James 1:14-15 reads as follows:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
These two verses explain the corrupting power of temptation and sin. Temptation leads to enticement and lust. This lust brings forth sin. Sin proceeds to do it’s work, and eventually brings forth death.
Verses like these are often expounded upon to discuss stopping temptation. Rightfully so. It is important for Christians to recognize temptation and stop it before it blooms into lust. This is part of our sanctification.
I think there is another important message in these verses though — sinning leads to more sin. My pastor says “sins are like grapes; they come in bunches” and I believe this is true. A sin may lead to a lie, covering up wrongdoing. But sin also corrupts the individual, which makes him callous to further sin. For instance, drunkenness (a sin) can lead to other bad decisions. Likewise, a small transgression often leads to larger ones, or other adjacent ones.
My takeaway is that I need to not only stop temptation in its tracks, but I also need to ensure little sins don’t creep into my life as they lead to larger ones. As James says, “when [sin] is finished, it brings forth death.” So my journey of sanctification needs to stop temptation, and prevent little sins from creeping into my life.
