Foundations of Faith
SIN (II)
In the previous issue, we considered several words in the Bible that express the idea of sin in different ways:Transgression, trespass, iniquity, perversity, lawlessness, ungodliness, rebellion, and unbelief. We shall now consider specific kinds of sin.
Roman Catholic doctrine divides sins into two categories, mortal and venial. Mortal sins are those so serious as to cause “death of the soul,” or loss of salvation; according to this teaching, salvation can be restored only through the performance of acts of penance. Venial sins are less serious ones. There is no Biblical support for this distinction. In one sense, all sins are mortal sins in that they deserve death; in another sense, no sin is mortal, for a soul that is truly saved will never be lost because of any kind of sin. (We shall take up this topic in more detail in a later issue.)
There are sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of commission are acts that are forbidden by the Word of God. The Bible says, “You shall not steal” (Exod. 20:15). Stealing is a sin of commission. A long list of sinful acts given in Romans 1 includes such serious matters as murder, fornication, and hating God. Mixed in among these are such things as envy, debate (or arguing), and whispering (or talking behind one’s back), which might be considered rather minor by most people, but not by God.
Sins include not only physical actions (such as murder and stealing), but also attitudes (such as pride and envy), words (such as backbiting, blasphemy, filthy language, lying, and foolish talking), and thoughts (such as foolish and lustful thoughts) (Prov. 24:9; Matt. 5:28; Rom. 1:29,30; Eph. 5:4; Col. 3:8,9).
Sins of omission occur when we fail to do what God wants us to do. “To him who knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin” (Jas. 4:17). “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again” (Exod. 23:4,5). (See Assignment 6)
Running the Race
IDOLS OF THE HEART
The sin that, more than anything else, led to the downfall of the nation of Israel, was idolatry (Isa. 10:11). This was not only worshiping images of wood and stone, but setting up idols in their hearts (Ezek. 14:1-5). What is an idol of the heart? It is any desire of our hearts that is greater than our desire to please and glorify God. (See Assignment 7)
What are some idols of our hearts-things we may desire more than glorifying God? Happiness, friends, a Christian husband or wife, a successful career, a beautiful home, good health, being well liked by others. There may be nothing wrong with many of these objects of our desires. But if our all-consuming goal in life is to obtain happiness, good health, or any other earthly object, it is sin. Any desire that exceeds my desire to bring glory to God is an idol.
You may ask, “How can I know whether I have any idols of the heart?” Perhaps the best way is to be aware of how you respond when something or someone gets in the way of your achieving that desire. Let us consider two examples.
There was a Christian man, let us call him Pat, who had his heart set on being promoted to a vacant position in his company. The position was granted to Joe, a man whom Pat considered far less qualified than himself. In a fit of rage, Pat stormed into the office of his boss and chewed him out for his poor judgment and unfairness. When the boss was finally given an opportunity to speak, this is what he said: “You know, Pat, the reason we did not offer you that position was that we are in the process of establishing a new position even higher than that one. We were going to ask you to take that new position. But given the immaturity and lack of self-control you have just shown, we cannot possibly offer you that position now.”
How sad! not only that Pat lost out on his desired promotion, but that he gave such a negative testimony as a Christian! If his supreme desire had been to glorify God, think of how he could have turned this seemingly negative experience into a positive testimony for Christ. Suppose a co-worker had come to Pat, offering sympathy to him for not receiving the promotion. “You certainly were more deserving and qualified than Joe will ever be!” might have been his encouraging words. Then Pat could have responded, “Thank you for your kind words. I have placed my life and my career in God’s hands. Whatever He wants for my life is fine with me. I am going to go over and congratulate Joe and assure him of my support and cooperation.” Whether or not Pat received a promotion, he had the satisfaction of glorifying God before his co-workers. And the Lord sometimes adds a special blessing to those who put His glory first.
As another example, a woman may be so desperate to “catch” a certain man to be her husband (or the other way around) that she literally drives the desired man away through her jealous possessiveness. If, on the other hand, her supreme desire is to bring glory to God and to do His will, then she will be content to let the Lord work out the details of bringing her together with His choice for a marriage partner. (Review the February 1996 issue for more on this point.)
Suppose you break your leg in the middle of the football season while on the way to being named “All-Conference” … or the girl you have a crush on will not pay any attention to you … or the night before you are to fly to Europe with your classmates your appendix ruptures. How will you respond? If your response is anger, bitterness, depression, self-pity, hurt feelings, or wanting to end your life, this is a pretty clear indication that your desires are “idols of the heart.” They are more important to you than giving glory to God.
Assignment 6: Write out two verses, one in the first half and one in the second half of Luke 10, that illustrate sins of omission.
Assignment 7: Write out a verse in 1 Corinthians 10 that shows that the most important desire of the Christian should be to glorify God.
Assignment 8: Write out a verse in Acts 16, and one or more verses in Philippians 4 that show how we can glorify God even when things are not “going our way.”