It is God's written command to give no agreement when hardened, bold sinners try to draw others into their ways, allowing no license or excuse for indulging the evil passions of human nature even once or in the slightest point, even to gratify others. The enticement comes through talk that excuses dishonest conduct and pressure to join questionable plans, through ridicule and pressure to keep approval, and through all who follow the tempter and in turn seek to entice others. Jesus lived this refusal against the constant pressure of His brethren, who called it harmless to please them in wrong action and mocked His patience, kindness, justice and integrity as cowardice, meeting them not with His own words but with Scripture and keeping an undeviating course of rightdoing while hating only sin. Refusal must be a firm, resolute No even under mockery, for yielding to preserve favor sacrifices principle and is not true courage but a low spirit to be rejected, while standing firm is neither discourtesy nor cowardice. Strength to refuse comes by prayer for deliverance, by aligning the will with God's will and staying connected with Him, by holding fast to Christ with heaven's help, and by fixed principles formed through careful training under a father's eye and a mother's watchcare, which parents and teachers must give continually by precept and example.
Meaning of the Warning
The command is written in God's word that when hardened and bold sinners try to draw others into their sinful ways, there is to be no agreement to follow them. It allows no license or excuse for sin or for the evil passions of human nature, not even once or in the slightest point, even to gratify others. Its force is absolute refusal to consent when sinners urge wrongdoing.
The surrounding counsel joins this warning to the charge for children to heed their parents' instruction and to keep themselves from enticement. Enticement comes through talk that excuses dishonest or irreverent conduct and through pressure to join questionable plans, requiring alertness, refusal of the invitation, and preservation of integrity toward God and others. It also comes through ridicule and pressure to preserve approval, where yielding sacrifices principle. It comes as well through anyone who follows Satan, for such a person will in turn seek to entice others.
Jesus lived this refusal under constant pressure from His brethren, the sons of Joseph, who sought to make Him like themselves. They called it harmless to please them in this or that wrong action, and they mocked His patience, forbearance, kindness, justice and integrity as cowardice and fear because He would not dare to do wrong. He met their enticement not with His own words but with this Scripture, keeping an undeviating course of right doing as the perfect Pattern who hates only sin, so that the plan made in the councils of heaven could be carried out and the world would not be lost. Refusal therefore must be firm even when others ridicule or pressure, for yielding to preserve approval or to avoid mockery sacrifices principle and is not true courage. A firm and resolute No is right when evil is suggested or an act God would not approve is urged, and such refusal is not discourtesy or cowardice, while giving up principle to escape ridicule is a low, satanic spirit to be rejected.
Finding Strength to Refuse
Resisting enticement requires prayer for deliverance from temptation and a deliberate choice to align the will with God's will in submission to Him. Staying connected with God is the condition for having power to refuse, and seeking His grace provides strength to resist the devil. That resistance is necessary because the devil works with deceptive power against God's restrictions and commandments, seeking through hardened and bold sinners to draw others into sinful ways that must not be agreed to or followed.
Holding fast to Jesus Christ keeps a person safe and breaks the devil's hold, while heavenly angels impart moral strength to overcome. Every worker must stay connected with God so he has power to check the first leaning toward an evil act, and when sinners even in Zion try to draw him in he must refuse with courage to hold back the unprincipled, to rebuke sin and to encourage what is pure. Such refusal proves the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom. This same moral courage to refuse firmly applies to unhealthy practices such as using alcohol or tobacco, rather than trusting that gradual change will be enough.
Saying No requires fixed principles and moral strength gained through careful education, training and discipline under a father's eye and a mother's watchcare. Children must be placed where the bright rays of righteousness and of the Sun of righteousness shine into the soul, taught God's commandments continually when going out and coming in, line upon line and precept upon precept, and not given over to the enemy in disobedience and corruption. Without that restraining check moral power is weak with no strength to resist temptation. Satan watches for the opportunity when youth are left to themselves to use it to their ruin.
The verse calls for submitting the will to God and staying on His way because transgression brings no peace. Yielding dishonors Christ's religion and brings discredit on parents. Lives are recorded in heaven, so the loss and remorse that would follow losing eternal life must be considered. Youth who yield and follow their own impulse and inclination can have no real happiness in this life, and in the end will lose eternal life.
Practicing Refusal Daily
Children and youth especially are to refuse to yield when sinners try to persuade and draw them into wrongdoing. Saying no must be learned by both instruction and example, for adults as well as children need the lesson. Parents and teachers are to teach God's commandments continually, when going out and when coming in, line upon line and precept upon precept, placing each child where the bright rays of righteousness shine into the soul rather than giving the rising generation over to disobedience and corruption. They must promptly and firmly address wrongdoing and overcome evil in a child, since anyone who follows enticement will in turn seek to entice others. Parents themselves must resist temptation, and by refusing worldly practices such as needless display in dress they show faithfulness to God.
Every worker must stay alert and stay connected so as to check the first leaning toward an evil act. When the enticement comes through talk that excuses dishonest or irreverent conduct and through pressure to join questionable plans, even from sinners in Zion, those led by the Spirit are to refuse the invitation. In refusing they preserve integrity toward God and others. Every true child of God has courage to hold back the unprincipled, to rebuke sin, and to encourage what is pure.
Refusal means putting every talent to work in the Lord's service in order to endure His testing and be accepted as a faithful ambassador. It includes rejecting trashy novels that unfit for usefulness, weaken brain power, and give control to Satan. In their place the mind is to be improved and every talent made the most of.
