James 1:14-15 Part 2—The lust/sin connection

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 1:14-15

Every bit of Scripture is designed to instruct and encourage you. The phrase “each one is tempted” reveals that the sin dilemma you face in your life is something everyone else has to deal with, too. Temptation hits each one of us, and therefore, when you are tempted, you’re not in a class by yourself. That alone ought to give you some relief.

First Thessalonians 5:23 reveals the three-part anatomy of a human being. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (emphasis added).

I am a new creation; on December 29, 1974, I became a new creature in Christ. My spirit underwent both death and resurrection. That which died was my “old man”—or the old me (see Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22, and Colossians 3:9)—that which was resurrected was my new, recreated spirit man. My spirit is clean and whole and has been so since the night I was saved. It will remain so throughout my life. Thank God, my sin nature is gone.

That said, I woke up on the morning of December 30, 1974, with the same old soul and body. The power of God had intervened the night before and eradicated alcoholism from my body and mind; but besides that, the rest of my personality, memories, will, emotions, habits, and flesh stayed the same. But I—my spirit man—was brand new, nonetheless.

Since your soul and body are not made new when you receive Jesus as Lord, this causes conflict with your recreated spirit. Paul said, “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (see Philippians 2:12). He knew, as did James, that the reality of who we are in Christ needs to “be worked out” into the soul and the body. In fact, this conflict between spirit and soul is a huge portion of the “consider it all joy” trials we encounter in life!

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

Your soul and body arrive on the scene with their own unique assortment of tastes, preferences, inclinations, and desires. You sowed into those things in the past, and by doing so, you developed habits and patterns, some of which violated the will of God. But when you were born again, you were cleansed of all of it. However, many of the habits and patterns remained behind, planted in your memory, mind, emotions, and body. These are the things James refers to as your own lust. Unfortunately, each of us has a set of our own lust imprinted on our soul and flesh due to our unique personal make up and life experiences.

The lust for life is a zealous attitude toward living—a positive thing; on the other hand, the lust James speaks of is an “uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite” or an “overmastering desire or craving” (dictionary.com).

Therefore, lust is often—but not restricted to—sexual desires that are off limits to you due to your particular status in life. A single person—according to the Word of God—is to remain abstinent until he or she marries; a married person is to satisfy their sexual longing with the partner to whom they are married (as specified in the Bible, someone of the opposite sex). If you align yourself with a biblical worldview, you recognize that God has designed this to apply to each one; we sin when we stray out of the bounds He has set.

When you feel an “uncontrolled or illicit desire”, that is your own lust. Don’t be alarmed; James says each one of us deals with these things, yet sin has not been conceived. The objective here is to stop lust in its tracks—whatever it may be—and to overcome it before it conceives.

Here’s the anatomy of the lust/sin connection.

1. You feel an illicit desire within you—lust.
2. You are enticed and drawn to it.

NOTE A: If you weren’t enticed by the desire, it wouldn’t be lust. Your own lust is something that uniquely attracts or lures you.

NOTE B: At this point, when you are aware of the pull toward your own lust, take note of it and mark it in your mind as something that can trip you up, and then stand guard against the next step in the lust/sin connection.

3. You get carried away by the enticement of your own lust.

NOTE C: Being carried away is something you have control over. This stage occurs in your mind, not merely in your body. What happens is this: You start to allow your mind to “go there”, and as it does, you get carried along with it, hence the term, carried away.

NOTE D: If you don’t want to get carried away, break the train of thought. Read or speak the Word of God. Worship. Pray. Jump around and dance. Call a trusted friend or accountability partner.

4. You are tempted when you are enticed by your own lust and get carried away by it in your mind.

NOTE E: The good news is that temptation is not yet sin. However, if you want to live an overcoming life in this moment of temptation, now is the time you must act on the Word. You cannot wait any longer without giving in to the temptation. Remember, you are an overcomer, not the overcome.

Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

5.   Lust conceives, I believe, in the mind.

NOTE F: Feeling lust is not sin; being enticed by it is not yet sin; flirting with the enticement in your mind is being carried away and you are almost to the point of no return; but lust finally conceives when your will steps in and says “Go for it.” In other words, every conception requires two parties. In this case, your lust, originating from your body—the flesh—unites with your will—in your soul—and conceives. Lust does not conceive until your will forms a union of agreement with it.

NOTE G: Second Corinthians 10:5 warns you to take every thought captive. Once the thought grows to an imagination or a stronghold, it is much more difficult to arrest. You can train yourself by the Word and the Spirit of God to take those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ before they grow into imaginations or strongholds. Again, you are an overcomer, not the overcome.

NOTE H: If you turn off the “monitor” within you (your conscience) that says “don’t go there”, then you will no longer be able to resist. And that was your own choice—neither the devil nor your genetics made you do it. Be honest and talk to God about that if this has been your experience. He knows how to help you to redirect a rebellious, disobedient, or lazy will.

6. Conceived lust gives birth to sin. You carry out the action that violates your conscience and the Word of God.
7. One way or another, once it is accomplished, sin produces death. This death can be physical or within your soul.

NOTE I: How many Christians carry a load of guilt due to disobedience which slowly kills off every bit of joy and happiness in their lives? If you recognize yourself in this description, you can be forgiven and freed from the oppression of your shame. Jesus bore even that on the cross; accept His forgiveness and cleansing, and seek God for the grace to walk free from here on out. He gladly provides you with it.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that lust equals sin. Learn to recognize your own lust when it crops up so that you can thwart it by the Word and the Holy Spirit before it takes over. And know that the grace to overcome all of it has already been deposited within you by the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Dorothy