Sins Against God

Aren't all sins against God? Yes, but some are more direct than others. Here's one way of looking at it: Imagine a sailor at sea. He could destroy himself by debauchery, drunkenness, idleness, or sexual immorality. These are sins of the flesh.

Likewise, he could destroy himself with anger, bitterness, arrogance, cowardice, envy, folly, hatred, hypocrisy, jealousy, lust, pride, selfish ambition, or worry. These are sins of the mind or spirit.

Then too, he could create havoc among his shipmates. He could physically abuse them by murder, revenge, theft, extortion, or swindling. Or the sailor could stir up trouble for his mates by bragging, lying, gossiping, quarreling, or slandering. Again, the sailor could provoke others into wrongdoing or encourage others to join him in mischief.

What we have said so far is that the sailor is capable of abusing both himself and his shipmates. But another type of wrong is possible. The seaman could offend the captain of the ship. He could be disloyal; he could be disobedient; he could mutiny. By the same token, we can sin directly against God through blasphemy, disloyalty, disobedience, idolatry, materialism, oaths and swearing, and sorcery and witchcraft.

Blasphemy

Blasphemy means impious, untrue, or profane speaking against God. In Mark, Jesus says: "Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." (Mark 3:29) Mark goes on to explain the circumstances: He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit." (Mark 3:30) Matthew and Luke also carry versions of this statement. (Matthew 12:32) (Luke 12:10)

Apparently, the unpardonable sin is attributing evil to the Holy Spirit.

Peter spoke of those who "blaspheme in matters they do not understand." (2 Peter 2:12) He compares them to wild beasts who will be destroyed. Paul expressed a desire to teach Hymenaeus and Alexander not to blaspheme. (1 Timothy 1:20)

Disloyalty

Disloyalty is another sin which God will not tolerate.

Jesus: "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37)

Jesus: "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38) (Luke 9:26)

Jesus: "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." (John 15:4)

We must remain faithful to Christ. In fact, he must be number one in our lives. He won't settle for any other spot.

Disobedience

Jesus and Paul both caution us against disobedience.

Jesus: "He who does not love me will not obey my teachings." (John 14:24)

Paul: Let no one deceive you with shallow arguments. God's wrath falls on the disobedient. Have nothing to do with them. (Ephesians 5:6-7 REB)

Idolatry

Idolatry has two meanings: one is the worship of idols, the other excessive admiration or blind infatuation with anybody or anything. Personally, I don't know of anyone who is tempted to worship an idol. On the the other hand, I know plenty of wildly enthusiastic devotees to, well, you name it - music, sports, games, work, exercise, health foods, grandchildren - practically anything you can think of.

These days common sense and moderation seem to be out the window and fanaticism in. But those who want to follow Christ must keep their perspective. Our favorite rock band, basketball team, or committee to save the environment does not hold eternity in their hands. Christ does. Our priorities ought to reflect that fact. Christ first, everything else after.

Here are our warnings against idolatry:

Paul: "Idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Ephesians 5:5)

Paul: "Do not be idolaters, as some of [our forefathers] were; as it is written: 'The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.'" (1 Corinthians 10:7)

Paul: "Flee from idolatry." (1 Corinthians 10:14)

Paul: Put to death idolatry. That belongs to your earthly nature. Because of sins such as this, God's wrath is coming. (Colossians 3:5-6)

Jesus: But the idolaters - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

Materialism

This is another area where our society is at odds with a fundamental precept of Christianity. The advantages of having money are so obvious. Let's be candid, if we were given a choice between living as a millionaire or as a pauper, which would we choose?

In this highly materialistic environment we run headlong into Jesus' explicit warning: "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24)

He couldn't put it any plainer than that. We have a choice to make.

Paul adds his own commentary on materialism: "Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." (Philippians 3:18-19)

Again Paul: "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

And Paul offers this advice to the wealthy: The wealthy should not be proud. Their riches are uncertain, they should place their hope in God, be rich in good deeds, ready to give generously and share with others. (1 Timothy 6:17-18)

We brought nothing into this world; we will take nothing out of it. Whatever wealth we have is merely on loan, and that for a short period of time. Materialism, we discover is too simple; it is a philosophy for children.

