No 5

(When a Christian sins)

Two things happen when a true Christian commits sin : the Body of Christ is diminished and the person normally feels guilty. I emphasize the word « true » because oftentimes, we believe that because someone says that they are Christian, they are Christian; such is not always the case. A true Christian, never remains in sin because he or she has the Spirit of God abiding in them and is convicted immediately. But, because his or her body is imperfect, it is subject to the three areas of potential sin. They are : the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life 1 John 2 :15. Why do Christians sin? Very simple; they are not focused on Jesus and are usually starved spiritually because they only snack on the Word of God instead of feasting on It.

Isn’t wonderful that the Bible gives us a perfect example to follow when a person is tempted? When Jesus was in the desert and tempted by Satan, it was in precisely these three areas : The Bible says in Matthew 4 that Satan said to Jesus in verse 3 :  “if you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread”. (Here Jesus was tempted in the flesh). Further in Matthew 4, Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple and in verse 5, said to Him : “if you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down” (Jesus was tempted with the pride of life). Lastly, Satan tempted Jesus in verse 9 when he said to Him «All these things I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me » (Jesus was tempted in the lust of the eyes).

Notice, in these passages, how Jesus responds to Satan’s temptations - He quotes Scripture and nothing else. Wow! The last time I looked, we have these very same Scriptures in our Bibles and God wants us to use them in similar situations when we are tempted. But to use these Scriptures, we must know them; to know them we must read and, better yet, meditate on them. Trust me, it works; God’s Word is perfect.