It is God's written command to give no agreement when hardened, bold sinners try to draw others into their ways, allowing no license or excuse for indulging the evil passions of human nature even once or in the slightest point, even to gratify others. The enticement comes through talk that excuses dishonest conduct and pressure to join questionable plans, through ridicule and pressure to keep approval, and through all who follow the tempter and in turn seek to entice others. Jesus lived this refusal against the constant pressure of His brethren, who called it harmless to please them in wrong action and mocked His patience, kindness, justice and integrity as cowardice, meeting them not with His own words but with Scripture and keeping an undeviating course of rightdoing while hating only sin. Refusal must be a firm, resolute No even under mockery, for yielding to preserve favor sacrifices principle and is not true courage but a low spirit to be rejected, while standing firm is neither discourtesy nor cowardice. Strength to refuse comes by prayer for deliverance, by aligning the will with God's will and staying connected with Him, by holding fast to Christ with heaven's help, and by fixed principles formed through careful training under a father's eye and a mother's watchcare, which parents and teachers must give continually by precept and example.
Meaning of the Warning
The command is written in God's word that when hardened and bold sinners try to draw others into their sinful ways, there is to be no agreement to follow them. It allows no license or excuse for sin or for the evil passions of human nature, not even once or in the slightest point, even to gratify others. Its force is absolute refusal to consent when sinners urge wrongdoing.
The surrounding counsel joins this warning to the charge for children to heed their parents' instruction and to keep themselves from enticement. Enticement comes through talk that excuses dishonest or irreverent conduct and through pressure to join questionable plans, requiring alertness, refusal of the invitation, and preservation of integrity toward God and others. It also comes through ridicule and pressure to preserve approval, where yielding sacrifices principle. It comes as well through anyone who follows Satan, for such a person will in turn seek to entice others.
Jesus lived this refusal under constant pressure from His brethren, the sons of Joseph, who sought to make Him like themselves. They called it harmless to please them in this or that wrong action, and they mocked His patience, forbearance, kindness, justice and integrity as cowardice and fear because He would not dare to do wrong. He met their enticement not with His own words but with this Scripture, keeping an undeviating course of right doing as the perfect Pattern who hates only sin, so that the plan made in the councils of heaven could be carried out and the world would not be lost. Refusal therefore must be firm even when others ridicule or pressure, for yielding to preserve approval or to avoid mockery sacrifices principle and is not true courage. A firm and resolute No is right when evil is suggested or an act God would not approve is urged, and such refusal is not discourtesy or cowardice, while giving up principle to escape ridicule is a low, satanic spirit to be rejected.
Finding Strength to Refuse
Resisting enticement requires prayer for deliverance from temptation and a deliberate choice to align the will with God's will in submission to Him. Staying connected with God is the condition for having power to refuse, and seeking His grace provides strength to resist the devil. That resistance is necessary because the devil works with deceptive power against God's restrictions and commandments, seeking through hardened and bold sinners to draw others into sinful ways that must not be agreed to or followed.
Holding fast to Jesus Christ keeps a person safe and breaks the devil's hold, while heavenly angels impart moral strength to overcome. Every worker must stay connected with God so he has power to check the first leaning toward an evil act, and when sinners even in Zion try to draw him in he must refuse with courage to hold back the unprincipled, to rebuke sin and to encourage what is pure. Such refusal proves the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom. This same moral courage to refuse firmly applies to unhealthy practices such as using alcohol or tobacco, rather than trusting that gradual change will be enough.
Saying No requires fixed principles and moral strength gained through careful education, training and discipline under a father's eye and a mother's watchcare. Children must be placed where the bright rays of righteousness and of the Sun of righteousness shine into the soul, taught God's commandments continually when going out and coming in, line upon line and precept upon precept, and not given over to the enemy in disobedience and corruption. Without that restraining check moral power is weak with no strength to resist temptation. Satan watches for the opportunity when youth are left to themselves to use it to their ruin.
The verse calls for submitting the will to God and staying on His way because transgression brings no peace. Yielding dishonors Christ's religion and brings discredit on parents. Lives are recorded in heaven, so the loss and remorse that would follow losing eternal life must be considered. Youth who yield and follow their own impulse and inclination can have no real happiness in this life, and in the end will lose eternal life.
Practicing Refusal Daily
Children and youth especially are to refuse to yield when sinners try to persuade and draw them into wrongdoing. Saying no must be learned by both instruction and example, for adults as well as children need the lesson. Parents and teachers are to teach God's commandments continually, when going out and when coming in, line upon line and precept upon precept, placing each child where the bright rays of righteousness shine into the soul rather than giving the rising generation over to disobedience and corruption. They must promptly and firmly address wrongdoing and overcome evil in a child, since anyone who follows enticement will in turn seek to entice others. Parents themselves must resist temptation, and by refusing worldly practices such as needless display in dress they show faithfulness to God.
Every worker must stay alert and stay connected so as to check the first leaning toward an evil act. When the enticement comes through talk that excuses dishonest or irreverent conduct and through pressure to join questionable plans, even from sinners in Zion, those led by the Spirit are to refuse the invitation. In refusing they preserve integrity toward God and others. Every true child of God has courage to hold back the unprincipled, to rebuke sin, and to encourage what is pure.
Refusal means putting every talent to work in the Lord's service in order to endure His testing and be accepted as a faithful ambassador. It includes rejecting trashy novels that unfit for usefulness, weaken brain power, and give control to Satan. In their place the mind is to be improved and every talent made the most of.