We read in John 8 that the scribes and Pharisees (the religious leaders), brought a woman to Jesus when He was in the temple. The woman had been caught in the very act of adultery and as per Jewish law was going to be stoned. Wanting to know whether Jesus would follow the law (in an attempt to ensnare him so they could accuse Him), they asked Jesus what He thought. At first, Jesus did not respond verbally. He stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger. When they continued asking, He stood and said, in verse 7, “Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (NIV) When Jesus stooped again and wrote more, one by one, they each left. Then we read in verse 11 that since no one was left to accuse her, Jesus instructed the woman to “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Sin has been with us since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. ‘Sin’, hamartia in the Greek means: missing the mark, a fault, or failure, a sinful deed. Basically, sin is to do anything apart from or outside of the will of God.

The Scripture very plainly reveals to us that the Holy Spirit is the One who convicts the world (the unbelievers) of sin and their need of a Savior. John 16:8 (Amplified Bible), “And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment…”

Sad to say, even though the Word is clear about ‘conviction’ being a work of the Holy Spirit, it is easy as believers, for us to point out the sins of unbelievers and even the sins of fellow believers.

We need to be aware that all believers commit sin which must be dealt with by confession and repentance. 1 John 1: 8-10, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”

Psalms 139: 23 and 24 reads, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

God’s Word teaches us what sin is and reveals the righteousness we find in Christ.

Hebrews 4:12 and 13, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

We also read in Psalm 119:11, “I have tried hard to find you--don't let me wander from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” God’s Word can keep us from sinning or protects us from sin.

What happens when we act on our own desires? We have a very vivid explanation given to answer that question in James 1:14 and 15, “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”

We must always be aware that the actions we take, or do not take, result from the choices we make. Romans 6:6-14 (Amplified Bible), “We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. 7For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live [together] with Him, 9because we know [the self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin [ending its power and paying the sinner’s debt] once and for all; and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship with Him]. 11Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts and passions. 13Do not go on offering members of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness. But offer yourselves to God [in a decisive act] as those alive [raised] from the dead [to a new life], and your members [all of your abilities--sanctified, set apart] as instruments of righteousness [yielded] to God. 14For sin will no longer be a master over you, since you are not under Law [as slaves], but under [unmerited] grace [as recipients of God’s favor and mercy].”

We, through Christ, have died to sin so that it no longer has any power over us. Even so, we still must make a choice to live righteously, rather than sin. 2 Timothy 2:22, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.” The understood subject is “You” - you choose, you run, and you pursue!

Please understand though, we do have a part, however, the astounding truth found in the following scriptures reveal that God does not demand we work on our own, to achieve our salvation. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The third person of the God Head, the Holy Spirit, was sent from the Father to us to help us make the right choices, as seen in the following verses. Galatians 5:16-24, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there”.

We face temptations constantly through those things we see or hear. The world presents all kinds of sin in very appealing ways. Watching television, surfing the internet, watching movies, being around other people and seeing the way people dress, or looking at the material possessions of others are a few of the ways we are tempted to sin.

When playing games on the internet, ads which promote the viewing of sexual pictures and sexual behavior pop up constantly. We have to choose what we do and how we deal with those images when they pop up before our eyes. Do we take a quick look or do we flee immediately? Flee immediately!

There is never a temptation that comes before us that we cannot control by the choices we make with the help of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” Then, looking at Ephesians 4:24 (ESV), we see, “and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” We are encouraged to “put on” the new self or new man! Do you realize if we refuse or reject to “put on” the new man, we are choosing to give control to the old man? (Being controlled by our old sin nature!)

Romans 13:13 and 14, “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. Clothe yourself or “Put on” the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is working to transform us into Christ’s image, however, we have a free will and must choose to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. We must choose to obey the Word of God and continue to follow the Word of God and not give in to the desires of the flesh (Sin Not)!

Even the apostle Paul battled with sin, however, He overcame it by the power of Christ which was in Him! Romans 7:21-25a (NIV), “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” So, to keep ourselves from sin, we, depending on God, must choose righteousness when we are tempted.

What are some actions we can take to help us when we are tempted? We can speak the Word of God, praise and worship God, pray, read the Word of God, and/or think about what God has done and is continuing to do in our life!

The opportunity to sin is going to come. However, be prepared and decide ahead of time that you will resist your main enemies - the devil and your flesh!

1 Peter 5:8 and 9,(NIV), “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

James 4:7 and 8 (ESV), “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Remember, it is through the power of God in your life that you will overcome the temptations which produce sin (death and destruction) in your life! 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (ESV), “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

If you are not a believer and find yourself in a ruinous situation with no power to change the behaviors caused by temptations and sin, I encourage you with my whole heart, to choose today to recognize that you are a sinner who needs to accept the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, so that you can be forgiven of your sins and begin a new and wonderful relationship with God, which will allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through you. That way, you will be victorious over those destructive choices and behaviors!

If you are a believer who, because of temptations and wrong choices has fallen away from God and the relationship He desires to have with you, confess your sins today! Turn away from them and be restored to the beautiful relationship you have experienced with God in the past. He loves you!

You will not regret your decision!

My prayer is that all of us will walk more victoriously with God in the days to come as we choose to “Go and Sin No More!”

Unless indicated otherwise the scripture is taken from the New Living Translation

NIV New International Version

ESV English Standard Version