What do we need to do when we are exposed to temptations? Is there any way to escape them? Which is the key?
In the first part of this blog post, we explored the importance of recognizing the danger of temptation and ways to avoid sin. In this second part, we will examine the consequences of sin and how we can find a solution for it and live a life pleasing to the Lord.
Let's look at a passage that discusses this topic.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:7, 8)
We can see here in this passage what the fear of the Lord and departing from evil produces – health and strength. This refers not only to our physical body but also to our spirit and soul, as bones are inside us. Obviously, Christians do get physically sick, and most of the time, it is not because of their sin. This passage refers also to spiritual health and strength.
So, if the fear of the Lord and departing from evil means health, what then will a lack of fear and not departing from evil (sinning) bring? A disease, sickness, or pain. Most of the time, this disease is in the spirit and the soul. There is a consequence of the sin. Most of the time, the Lord leaves us to feel that so that we can learn and know where the sin is leading us. It is because He is a loving Father and doesn’t want us to perish and get hurt. That’s why He lets us feel that pain, even though it lasts a bit. It happens so that we know that being far from Him is painful.
That’s why He is not avoiding or preventing us from feeling pain along the way so that we can avoid much greater pain. Our concept of love sometimes is that love will always let us feel fine and will give us whatever we feel like, but the true love of God is teaching us how to live so that we can be fine in the end. His love is expressed in the fact that He wants to lead us on the right path, not just because He wants to spare us from feeling pain. We might go through pain, but this path will eventually lead us to a place where no pain and sadness will be anymore. Instead, the path sparing us all the pain leads to destruction.
Speaking about sin and temptation, we have to know that our eyes and our desires go automatically toward something wrong. The sin dwells in our members, as it is said in Romans 7:23.
“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
This means that we will be attracted by it. If we are in front of something or an image that we are not supposed to look at (like pornographic images, for example) or we are about to do something wrong, our sinful desires and eyes will automatically go toward it. And this is just the beginning. This is how it starts.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (James 1:12-15)
There is a process until our desire conceives sin, but we must prevent it before that happens. If we have the grace of God in our lives and we are careful, we can avoid it. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation…” There is a reward for those who endure the temptation, even though, at that very time, it might not seem so. If someone is a Christian and knows God, he will see that. We are blessed every time we endure it.
Speaking about all of this, I am not saying that we will probably always be able to avoid any sin and mistake, but if it happens for us to sin, we need to know that God is faithful to forgive us and renew our minds and strength. I am not saying either that we are sinless if we avoid falling into certain sins. No, we are not. There will always be something in us that we will need to repent from. We need the grace of God in our lives to be able to do that and have a clean heart. Without it, it is impossible. We are not clean because we are not sinning but because the grace of God cleanses us. We are also Christians because of that. No one can follow His footsteps without His grace. We are avoiding sin because we don’t want to hurt Him, and we want to please Him. Also, we don’t want to complicate our lives with more sin. Because this is what sin does, it complicates our lives and damages our relationship with the Lord. Even if someone avoids certain sins, he is not really clean or righteous because of that, but because of the grace of the Lord. Some persons do not do certain things, but they are still not clean because they lack His grace in their lives. This is what we need so that our lives can be clean from the inside.
We also need to see how a real Christian person looks at sin. A person who has been truly born again gives value to the work of Christ on the cross and really appreciates His grace. Sinning is never the same after someone comes to know God and His grace. That person looks differently at sin, doesn’t commit it so easily, and desires to live in holiness.
The word of God even declares it more boldly in 1 John 3:2-9.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
We see these passages saying that whoever abides in Him does not sin. Obviously, it speaks about practicing sin, like persevering and always returning to the same sin, something which the Bible clearly speaks against. In the first chapter of 1 John, it is written that if we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). Therefore, we confirm that 1 John 3:6 which states that whoever abides in Him, does not sin, talks more of persevering into sin and taking it as usual practice.
For a man of God, sin should not be a normal practice, as he is a new creation in Christ. He has been changed, redeemed, and reborn from God. His nature is different. He rejoices with the truth. There will still be sin dwelling in his members, but now he has a way to fight it. He is no longer a slave to it. He can go back to it, but as long as He dwells in Christ, he has a victory over it. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. This is a very good and effective (and only) way for us to overcome temptation if we seek Him – to be reborn from Him. This is what everyone looking for God must somehow desire. Obviously, this happens only through His grace in our lives. This is what gives us a guarantee to overcome.
Can a born-again person fall into sin? Of course, he can, but he will not easily return to it. Those who persevere in sin after receiving God’s grace usually go through tough times. It is not easy for them. This happens because the new nature that God has gifted to them is in conflict with the old nature of their old person (Galatians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-24). The new nature desires to seek God and His holiness. Once they receive a new life, a connection between them and God has been established, and they begin to know Him. That’s why they keep on desiring and looking for Him. This is because their soul and they realize that this is all for a man. They struggle if they sin and engage with the old habits, and God is the one who lets them struggle because He doesn’t want them to perish. He will do everything possible to bring them back to the right track that leads to Him. This is how His love is.
With all of this, I am not saying that a born–again believer never sins, but that this is no longer part of their nature. A Christian will sin, but most of the time, it is not done purposely or in a premeditated way. With this, he is, of course, still accountable in front of God. There were times after I repented for the first time and became a believer, I failed and repeated certain sins. I felt sorrowful and displeased, but still, after that, I repented sincerely, and God forgave me. He looks at our attitude, whether we are truly sorry and we fear Him. The man who really fears Him will also be truly sorry after committing a sin. We need to ask Him to place this kind of fear in us.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8, 9)
From this passage, we see that no one can say that he has no sin. The difference is in the attitude people have toward it. The righteous (the people born from Him) tend to sanctify their lives and not persevere in sin, while other people don’t actually care a lot about how their hearts and lives are.
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)
The purpose is that we may not sin. This is what the first verse of the next chapter of 1 John says. And if we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, someone who can forgive us – Jesus Christ. It says it in a way that clearly states that our intention must be to avoid sin, to preserve ourselves from it. But if in case we sin, then we can go and ask Jesus, with trust and faith, to forgive us.
We must also know that sin is not performed with our actions only, but with our mind and heart. Even though some people don’t commit great sins by their actions, they still sin in their hearts.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27, 28)
This is just one of the examples of what the scripture says about sin in the heart, but there can be many different sins that actually take place in our hearts (Mark 7:21, 22).
The real Christians desire to have their hearts purified from any sin, even the one happening in their thoughts. Most of the time, when they fall short and fail, they quickly acknowledge their sinfulness and repent in front of God.
Other people, instead, focus only on preventing external or physically committed sins and don‘t focus on cleaning their hearts from the sin that is on the inside. Jesus looks at the deepest part of our being. He seeks that kind of purity. It is impossible for us to fulfill it if not by His grace alone. His grace empowers us to be clean from the inside of our hearts. Christians, though, are not always in that state, but they are looking for it, and this is their desire. There are those moments when they get into a proper relationship with God, and He cleanses them. It is only by faith and depending on Him. To be clean from the inside and to look for that relationship with God gives us much more security of not falling into all the other sins. As we know, everything starts from the heart, so if we fight it and prevent it from there by His grace, then also the next action toward it will be prevented. This is what we need to do – confess, admit our sins to God, and ask Him to cleanse us.
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