Sin has been defined as “missing the mark” or “Transgression of God’s word.” Both are correct. Simply put, sin is making the wrong decision. Don’t get me wrong, not every wrong decision we make is sin, like when I decided to get an afro in the 80’s. It might have been ugly as sin, but it wasn’t a sin. What I mean is, that when Satan lays something before us and we choose to give into the temptation. You see, sin is a choice. We always have a choice. Pay close attention to I Corinthians 10:13– 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Did you notice all the information in this verse? 1. Somebody else has already faced whatever temptation you are facing. 2. God’s protection is around you while you are being tempted. 3. God provides a way out. 4. God provides you with strength.
This verse is great encouragement. It should fill us with hope and promise. Notice what the verse does not say; it does not say that God will keep us from sinning, He just promises to offer protection, strength, and the option not to sin. The choice is still ours. When you look at this verse, it is a reminder that we never have to face temptation alone. Not only is God right there, but somebody else understands what we are facing. We can also confide in them and they can assist us. The more help we enlist and the more accountable we are, the less likely we are to fall to sin!
So, where do these temptations come from? We can answer from Satan and we are partially correct. The real answer is that they come from within us. James makes it crystal clear in James 1:13, 14–13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Our own evil desires are what cause temptation in our lives. See, Satan knows what those are and uses them to trip us up.
These evil desires come from different sources. Some come from what or who we allow to influence us. I also believe that since sin and evil were introduced into the world, we are all born with flaws that we must learn to overcome. I don’t mean we are born sinners; we are born with certain sinful tendencies that we struggle with. When a person is challenged about their actions and they respond with, “I was born that way,” I don’t believe they are wrong, however, that does not justify their actions, nor does it make them right. Sin is always a choice we make.
We do not have to live in sin and we don’t have to accept it. We can choose to live a godly life and we can bank on the promises of God. We can accept God’s gift of grace given to us through the death of Jesus on the cross by being immersed for remission of sins and God promises us the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38). God also promises that He will forgive our sins when we seek forgiveness even after we have given our life to Him. When we think about all the choice we make in a day, seeking a saving relationship with God seems like a no brainer!
Read I John 1:5-10