For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point is guilty of breaking it all. For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not commit murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you are a lawbreaker. James 2:10-11 HCSB
If this scripture passage sounds familiar, I used it in yesterday’s blog. I also mentioned that I could do an entire blog on this one and this morning, I felt as though God was calling me to do just that. So, here goes.
If you are not involved in law enforcement then it may be safe to say that you have probably not spent much time or maybe any time reading the code of criminal procedure in your state. This codebook lists the laws and gives the minimum and maximum penalties prescribed for violating these laws. Now in the code of criminal procedure for our state traffic offenses are given their own section. Criminal offenses are placed in another section. Traffic offenses which are considered criminal such as driving while intoxicated or hit and run are listed in the criminal section of the code.
If you are charged with running a stop sign or speeding your penalty will be much less than if you are convicted for your first Driving While Intoxicated charge or DWI. The penalty for DWI will be much lighter than say the penalty for rape or murder. No one is sitting on death row because they had too many parking tickets or even too many DWIs, right?
When you violate laws like speeding or parking violations, these are consider victimless crimes. Now we all know that if we are speeding, we run the risk of hitting and maybe killing someone and that changes things.
But when we look at crimes like robbery, rape, murder these crimes clearly have a victim. There’s a lot of talk about a local officer and his school teacher wife that committed rape and the production of child pornography. Not only do these crimes clearly have a victim, but from what we can gather in the news these victims are juveniles. They preyed on the weak and the innocent. The more I learn about this situation the more it breaks my hearts for those victims and their families.
In the judicial system it is very likely that these people will not taste freedom for many years, if ever. I’m sure that we would all agree that this is a good thing as it prevents them from victimizing other defenseless children. So we agree on that. I’m sure that many of us would agree that the death penalty would not be too harsh in this case.
But, do you realize that today’s scripture passage is saying? It’s saying that if you commit sin, you commit sin. While our legal statues may have varying degrees of punishment in order for the punishment to fit the crime, the Bible tells us that sin is sin. If you are guilty of one, you are guilty of all. That seems really harsh doesn’t it? I mean the one who tells that “little” lie is just as guilty as the one who commits murder?
In Matthew 5:28 we are told that we are judged guilty by what is in our heart. So, if you hate your brother, it’s like committing murder. If you lust after someone to whom you are not married, it is like committing adultery. Why on earth would a loving God make such a strict rule? Well, because our heavenly Father knows best. He knows that a little sin can take us a long way.
You see I keep going back to that moment that Adam and Eve shared with the serpent in the garden before everything went awry. And yes, in Genesis verse 6 it says that she gave some of the fruit to her husband who was with her. So, he is not blameless here. The problem began when this serpent began to question what God had told Eve. Eve should have said, “God said it, so that’s the way it has to be”, but she didn’t. She not only engaged in conversation with the serpent, but she allowed him to cause her to question what God had said. She knew what God had said, but the fruit looked good and she allowed the serpent to convince that no harm would come from her eating the fruit. Boy, what a huge lie, right?
The problem with sin is that while it may start small, it can wind up really big. Our small sins that go unchecked become a gateway for the devil to enter in. Ephesian 4:27 tells us that we are not to give the devil an opportunity. James 1:14 tells us that each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. James 1:15 tells us that when desire is conceived it gives birth to sin and sin, when fully grown, brings forth death.
When we give the devil an opportunity or a way in, we give him the chance to get a foothold. Imagine trying to keep someone out of the door of your home. If they can get their foot through the door, you are in trouble my friend. This gives them enough strength to push and wedge themselves through the door. This is what our “little” sin does when it goes unchecked.
When we start sinning, we think that it’s no big deal. We think that we aren’t hurting anyone. I wonder where these heinous acts began. Where did they go wrong? Where did they first give that devil a foothold or were one of them perhaps childhood victims? We may never know.
When we sin against God ultimately we are the ones who pay the price, which is death. So, I beg of you today to adhere to 1 Thessalonians 5:22 and abstain from every form of evil. Our little sin gives the devil a crack in the door just big enough for him to slither in. Once he’s in he gains control. My friend, this is much more terrifying than anything that we may see at Halloween. This is real. Don’t play around with the devil. Don’t give him an opportunity. James 4:7 tells us to submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. If you fail to do that you are playing with fire and we all know what happens to those who play with fire.
Have a great day!