The Aim Of Sin

There is an adage among Second Amendment advocates and those who promote gun ownership that “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”.  Last Sunday, a church in central Texas personally lived this debate. 
Now before we go any further I want to be clear about my point – I am not advocating the right to carry a gun, nor am I promoting an anti-gun agenda.  As citizens of this nation we have the luxury of engaging in this public debate, but this article is about human, moral choice.  In-and-of themselves a firearm, a vehicle, a canister of oxycodone or a bottle of Jack Daniels mean nothing.  They are merely tools to be used or misused by people.  These things have no heart, no conscience, no culpability.  Yet, when we pick them up and they begin to serve our purposes – that is when we have an accountability to our fellow man and must answer to God. 
As I look back on the events of the past week I am drawn to James’ description of sin.  As he begins a very practical discussion of Christianity, the brother of Jesus writes:
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. (James 1:12-15)
All people have an accountability for their actions and a part of this responsibility comes with an understanding of the process of sin.  We can call it “mental illness”, we can label it “social injustice”, we can even excuse it as being “misguided”; but, God calls it sin!  Sin baits us by finding the self-centered recesses of our minds and creates a way to use it as a disadvantage – to satisfy our desires.  Sin gets its hooks into us when we begin to rationalize the “pros” and reduce the “cons” of an immoral action.  Satan reels us in when we act in opposition to God’s will and His Word.  I find it interesting that James uses the world “death” to describe the final state of iniquity.  We correctly understand it as being the separation between us and God, but, often, sin produces a different type of death.  It can lead to the demise of hope, it can kill relationships and, in its most extreme form, it can end our or another person’s life. 
This week our prayers continue to go out to a community in grief and a nation in turmoil.  As we petition for healing and comfort, let’s not forget to pray for our own strength as we deal with temptation and sin.

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