The Life Cycle of Sin & Salvation
James 1:13-18
“Nearly all wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.” ~ John Calvin
Main Idea: We can withstand temptations by understanding the nature of sin & treasuring the goodness of God.
I. Rightly Understanding Sin (1:13-15)
James shifts his attention from trials (external circumstances) to temptations (internal conflict). Every trial presents a temptation to either trust & obey God or to be drawn away from God toward sin.
The “life cycle” of sin according to James:
Our own desires within us
Mark 7:20–23: And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
“James is showing us something deeply profound about our human nature, for we are both agent & victim of our desires. The desires are our own, from our own hearts – yet it is us that they entice & attack. Within each of us there is this deep tension. We really are our own worst enemies.” ~ Sam Allberry
These desires conceive & give birth to sin
Sin conceives & gives birth to death
James is echoing the ancient temptation & fall of man from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. Adam & Eve questioned God’s Word, questioned His goodness, had their desires twisted, blame-shifted, and death entered into creation.
“The awful truth is that we are fallen creatures, and as such are in constant danger of being ‘lured.’ Temptation starts with a question of identity, moves to a confusion of the desires, and ultimately heads to a contest of futures.” ~ Russell Moore
II. Rightly Understanding Salvation (1:16-18)
We are prone to lose sight of the goodness of God & his tangible grace in our lives in the face of temptations. James reminds his readers that “every good and every perfect gift” comes from God.
“Never forget that when we are dealing with pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on [God’s] ground. I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours, He made the pleasures: all our research has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take the pleasures which [God] has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He has forbidden… An ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure is the formula.” ~ C.S. Lewis
Just as sin has a “life cycle,” so too does salvation:
The “Father” of lights, of his own will, causes us to be “brought forth” (born again)
This new birth comes about by the “word of truth” (the gospel)
For those who receive this new birth, we become the “firstfruits” of his creation
What does all of this mean for the temptations we face right now?
We need to acknowledge temptations are normal part of the Christian life
1 Corinthians 10:12-13: Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
The way of escape in our temptations is the way of Christ
Hebrews 4:14–16: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
