Short, Christian, Lent devotions are a great way to connect with God in your Lent journey! These simple devotionals show us why the Bible matters, and help us think through how to observe Lent. Get started with this one below!

Journey Through Lent, Day 2

How to know you are doing the right thing can be a confusing journey. What’s considered a sin anyway? Is there a strict rulebook of do/don’ts?

Understanding what exactly sin is can be complex, and if we’re honest—pretty confusing.

Today, we take a look at a really interesting way that James, a New Testament author answers, “What’s considered a sin?”

Scripture: James 4:17

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them”

Written by Reclaim Today

Can you “sin” by buying a t-shirt? Yep! ‘Cause I did. I’ve spent so much time learning about modern slavery. And wow, is it a problem. A quick google search reveals that roughly 40+ million people are enslaved around the world. This includes women trafficked into the sex-trade, people who pick rice or make bricks in certain parts of the world, and the many women and children stuck in factories for long hours making the majority of the clothes we wear.

I know this. I’ve studied it. But recently, when I was at a gift-shop, I saw a t-shirt that I really wanted, and I bought it without knowing for sure that it was ethically sourced. For me, I knew the right thing to do: I shouldn’t buy the shirt. I felt it deep in my gut. I knew that buying that shirt was going against what I believe were God-given convictions. But I did it anyway. So for me, I think buying that shirt was a sin.

In the context of James 4:17, the author of James defines sin as knowing the right thing to do and not doing it. The words before v. 17 talk about putting off until tomorrow the good that we can do today. And the words after v. 17 talk about people in places of influence and power that take advantage of others by what they do and don’t do. It’s a section worth thinking about.

Why It Matters

Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are forgiven of our many sins—even the intentional or willful moments when we know the right thing to do but fail to do it. But within this forgiveness is also an invitation to lean on the Holy Spirit to do what’s right.

How to observe Lent can be a difficult thing to navigate alone. So good thing you don’t have to! Join us here for some great Lent devotions that help walk us along this journey through Lent!