Key Verse: James 4:17 

“Therefor to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” 

I believe that all Christians are guilty of believing that sin is simply doing something that is wrong. While this is certainly true to some extent sin is more then just doing the wrong thing. In the new testament there are two different Greek words used to describe sin. They are actually used in Ephesians 2:1. One of them is translated as trespass. It means to cross over into territory that you are not allowed to be in. The other word is translated simply as sin. However, this word literally means to ‘miss the mark.’ We miss the mark of God’s standard by engaging in both types of sin, but the idea here is that missing that mark is not doing the good things that we should be doing. Paul’s purpose in using both of these words in Ephesians 2 is to cover sin in the broad sense and to inform us that we are separated from God for these reasons. James wants us to realize in this section that when we know the good things God has called us to do and do not do them we are guilty of sin. In the verse that lead up to V.17 James writes our life is but a vapor. Since our life is so short we must make sure that we make the most of it by doing the good deeds God has called us to do. What are these good deeds? Sharing the faith, reading His Word, spending time in prayer, attending church, loving others, and forgiving others just to name a few. 

Oftentimes we seem to believe that we have more time than we really do to share the gospel and do the good deeds God has called us to. We must remember that life is short. It seems like yesterday that I was in Sunday school as a young child, and now I am nearing 30. Life truly flies by. I don’t want to be on my death wishing I had done more of the good deeds I was called too. I don’t want to live in sin, by refusing to do the things that God has called me to do. Start doing the good deeds today, because tomorrow is not promised.