By Mark W. Christy, PhD
In James 1:14-15, the Apostle provides an overview of the process behind sin. He writes, “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.”[i] From these verses, four discernible steps in the sin process are provided, and this article will examine each at length.
Initially, sin begins in the fallen desires of one’s heart (as James puts it, “by his own lust”). As Prov 21:10 declares, “The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.” Echoing this thought, Paul affirms that all Christians “formerly lived in the lusts of [their] flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Eph 2:3). From these verses and a host of other Scriptures, one learns that all people are born bound by sin and its desires which emanate from their inmost being.
Upon receiving Christ (becoming born-again and being made a new creation, Paul directs believers to take on an active role by willfully choosing to follow the desires of their new self: “lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit…and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph 4:22, 24; Col 3:5). At this point, one must consider Paul’s meaning behind his call to “lay aside the old self” and “put on the new self.” Essentially, Paul is calling upon believers to actively align their will with that of God who “desire[s] truth in the innermost being” (Ps 51:6). He is admonishing them to “walk by the Spirit, [so that they] will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). When believers fail to “walk by the Spirit,” they set aside the fruit of the Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22-23) in favor of the sin that they had at one time abandoned. By doing so, they “quench the Spirit” (1 Thess 5:20). Again, one may rightfully ask how does one actively set aside the fruit of the Spirit. They do this when they “despise prophetic utterances” (i.e., the Word of God) and fail to “examine everything carefully” so that their choices align with God’s Word (1 Thess 5:20-22; cf. Prov 6:20-25).
When Christians fail to humbly submit themselves to God’s will as revealed in Scripture and instead choose to follow after the sinful desires of the flesh, they become deceived by sin (this is the second part of the sin process). In this stage, sinful wanting leads the one being tempted to a point whereby the truth is expunged in favor of a lie (as James states, “each one…is carried away and enticed”). Looking back at the Greek text, to be “carried away” refers to being dragged away by the inner longing arising from the sinful lusts which sinners are actively abandoning themselves unto. Those who are “enticed” are in essence taking the bait (to use a fishing metaphor) as they pursue the object or fulfilment of the lustful desire within them.
To take the bait and surrender to the enticement which arises from one’s lust or desire, one must first cross over the hurdle of truth. For the unsaved, this hurdle as already been crossed in such a way that sin will enjoy completely freedom to work deceit in the life of the unbeliever (cf. Rom 1:18; Rom 3:10-12; 5:12-21). Unlike the unsaved, believers are commanded to “not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts” (Rom 6:12). To accomplish this feat, believers must identify fleshly desires and avoid the various ways these desires attempt to lure them away from truth and back into deception.
By failing to turn from wicked desires, sinners (saved and unsaved) end up allowing their minds to become more and more swayed in favor of lies which by default do not accord with Scripture. At this stage in the sin process, the design or plan (as James says, “when lust has conceived”) of sin begins to readjust the mind away from truth in such a way that sinners place their focus and their hearts upon the lustful desires of their flesh. In doing so, they end up “trust[ing] in confusion and speak[ing] lies” (Isaiah 59:4). Instead of trusting in God who would “make [their] paths straight” (Prov 3:6; Jer 31:9; Matt 3:3; Heb 12:13), they have chosen to reject the peace and justice of God which abides along the righteous path (Isaiah 59:8). With their minds now encased in the deceit of sin (cf. Gen 6:5; Isa 59:7), they become ready victims to all manner of lies perpetrated by false teachers such as Hananiah and Shemaiah in the days of Jeremiah (28:15; 29:31).
Within this design period of the sin process whereby the mind no longer serves as a storehouse for truth and instead is made into a repository for lies and wickedness, the falling sinner enters into a rationalization process that can frequently be witnessed both before and after their sin is committed. After being found out by God, Adam quickly offered a rationalized excuse that hung the blame on the woman and God who gave him the woman (Gen 3:12). Aaron, when confronted by Moses for his part in allowing the people to worship the golden calf, assigned the blame for his freewill decision to the people who had become unsettled and angry during Moses’s absence. Saul, who was confronted by Samuel for having made an unlawful sacrifice, assigned blame to Samuel due to his late arrival at a time when war was about to break out (1 Sam 13:11-12).
For the Christian, the potential to allow the mind to wonder from the path of righteousness becomes even more acute during times of anger. When David, for example, had his pride and honor insulted by Nabal, a man who “was harsh and evil in his dealings,” he almost instantaneously committed himself to pursuing his own vengeance and slaying Nabal (1 Sam 25:3-13). Thankfully, Abigail, Nabal’s wise wife, intervened, and David turned from his sinful intention (32-35).
Whereas David turned from his design for sin against Nabal, Pilate chose not to turn away from sinning against Christ by committing state-sponsored murder of an innocent man. Though warned away from being a party to Christ’s condemnation by his wife, Pilate prioritized his appeasement of the people and by connection his continued role as a governor (Matt 27:19). He had tried to avoid his decision by offering the crowd Barabbas, but when the crowd preferred to free Barabbas over Christ, Pilate’s underlying core motives (his lust) to retain power led him to satiate the crowd’s bloodthirst (Matt 27:17-18). After rationalizing his part in the commission of his heinous act, he then abandons Christ to His fate and washes hands of the deed as if he had no part in the act (Matt 27:24). From this, one can perceive from beginning to end how rationalization is employed leading up to a sinful deed, and then afterwards it is used to comfort the sinner in some way so that they may escape the guilt of the sin they themselves had decided to commit.
The final stage in the sin process is the commission of the sin itself. Those who reach this stage have allowed their fallen desires to deceive their minds to the extent that they have now come to a point of decision. Whereas Christians have been called to walk by the Spirit in line with Scripture, fallen Christians have surrendered their minds and ultimately their bodies to the corruption of disobedience. Thankfully, the gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to be good news for all sinners, even those who have been redeemed from sin and yet still struggle with sin (a category which includes all Christians). Just as lost sinners are called to repent and receive Christ, which is tantamount to exalting the Word of God as the standard of truth in their lives, all Christians who fall into disobedience must harken back to their blood-bought relationship with God, repent, and return to living under His standard (i.e., the Word of God).
In conclusion, the process of sin involves four stages: desire, deceit, design, and disobedience. Those who have yet to come to Christ in victory through repentance and faith are still hopelessly trapped in this process, but Christians are called to follow their victorious Savior and live a life free from sin. Despite this call, all Christians continue to struggle with sin. As Paul said, “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate” (Rom 7:15). In the midst of this struggle, the Lord has provided His Spirit to accompany His people along with His Word. As believers turn from the workings of sin in their flesh, they will be joining Christ in His victory not just in the world to come, but also in today’s world.
[i]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995.