Philip Dampier's Blog

Chapter 4, Verse 17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

We appreciate James’ ability to cut right to the heart of the matter. Whether it’s in making plans for the future or participating in an action of the present we have two choices. One, we can do what God has told us to do or secondly, we can do what we want instead. Rights and wrongs were established generations ago. God made it plain in multiple ways regarding what He approves of and disapproves of.

Sin, then, is failing to do what God wants. Disobedience is doing what is wrong when we know what is right. Jeremiah the prophet makes God’s point very plain in Jeremiah 10:23. He writes, “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.”

Our arrogance denies this and that is why we wind up in evil and sin. In comparison to what God knows about us, mankind lives in total ignorance of himself.

Task for Today: Start with making sure you know the right thing to do. Study the New Testament leaving no page or word undone. Be a know it all as far as the right is concerned. Finish by doing exactly what the right thing to do requires of you. That is the way to avoid sin. You will not be able to plead ignorance at the judgment.