Ministry of Grace Church

Then, desire having conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, having been completed, brings forth death.

Truth to Learn

Though we think of birth as the beginning of life, our unrestrained lusts produce a birth which results in death.

Behind the Words

The word translated “conceived” is a form of sullambanō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and lambanō, meaning “to take” or “to receive.” Sullambanō means “to grasp hold of” or “to enclose in the hands.” Figuratively, it is used in reference to conception when the egg grasps hold of the sperm.

“Gives birth” is translated from the Greek word tiktō, meaning “to bear or bring forth in birth.”

The Greek word apoteleō is translated here as “having been completed.” It is made up of apo, used as an intensifier and teleō meaning “to complete.” Hence, it refers to a process that has been absolutely, completely finished.

Finally, “bring forth” is translated from the Greek word apokueō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” and kueō, meaning “to swell or be pregnant.” This is a medical term for giving birth, whereas tikto, discussed above, is a literary term for the same thing.

Meaning Explained

Once again Paul uses a play on words to make his point. What he is telling us is that the child of lust is sin, and the child of sin is death. We were told in the previous verse that we are drawn away and enticed by our own overly strong desire, or lust. Now we are told that when that lust has grasped hold of us it produces sin, which then produces death.

When we give in to those overly strong desires, we do so to gain something: pleasure, power, possessions, accomplishment, etc. Instead of getting what we thought we wanted, however, what we get is death. Physical death is the separation of the body from the soul and spirit and it breaks our fellowship with those we have known in the flesh. The death talked about here, caused by sin, separates us spiritually from all that is holy and is a breaking of our fellowship with God. Just as the Father could not look upon the Son for those three hours as he hung on the cross bearing our sins, He cannot be in fellowship with us when there is sin in our life.

Likewise as Adam and Eve thought they would gain something from eating of the forbidden fruit, they, instead, got death. They died in a physical sense in that they began dying that day, eventually being cast out of the garden. They also died in a spiritual sense, in that they hid from God and were afraid of Him. When we give in to our selfish desires we are putting our own will before God’s will. This is the exact opposite of humbling ourselves before God and submitting to His will. Selfish satisfaction produces separation from God whereas humble submission produces close fellowship with God.

Application

Satisfying our lusts is an act of putting our will and our desires ahead of what God wants for us. It is taking the throne in our own life instead of giving it to the One who truly deserves it. Let us regard God’s will as the most important thing in our lives and He will take care of the rest.