Oaths

Jesus says don't make them. A plain "Yes" or "No" is all you need to say. Anything beyond that comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:36-37)

James repeats Christ's warning: "Above all, my brothers, do not swear-not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your 'Yes' be yes, and your 'No,' no, or you will be condemned." (James 5:12)

Magic Arts

Magic arts include: fortunetellers, mediums, spiritualists, witches, and wizards. Jesus condemned them all. Those who practice magic arts - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

Today many dismiss fortunetellers, palm readers, witchcraft, and mediums as so much superstitious nonsense. No doubt, fraud and superstition are part of what we call "magic arts." But Paul believed there is more to it than that. In his words: "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

He also predicts: "In later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

Jesus, Paul, and the book of Leviticus (See: Leviticus 19:31, Leviticus 20:6, and Leviticus 20:27) all tell us that supernatural powers other than God do indeed exist. All three warn us to stay away from those powers. Don't practice them. Don't consult them. Don't follow them.

Conclusion

Say you were in court on a civil suit. Do you think it might be a good idea to do something to intentionally antagonize the judge? No? Then why do anything to annoy the Eternal Judge? Don't blaspheme him; don't disobey him, don't put anybody or anything before him; don't swear oaths; and don't practice or consult with any type of magic arts.

God demands our obedience. We should give it. Considering our position, it's the only reasonable thing to do.

At a dinner party, I overheard a young lady say: "Well, I for one, don't want to be perfect. I think everyone needs a flaw or two of some sort."

It sounded very chic, and a couple of people were quick to agree, adding their own favorite "flaws" to the conversation. Jesus, of course, did not agree. He told us to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

But Paul tells us: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

James echoes the same thought: "We all stumble in many ways." (James 3:2)

John goes so far as to say, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make [Jesus] out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." (1 John 1:10)

So what is Jesus talking about when he says: "Be perfect"? Surely he means we should aim at perfection. We know we will never achieve it on our own, but that should be our goal.

That is how Paul interprets it. He tells us perfection is his own goal, and we are to follow his example. Paul says he has not yet reached perfection, but he is pressing on toward that goal to win the prize for which God has called him. The prize he speaks of is heaven and that through Jesus Christ. Follow my example; he says, our citizenship is in heaven. (Philippians 3:12-17)

And Paul advises the Corinthians: "Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace." (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Some claim "perfection" is an unrealistic goal. It can only lead to frustration and failure; therefore, we should lower our expectations and be satisfied with "pretty good." The problem with that is: We never do better than our mark. Those who aim at "pretty good" usually don't even achieve that much.

Picture in your mind two Olympic runners. The first runner dedicates himself to setting a new speed record for the five hundred meter dash. The second runner's goal is not to embarrass himself by coming in dead last. Which do you think is likely to do better?

Christ told us to: "Be perfect." Some aim for perfection; others try to behave decently so long as they are in a good mood. Which do you think is more likely to please Christ?

Returning to the young lady at the dinner party, I happen to know she owns a car. Can you imagine her saying: "I for one, don't want a perfect automobile. I think every car needs a flaw or two of some sort."

Oh, what type of flaw would she like to see in her own car? Faulty brakes? Faulty clutch? Faulty steering? Flat tires? Broken headlights? The young lady would be quick to tell you that is an entirely different matter. She would like for her car to function properly.

God made us. He wants us to function properly too. For that reason Jesus and his apostles gave us certain principles to live by: charity, courage, faith, humility, justice, knowledge and wisdom, obedience, perseverance and faithfulness, prudence, and temperance. Notice Christ did not tell us to pick and choose which one we want. He tells us to practice all these virtues. They are to become the backbone of our character. That is what it takes for a human to function properly.

What of faults? What of sins and vices? Can you name one which would improve your own character? How about anger? lust? theft? gossiping? lying? No? Certainly not! None of them would help a human to function anymore than a flat tire would help an automobile to function. Isn't it clear? God knows what makes us tick. He issued those commands for our own good.

Question to Consider:

Christ told us to aim for perfection. Can you think of a better goal?

"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither." C. S. [Clive Staples] Lewis (1898-1963)

Note: All Scripture References are taken from the New International Version unless otherwise stated.
REB - Revised English Bible

Article Source: http://www.christiannotepad.com

Jerry Boone, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, United States webmaster@merechristianity.us Mr. Boone is a sailor, author, and webmaster of merechristianity.us His works include: Mere Christianity.us and SAFETY LINE - EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN, an apologetic study published 1998.