Do Not Be Drawn Away From Righteousness By Your Own Lusts

James 1:12-15 reads,

1:12Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him. 1:13Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can’t be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 1:14But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 1:15Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.

Do Not Show Partiality

James 2:1-13 reads,

2:1My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2:2For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your assembly, and there come in also a poor man in filthy clothing; 2:3and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, "Sit here in a good place;" and you tell the poor man, "Stand there," or "Sit by my footstool;" 2:4haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 2:5Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? 2:6But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts? 2:7Don’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called? 2:8However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well. 2:9But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. 2:10For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he has become guilty of all. 2:11For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," said also, "Do not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 2:12So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom. 2:13For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

It Is Sin To Presumptuously Avoid Doing Good

James 4:17 reads,

4:17To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.

Confess Your Sins To Your Fellow Disciples In Yah'shuah

James 5:13-16 reads,

5:13Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises. 5:14Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, 5:15and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him. 5:16Confess your offenses one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed.

It should be remembered that Yah'shuah gave his disciples power and authority to forgive sins. Therefore when a disciple of Yah'shuah is healed of his sickness, after having been anointed with oil and prayed over by the elders of the assembly, his sins are indeed forgiven.

Convert A Sinner From The Error Of His Way

James 5:19-20 reads,

5:19Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 5:20let him know, that he who converts a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.

It Is Commendable Before Yahweh To Suffer Unjustly

1 Peter 2:18-25 reads,

2:18Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked. 2:19For it is commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience toward God. 2:20For what glory is it, if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God. 2:21For to this were you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps, 2:22who did not sin, "neither was deceit found in his mouth." 2:23Who, when he was reviled, didn’t revile back. When he suffered, didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously; 2:24who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed. 2:25For you were going astray like sheep; but are now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Do Not Live In Sin

1 Peter 4:1-5 reads,

4:1Forasmuch then as Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; 4:2that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 4:3For we have spent enough of our past time living in doing the desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in lasciviousness, lusts, drunken binges, orgies, carousings, and abominable idolatries. 4:4They think it is strange that you don’t run with them into the same excess of riot, blaspheming: 4:5who will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

How Does Love Cover A Multitude Of Sins?

1 Peter 4:8 reads,

4:8And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins.

How does love cover a multitude of sins?

            James 5:19-20 gives an example of how love covers a multitude of sins. For he who loves his brother who has veered away from righteousness into error will seek to convert his erring brother back into righteousness and save his soul from death. In other words, love undertakes actions that result in others living in righteousness, rather than dying in sins.

Confess Your Sins To Be Cleansed Of All Unrighteousness

1 John 1:5-2:2 reads,

1:5This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1:6If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth. 1:7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1:8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1:9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1:10If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

2:1My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. 2:2And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

Your Sins Are Forgiven You For His Name’s Sake

1 John 2:12 reads,

2:12I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

Sin Is Lawlessness

1 John 3:4-12 reads,

3:4Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. 3:5You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. 3:6Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him, neither knows him. 3:7Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 3:8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 3:9Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can’t sin, because he is born of God. 3:10In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother. 3:11For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 3:12unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

Earlier on it was noted that sin is transgressing Yahweh's word to one. In 3:4 it is noted that sin is lawlessness. It is therefore the case that Yahweh's word includes law, such that violating Yahweh's word is lawlessness.

Yah'shuah Is The Atoning Sacrifice For Our Sins

1 John 4:10 reads,

4:10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Pray For Your Brethren's Forgiveness When They Sin Sins That Are Forgivable

1 John 5:16-18 reads,

5:16If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that concerning this he should make a request. 5:17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. 5:18We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him.

Yah'shuah Loves Us, And Washed Us From Our Sins By His Blood

Revelation 1:4-6 reads,

1:4John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne; 1:5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood; 1:6and he made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Sinners Will Die The Second Death In The Lake Of Fire

Revelation 21:5-8 reads,

21:5He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." 21:6He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 21:7He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. 21:8But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."


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© 1999, Isaac Aluochier, All rights reserved. Published by Christ the Lamp, a division of Servants of Yahweh, P O Box 44848, Nairobi, 00100, Kenya. E-mail: christthelamp@christthelamp.org. Permission is hereby GRANTED to reproduce this and other publications in the Christ the Lamp web site, http://www.christthelamp.org, unless otherwise stated.