Sin’s Cycle

Have you ever read a passage and Scripture and thought, I’m pretty sure I’ve read this somewhere else?

That happened to me the other day when I was reading Psalm 7. I found a verse that felt really familiar.

Psalm 7:14 says, “See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil, conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.”

It took a couple minutes for my brain to kick in. And then it went – hey, I know that example! The idea of evil conceiving and giving birth? The cycle of sin that progressively gets worse? James uses that same language!

Here it is from James 1:15: “Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.”

Don’t you love when you find places like that in Scripture that you hadn’t connected before?

It makes sense, after all, James was raised with a knowledge of the Old Testament. It’s likely that he learned the pregnancy metaphor from Psalm and continued it in his writing.

Let’s look at the language again:

Psalm: the wicked one is pregnant with evil

Psalm: the wicked one conceives trouble
James: desire conceives

Psalm: the wicked one gives birth to deceit
James: desire gives birth to sin

James: sin grows up and gives birth to death

In fact, James takes the cycle of sin to the next generation. Psalm leaves us with the idea that sin gives birth to deceit. Then James explains that the deceit grows up and gives birth to death. The cycle of sin spirals out of control, leaving the person eternally separated from God.

The truth that both the Psalmist and James convey is still applicable today. Our evil desire conceives and gives birth to even more and bigger deceits – all which will drag us to our spiritual death. Don’t give into sin! Don’t let this life cycle of sin continue in your life. Fight sin daily.

What are the best ways to fight sin? Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit for help. Find a more mature believer to serve as your accountability partner. Radically eradicate the temptation to sin from your daily habits. Get invested in a local, Bible-preaching church. Read the Bible and memorize its words. Fill your head with so much Scripture that sin can’t take root!