Walk Without Falling 1
Go and sin no more. John 8:11b
Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We all have sinned, but notice that this is past tense. It does not say you will continue to sin. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Being in Christ is continually abiding in Him and not practicing your old lifestyle of sin which should pass away. 1 John 3:6 says, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” You do not get up in the morning and drive to church to be a Christian, then come back home to be a sinner. We are to be in Christ, abiding in Him continually. 1 John 5:18 says, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” Am I saying if you still sin you are not a Christian? No! If you go on to read 1 John 3 you will see that it references those practicing righteousness. If you are not practicing righteousness, then you need to question if you are really saved. What would you say if you went to a doctor that said he doesn’t practice medicine, but just dabbles in it occasionally? You would probably be looking for a different doctor.
We should be choosing to continually practice righteousness and not allow sin into our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” Then twice in the Book of John (5:14 and 8:11) Jesus told people to “Go and sin no more.” Was Jesus telling them to do something that they could not do? Was Jesus a liar? I believe Jesus, and say that I can walk without sinning. If we do this, we will prevent ourselves from falling. Notice in Romans 3:23 that the fall comes after sin, as it did with Adam and Eve. So, if we stop sinning, then we will stop falling short. If we choose to believe that we cannot walk on this earth without sinning, then we are calling Jesus a liar, and we will not be able to walk without falling. Start telling yourself that you will choose to obey the Word and therefore not sin going forward.
Walk Without Falling 2
Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165
When you read James 1:2-4, it appears as though you may/will fall as you walk in this world. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” However, if you read verse 5, it paints a different picture. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” These are 2 different scenarios. Scenario 1: verses 2-4 refer to walking in this world not knowing what is ahead or how to respond to it. If you fall, God can turn it around for good (Romans 8:28). Scenario 2: in verse 5, you see that you lack wisdom and ask God for it. God then will give you the wisdom, so you can walk without falling. God does not want us to fall so that we can learn how to walk without falling. He wants us to seek Him for the wisdom, so we never fall in the first place (see Jude 1:24-25, 2 Peter 1:3-10).
Picture a large room that you have never been in before with furniture, toys, etc. scattered all over the floor. Now imagine you are in this room, but it is pitch black. If you try to walk around this room, you will trip over the items in the floor. You will probably stumble, and maybe even fall. Now turn the light on. You will be able to walk around the room avoiding the items (traps of the enemy) if the light is on. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Therefore, it is imperative to be in the Word daily so you can walk in the light and avoid the traps of the enemy. Sin and ignorance puts us in darkness and will cause us to fall. We must be in the Word daily to fulfill Psalm 119:104. “Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way.” As we continue in the Word, we will hate every false way and choose to avoid it. Then we can fulfill Psalm 119:101 which says, “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word.” Once we keep His Word, we will be in the light and not fall or stumble.
