ALL SINS ARE SIN, BUT…
BELIEVERS CAN ALWAYS BE VICTORIOUS! - By Dr. Paul Fedena -
Yes, all sins are sin, but the Bible does speak specifically about some sins being more heinous than others and especially in the Old Testament, some sins required more severe punishment than others. In fact, some sins were met with the death penalty! In fact at least 36 offenses were so named.
Some examples were idolatry, magic and blasphemy, as well as murder, taking the Lord’s name in vain (It is a good thing capital punishment is not practiced for this sin today or we might lose 90% of our population in America!), cursing a parent, kidnapping and rape. Also, the Lord is especially offended with certain sins and calls them an abomination (exceptionally loathsome, hateful, sinful, wicked, or vile).
Proverbs 6:16-18 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood (woe to the baby butchers!), 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Or, how about these biblical injunctions regarding sins which in our politically correct society cannot even be discussed in public – homosexuality and beastiality? Regarding homosexuality God – the Judge of all the earth - sentences those practicing such sinful activity to death.
Lev 18:22-23 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
Lev 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
In the New Testament God continues to condemn homosexuality:
Romans 1:26-28 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
But this article is not about the above sins, heinous as they are. Instead, I want believers to think more about our sins.
For the most part believers do not commit the sins listed above. But what if they did? Are they too worthy of the death penalty? No, but sins do have consequences. Those who have trusted the Lord as Savior have a responsibility to deal with all sins and have a daily responsibility to confess and forsake those sins. There are categories of sins that we need to avoid and to confess regularly.
Believers in this life have an old nature just as bent towards sin as before they were saved. Our flesh has not become better. But we do have a new nature that cannot sin because that nature is that which we had imputed (imparted to us) at the moment of our salvation experience. That nature cannot sin, but the old nature continues to plague us as long as we are in this body. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with this ongoing battle between the 2 natures of the believer.
Rom 7:18-24 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
The O.T. priesthood gives us a picture of what we as a New Testament priesthood should practice. The O.T. priests stopped daily at the Laver in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, to wash their hands and feet from the pollution of the previous day’s defilement. All of us are daily defiled by this sinful world that we must live in, so we too must stop by the Laver of God’s Word to be cleansed before beginning our day of service as believers. In other words, we should begin each new day with confession of our sins. The Bible delineates various types of sins. I have categorized them as follows:
1. KNOWN SINS: (Those which are obvious to us.)
Believers usually are aware of that which defiles them. We know that we can grieve the Holy Spirit, quench Him, lie to Him, etc. If we are walking with the Lord we should be sensitive enough to know when we sin and have a responsibility to confess that sin(s) as soon as possible. Since the Holy Spirit is an abiding Guest in the believer’s body we need to be sensitive to Him.
1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
2. UNKNOWN SINS: (Those which are “accidental”, i.e. we didn’t plan on sinning, but it becomes obvious later.)
At home or work or anytime in our daily life we may offend someone, have an open disagreement, say something to make someone uncomfortable, get angry unnecessarily, etc. We may not immediately recognize it but upon reflection the Holy Spirit gently reminds us and we need to confess it to the Lord and then to the offended party.
I John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
3. SECRET SINS: (We know about the sin, but no one else does.)
Of course, since the Holy Spirit is our permanent “house Guest” He does know about these sins and will convict us and make us uncomfortable until we confess them. (I hate when that happens…don’t you?)
Ps 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
Ezekiel 8:12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
4. SINS OF COMMISSION: (These are probably the most common and overt sins for the believer.)
Usually the believer will be almost immediately aware of this type of sin(s) as the Holy Spirit convicts us immediately. There are times, of course when we may only become aware sometime later upon reflection or looking back at that which we did or thought about or have seen or imagined.
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
5. SINS OF OMISSION: (These sins are where we know what is right, but fail to do right.)
For example, every believer knows he or she should go soul winning, pray, go to church regularly, tithe, etc. but often fails to do so. Make it a habit to confess these sins of omission and no doubt the Lord will convict us each time we fail and when we confess that failure, He will prompt us to right that wrong and do right. Be very careful to not harden your heart when He does so and not only confess the sin but correct the problem! Otherwise chastisement may follow.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
6. SINS OF PRESUMPTION: (These are sins which are deliberate, and even planned in advance.)
Ps 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
These sins are the worst possible offenses! These are blatant sins of disobedience, planned in advance, and we ignore the Holy Spirit’s conviction, but do that deed of offence anyway!
Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
The good news in all of the above is found in God’s promise in 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Some examples were idolatry, magic and blasphemy, as well as murder, taking the Lord’s name in vain (It is a good thing capital punishment is not practiced for this sin today or we might lose 90% of our population in America!), cursing a parent, kidnapping and rape. Also, the Lord is especially offended with certain sins and calls them an abomination (exceptionally loathsome, hateful, sinful, wicked, or vile).
Proverbs 6:16-18 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood (woe to the baby butchers!), 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Or, how about these biblical injunctions regarding sins which in our politically correct society cannot even be discussed in public – homosexuality and beastiality? Regarding homosexuality God – the Judge of all the earth - sentences those practicing such sinful activity to death.
Lev 18:22-23 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
Lev 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
In the New Testament God continues to condemn homosexuality:
Romans 1:26-28 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
But this article is not about the above sins, heinous as they are. Instead, I want believers to think more about our sins.
For the most part believers do not commit the sins listed above. But what if they did? Are they too worthy of the death penalty? No, but sins do have consequences. Those who have trusted the Lord as Savior have a responsibility to deal with all sins and have a daily responsibility to confess and forsake those sins. There are categories of sins that we need to avoid and to confess regularly.
Believers in this life have an old nature just as bent towards sin as before they were saved. Our flesh has not become better. But we do have a new nature that cannot sin because that nature is that which we had imputed (imparted to us) at the moment of our salvation experience. That nature cannot sin, but the old nature continues to plague us as long as we are in this body. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with this ongoing battle between the 2 natures of the believer.
Rom 7:18-24 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
The O.T. priesthood gives us a picture of what we as a New Testament priesthood should practice. The O.T. priests stopped daily at the Laver in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, to wash their hands and feet from the pollution of the previous day’s defilement. All of us are daily defiled by this sinful world that we must live in, so we too must stop by the Laver of God’s Word to be cleansed before beginning our day of service as believers. In other words, we should begin each new day with confession of our sins. The Bible delineates various types of sins. I have categorized them as follows:
1. KNOWN SINS: (Those which are obvious to us.)
Believers usually are aware of that which defiles them. We know that we can grieve the Holy Spirit, quench Him, lie to Him, etc. If we are walking with the Lord we should be sensitive enough to know when we sin and have a responsibility to confess that sin(s) as soon as possible. Since the Holy Spirit is an abiding Guest in the believer’s body we need to be sensitive to Him.
1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
2. UNKNOWN SINS: (Those which are “accidental”, i.e. we didn’t plan on sinning, but it becomes obvious later.)
At home or work or anytime in our daily life we may offend someone, have an open disagreement, say something to make someone uncomfortable, get angry unnecessarily, etc. We may not immediately recognize it but upon reflection the Holy Spirit gently reminds us and we need to confess it to the Lord and then to the offended party.
I John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
3. SECRET SINS: (We know about the sin, but no one else does.)
Of course, since the Holy Spirit is our permanent “house Guest” He does know about these sins and will convict us and make us uncomfortable until we confess them. (I hate when that happens…don’t you?)
Ps 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
Ezekiel 8:12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
4. SINS OF COMMISSION: (These are probably the most common and overt sins for the believer.)
Usually the believer will be almost immediately aware of this type of sin(s) as the Holy Spirit convicts us immediately. There are times, of course when we may only become aware sometime later upon reflection or looking back at that which we did or thought about or have seen or imagined.
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
5. SINS OF OMISSION: (These sins are where we know what is right, but fail to do right.)
For example, every believer knows he or she should go soul winning, pray, go to church regularly, tithe, etc. but often fails to do so. Make it a habit to confess these sins of omission and no doubt the Lord will convict us each time we fail and when we confess that failure, He will prompt us to right that wrong and do right. Be very careful to not harden your heart when He does so and not only confess the sin but correct the problem! Otherwise chastisement may follow.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
6. SINS OF PRESUMPTION: (These are sins which are deliberate, and even planned in advance.)
Ps 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
These sins are the worst possible offenses! These are blatant sins of disobedience, planned in advance, and we ignore the Holy Spirit’s conviction, but do that deed of offence anyway!
Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
The good news in all of the above is found in God’s promise in 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.