Why Do People Sin? (Sin Series Part 3)
Why Do People Sin?
James 1:13-15
We could certainly ask that question in a quizzical way. After all we have established that Sin is rampant and wrong. We have established that its wages are death. We have established that all have sinned. So why do people do it?
Remember Bugs said if I do’d it I get a whippin’, but his conclusion was “I do’d it!”. In other words Bugs was willing to take the risk of the whippin’. It seems that more and more people that should know better are willing to risk the whippin’. Why do people keep on sinning? Why do they keep on riskin’ the whippin’?
1. Well we could play the blame game. We could blame the devil. We could blame others. We could even blame God. They did that in the beginning.
But the scripture tells us how sin develops. And guess what? the blame is on us! We are to blame. The sooner we recognize our culpability and admit is the sooner we can get forgiveness and deliverance. Let’s look!
2. James 1:14 says, 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed[1] There is in each of us an element called “the flesh”. This flesh is what some call the fallen nature.
The flesh in the Bible is not your body it is that it is the tendency to do wrong or revert to old patterns.
You might say that the flesh says do what you want, do what feels good, do what is to your liking or even do wrong (while your conscience says do right, don’t do wrong).
Now the particular desires or taste for sin is somewhat different in each person. Some things that are wrong appeal to me that do not appeal to you or at least as much and vice versa.
The language used in this passage is that of hunting or fishing. You know the fish is lured out of his place by the bait. He is drawn out by that that he thinks he wants. Explore different kinds of fishing. If he takes that bit, we know what happens next. He winds up on our dinner table. If the sinner takes the bait, yields or indulges, he/she sins.
3. How do these desires get in our flesh? I think it could be passed down, yes inherited, or cultivated by our experiences and exposure.
Briefly show how God gave us normal desires, appetites and needs. I believe that originally man tried to satisfied normal needs through unlawful methods and thus the sin element entered the bloodstream. Man is now born in sin and shaped in iniquity. Now we have a bent to satisfy our desires in illicit ways.
You can develop a taste for something. Other things are probably appeals to weaknesses that are attached to certain curiosities and certain actions. Or it might be attached to certain pains in your life that you are trying to deal with in unlawful and unproductive (destructive) ways.
4. Paul shows the same thing in Romans 7. Paul says that he finds this weakness in his flesh, that when he wants to do good he winds up doing evil or things that he really didn’t want to do. Paul had this taste for sin in his flesh. So he said that in his flesh is nothing good. He wasn’t talking about his body. He was talking about that spiritual side of man that is drawn to sin.
Paul was miserable because he wanted to do right but he noticed that he invariably wound up doing the wrong thing. So he was a slave. He couldn’t find a way of escape until he found Jesus and realized that with the fullness of the Spirit that sin didn‘t have to be indulged in. Furthermore, if he did sin he could trust what Jesus did at Calvary to make it right.
5. Let no man say when he is tempted that he is tempted of God.
God with every temptation will make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it
But remember the part of the Lord ’s Prayer that says, lead us not into temptation.
6. If we delight ourselves in the Lord he will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4)
7. Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.[2]
Because of Calvary you don’t have to sin. Because of Calvary if you sin…you can be put right with God!
People sin because they yield to their fleshly desires and do the wrong thing. You could discuss why and probe deeper. But still you would come up with the bottom line that the rebelliousness that is engrained in the flesh is drawn away and enticed. But now we know even though we do. We don’t have to. Revelation 1:12 (KJV)
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
[3]
You don’t have to commit adultery.
You don’t have to lie.
You don’t have to kill.
You don’t have to get drunk.
You don’t have to worship idols.
You can worship God.
You can live a life of integrity.
You can keep a pure thought life.
You can stay faithful to you wife.
You can be loyal to your friends.
You can be committed to your church.
You can be consecrated in the Kingdom of God.
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[1]The New King James Version. 1982 (Jas 1:14). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2]The New King James Version. 1982 (Ro 6:12). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.