James 1:16
“Do not err, my beloved brethren.”
A simple command is given in the verse above when it says, “Do not err…” Sometimes, we make avoiding sin much more difficult than it needs to be. God commands the Christian not to err, and then He gives a simple recipe of how to avoid it. God’s recipe consist of four ingredients that if applied will help the Christian to avoid sin. Let me show you these four ingredients.
First, don’t allow good to become bad. Verse 17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” It is interesting that after the Christian is commanded not to “err” that the next thing God teaches is that every good thing comes from above. The Devil is a master at turning good into bad. God is simply warning the Christian to keep everything in its proper order. When we do things out of their order is when good becomes bad. For instance, fornication is simply taking good out of order. There is nothing wrong with a man and woman being together after marriage, but when they enjoy the pleasures of marriage outside of the boundaries of marriage is when it becomes wrong. Most sin is simply taking good and doing it at the wrong time. If you are going to avoid sin, you are going to have to do everything in God’s divine order.
Second, stay in control. Verse 19 says, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” A lot of people get themselves into trouble by reacting instead of acting. Anger is a result of reacting to another’s actions towards you. There is nothing wrong with anger as long as it is controlled and directed towards the sin and not the individual. Most of our problems with people come when we react to what they do. God makes it clear that the easiest way to avoid your spirit being out-of-control is to listen more quickly than you speak or act.
Third, be a Word receiver. Verse 21 says, “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” Letting the Word of God become a part of the fabric of your soul will help you to “lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness…” Many preachers have correctly said, “This Book will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from this Book.” The best way to take the taste of sin away from your life is to let God’s Word become a part of the fabric of your soul. If you read God’s Word, listen to it through preaching, and memorize it so that it becomes a part of your thinking, you will find that sin won’t be as alluring as it used to be.
Fourth, be a Word doer. Verse 22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” The final step to avoiding sin is to do what you’ve received from God’s Word. If you apply God’s Word, you won’t be able to commit sin. Doing what God says keeps you from performing what the flesh desires. You can’t obey God’s Word and the flesh at the same time; each action voids the other.
Christian, these four ingredients will help you to avoid sin. I know these things sound too simple, but it really is that simple to avoid sin. Applying these ingredients to your daily life takes your focus off sin and allows you to stay focused on doing right which results in avoiding sin. It really is that simple to avoid sin!