The book of James is recognized as one of the most practical books of the Bible. By "practical" we mean that the instructions found in the book of James are, by and large, easy to understand and readily applied to our daily lives.

The short epistle covers a number of subjects, but one that occurs frequently is "sin." This makes sense. Sin is the universal problem of mankind. We all struggle with temptations to sin and with the consequences of sin on a daily basis. Let us consider some things that James has to say about sin.

Sin comes from temptations and results in death. "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death" (James 1:14-15). Sin is a violation of God's law. "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4, KJV). Sin occurs when we violate God's law in an effort to fulfill our fleshly desires. No one makes us sin. God allows Satan to place temptations before us. Satan tempts us by enticing us to satisfy our lusts and desires. God does not abandon us when we are being tempted. These moments of temptation provide opportunities for us to grow and mature. "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12). God does not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to withstand, and He always provides a way of escape from temptation (1 Cor. 10:13), but He leaves the choice up to us.

Sin always results in death. This is the way it has been from the very beginning. God told Adam that the violation of His law would result in death (Gen. 2:17). The Bible defines death as a separation (James 2:26). Physical death occurs when the spirit of man is separated from his body. Spiritual death occurs when the spirit of man is separated from his God. If a man dies in this state of spiritual death (separation from God because of sin) he will undergo what the Bible calls the "second death," which is eternal punishment in Hell (Rev. 20:14-15). Sin is not a trivial matter. It is the cause of all the pain and suffering in the world, and it will cause us to lose our eternal soul.

Sin makes one a "lawbreaker." "But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder.' Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law" (James 2:9-11). God's law establishes a barrier within which man is to live. We are not to violate, transgress, or go beyond this barrier. Think of a man who has fenced off his property and posted "No Trespassing" signs. It does not matter what section of the fence we climb, if we cross the border and walk onto his property, we have trespassed. The same is true with God's law. It does not matter at what point we have trespassed, the fact is that we have trespassed and stand guilty of sin in the sight of God. Telling a white lie will place us in sin the same as committing murder or adultery. When we break a law we are lawbreakers. When we sin we are sinners.

Sin is rebellion against God. "Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?" (James 4:11-12). Our sin is actually a reflection of our attitude towards God. There are times when God's law calls upon us to do things that we do not want to do. At such times, we have a choice: we can either swallow our pride and obey God or we can disregard God and do what we want to do. James tells us that when we sin willfully we have determined that God's law forbidding such action is not worth following. In doing such, we have actually tried to elevate ourselves above God and place ourselves in a position of judgment against His law. Sometimes Christians can be heard to say, "I know what the Bible says, but..." According to James, such a person is actually saying, "I know what the Bible says, but I have judged that law to be unfair, unnecessary, unrealistic, etc., and I am not going to follow it." This is a very dangerous place for a Christian to be found, for it is a supreme act of rebellion against the one true Lawgiver. He is the one with real power and authority - to save or to destroy in judgment.

Sin is failing to do what is right. "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). Sin is more than a willful transgression against God's divine law. Sin is also the failure to do what is right. There are sins of commission (when we transgress God's law by doing something that is a violation of God's law) and there are sins of omission (when we fail to measure up to the requirements of God's law). It is one thing to study and learn what God's law requires of us. It is another thing to actually do what God's law requires. Earlier in his letter James admonished his readers to be doers of the word and not hearers only who deceive themselves (James 1:22). Are there things that you know you should be doing?

Sin can be forgiven. "And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:15). This is the great message of the Bible - our sins can be forgiven! As soon as sin entered the world, God began to reveal His plan to make forgiveness possible (Gen. 3:15). God provided a sacrifice for our sins and thus a way for us to escape the penalty of our sins (Rom. 3:21-26). However, God has set forth conditions which must be met in order for each individual sinner to receive forgiveness. The one who is outside of Christ must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 8:25), repent of his sins (Luke 13:3), confess his faith (Rom. 10:9-10), and be baptized for the remission of his sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). The erring Christian must confess his sins (1 John 1:9), repent, and pray for forgiveness (Acts 8:22).

There are many good, practical lessons to be learned from the book of James. Among them are some basic lessons on the subject of sin. We need to heed the Bible's warnings and instructions regarding sin, and seek God's forgiveness on God's terms.