James 4:17

[LoveJC9]

Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

This is really hard to live up to. Since the bible says that we can live without sin, it is sort of discouraging to know that the more that we learn about God, the more things become sin to us.

 

[K9_Trainer]

I don't think its possible to live without sin unless you are Jesus.

 

[LoveJC9]

The bible does say we can live without sinning once we make a commitment to God.

1 John 3 says that if you sin you were never a believer in the first place.

 

[K9_Trainer]

Yeah, you will decide to turn away from sin if you truly believe, but human nature is inherently sinful according to Genesis because of the fall. You will make mistakes. Nobody is without sin.

 

[LoveJC9]

I struggle with 1 John 3 a lot. Because according to that I never knew God when I commited the last sin I did and I thought at the time I was actually doing good.

 

[Brad2009]

I don't think its possible to live without sin unless you are Jesus.

I agree.

On the flip side of that coin:
Do you believe that it is possible to no longer walk in sin by the power of the Holy Spirit?

 

[K9_Trainer]

I think everybody will make mistakes. You can reject the Holy Spirit, or be tricked by Satan.

 

[scraparcs]

Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

This is really hard to live up to. Since the bible says that we can live without sin, it is sort of discouraging to know that the more that we learn about God, the more things become sin to us.

I don't think its possible to live without sin unless you are Jesus.

The bible does say we can live without sinning once we make a commitment to God.

1 John 3 says that if you sin you were never a believer in the first place.

I'll state outright that I believe that believers do still sin, but are forgiven by Christ.

That having been said, did God make us to live in fear of sin? How could God make us to live in fear of committing sin? I cannot understand that.

 

[Edwards1984]

We will continue to sin, but we will grow stronger - that's part of our sanctification. We are being conformed into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).

To give some quotes from two pastors I've heard:

"I'm not sinless, but I do sin less."

"I'm not what I ought to be, but I'm not what I used to be."

 

[MacFall]

Good quotes, Edwards. I'll have to remember those.

Nowhere does God's word state that if you sin you are not saved. Jesus did not die for sin up to the point of salvation; he died for all sin, in all times for those who believe. Past, present, future. And future means all of the sins we commit after we are saved. The Bible says that even the righteous fall (and who is righteous besides those who have been made so through Christ?) - but the difference between the righteous and the unrighteous is that the righteous will rise again, though they "fall seven times".

 

[Johnnz]

Th dangers of text picking. Here is the paragraph that verse belongs to.

James 4:13-17
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. NIV

The teaching is about not procrastinating on important matters, of self reliance on one's own ability to know and to chose when to do what is right. It's not about moral perfection. Jesus is the only candidiate for that.

John
NZ

 

[Marycita]

Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doethitnot, to him it is sin.

This is really hard to live up to. Since the bible says that we can live without sin, it is sort of discouraging to know that the more that we learn about God, the more things become sin to us.

I don't find it discouraging at all..I actually find it rather freeing.

The way I see it - the more we come to know God in relationship, the more we get aligned to the way He sees things, and therefore realize what our sins are. And knowing that, we can also rejoice in it, because we know that Christ has freed us from that...I don't know. I guess I just see it as, the more we recognize sin, the closer we are to living in the full joy He wants for us.

Eeee....oh what a God we serve

 

[Obzocky]

We are all sinners, we will sin because it is in our nature to do so. As believers we are aware of this, we know we are sinning, so we can make bold steps to try and prevent us from acting in such ways. Everyone will stumble, even those who have given themselves to the monastic life have said they suffer from aspects of sin. You notice them, you start building the strength to become a better person, one step at a time. You are not a worse person for stumbling, but you may become far more aware of the struggles of others which makes you a better source of encouragement than the person who claims to have no problem resisting.

That makes no sense. Sorry

 

[cloudstrife007]

Th dangers of text picking. Here is the paragraph that verse belongs to.

James 4:13-17
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. NIV

The teaching is about not procrastinating on important matters, of self reliance on one's own ability to know and to chose when to do what is right. It's not about moral perfection. Jesus is the only candidiate for that.

John
NZ

Yeah, we need to read the bible in context.
In the book of Romans Paul reminds us that he also struggles with sin (something about doing what he ought not to do and not doing what he should do). But Paul also reminds us that through Jesus Christ, we are free from being slaves of sins.
We will never have sinless lives, but we can rejoice in what Jesus has done for us. So we continue reading God's word, letting the Holy Spirit work in our lives and changing our sinful old ways, so that we walk in Christ centered lives and minimise the existence of sin.

 

[Inkachu]

Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doethitnot, to him it is sin.

This is really hard to live up to. Since the bible says that we can live without sin, it is sort of discouraging to know that the more that we learn about God, the more things become sin to us.

Not sure I'd put it this way. Rather, the more that we learn about God, the more AWARE we become of sin(s). To say that non-believers don't sin because they aren't learned about God...I don't think is an accurate statement.

 

[Inkachu]

I don't find it discouraging at all..I actually find it rather freeing.

This, too. I'd rather be challenged consistently than to ever "arrive" and then just sit there in self-satisfaction. Constantly learning and needing Him is the only life I want.

 

[LoveJC9]

1Jn 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1Jn 3:2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
1Jn 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
1Jn 3:5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
1Jn 3:6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
1Jn 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
1Jn 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
1Jn 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
1Jn 3:11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1Jn 3:12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.
1Jn 3:13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
1Jn 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
1Jn 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
1Jn 3:17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?
1Jn 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
1Jn 3:19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
1Jn 3:20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
1Jn 3:22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
1Jn 3:23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
1Jn 3:24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

 

[ceh85]

I struggle with this sometimes too, as well as the part that says if someone sins and knows they are sinning it is unforgiveable, I think it's in Hebrews 10? But I also think we have to choose whether we interpret it in a way that causes us to continue to strive to serve God, or in a way that keeps us fearful and downtrodden, and thinking we'll never be 'good enough'. Only one of those options is going to do any good.

I liked what Mary and Vicky said.

 

[MacFall]

LoveJC9: Those verses are not about stumbling or screwing up. There is a reason why the practice of sin is mentioned - it is about rebellion; the deliberate persistence in sin, flouting God's laws and along with it, abusing his grace.

There never was, is not now, nor will there ever be any person who did not sin for their whole lives except for Jesus Christ.