encourage you today to make that commitment and say, ‘I’m going to be the man in private who will receive the divine accolade, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.’”

“I feel disappointed in myself and others who could have pushed harder against the tides of submissive loyalty to demand better answers earlier, as there is no part of the evangelical creed that honours cowardice or sacrifices conscience,” Dan Paterson, the former head of RZIM in Australia, wrote on Facebook Wednesday night.

“I feel a profound sense of the fear of the Lord, knowing that one day I too will give an account, where like the RZ report, everything done under the shroud of darkness will be made known. Jesus comes to restore justice through judgment. Oh, how I wish Ravi repented here!”

Let me finish with this, David Hume, the Scottish skeptic was going to hear George Whitfield speak, and putting on his raincoat hurriedly on sidewalk somebody said to him, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” He said, “I’m going to hear George Whitfield speaking.” Somebody says to him, “You don’t believe what Whitfield does, do you?” He says, “No, but I want to hear a man who does.”

The temptation of sin is nothing compared to the torment of the consequences of sin…do not forfeit peace for pleasure.

“Awake to righteousness, and sin not…”  (1 Corinthians 15:34)