The nature of sin

Romans 7:15-25

Paul explores the frustration of everyone who has ever failed to live up to God's commands. As Yeshua put it "The spirit indeed is eager but the human nature is weak." (Matt 26:41) Similarly the Talmud states:"At first sin is like an occasional visitor, then like a guest who stays awhile, and finally like the master of the house. James says, " Rather, each person is being tempted whenever his is being dragged off and enticed by the bait of his own desire. Then, having conceived, the desire gives birth to sin; and when sin is fully grown it gives birth to death." 

We will all be tempted. But will we "kick sin out" like a guest that is not welcomed or destroy it before "it is fully grown"? This shows that there are several "layers" to the sin that is manifested in our lives. We often have many opportunities to "destroy it". If we do not, it will destroy us. 


 God in His perfect wisdom
gave us His instruction book (Torah- first 5 books of the Bible) so that we can recognize sin in it earliest stages, even before its is "conceived." But man wanted it simplified and "easy to remember." So the original 613 were shortened several times.. eventually to 10 and then down to 2! But what man has lost from not being familiar with the original list is the ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE SIN BEFORE IT IS CONCEIVED. We are not "remembering" Gods commands by summing them all into the two most often quoted. We are only equipped to "destroy sin before it is conceived" if we are familiar with the COMPLETE LIST. Remember that our scriptures are an instruction book, not so God can control us but so that we can control ourselves and avoid sin BEFORE it can grow. Since the temple and sacrifices are no longer part of our convenient with God, the list of how to "recognized and destroy sin before it can grow" is much smaller.