May 2000
Recently I was talking to a young person about three verses that define sin. It became clear to me that many people are unaware of the Biblical definition of sin. When Eve sinned she simply did that which God commanded her not to do: otherwise known as sin:
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" (Ge.3:2-3)
When mankind fell into sin they disobeyed God. However there are three different ways in which we disobey God. The first and most obvious is found in 1 John:
All wrongdoing is sin
, (1Jn.5:17)When God tells us not to do something because it is wrong, the moment we do it we commit a sin of commission. The Ten commandments basically addressed sins of commission- not wronging our fellow man (with the exception of obey your father and mother). This concept is epitomized when we read:
The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Ro.13:9-10)
If we love our neighbor we will not do wrong to him, and so Christ gave us a new command that summarized the whole of the old covenant law:
A new command I give you: Love one another
. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (Jn.13:34; Jn.15:12; Jn.15:17)When the rich young ruler wanted to follow Jesus, Jesus responded by quoting the law. The ruler responded:
"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mk.10:20-22)
The young man did not wrong his neighbor, but on the other hand, he did not love his neighbor as himself. This takes us to our second definition of sin:
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. (Ja.4:17)
If we do not do the good that we know, we commit sin as we omit doing the good we should. Since the sin is caused by omitting rather then committing, we refer to this sin as the sin of omission. The Bible gives us a general guideline for the sins of omission when we read:
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you
, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Mt.7:12)The problem that exists is, I know more good then I could do at one time. For the sake of argument, consider the judgement of the sheep and the goats: If I am giving food to the hungry, then I am not looking after the sick. If I am looking after the sick, then I am not visiting those who are in prison. If I am visiting those who are in prison, I am not feeding the hungry. The point is that there is no way that we can do all the good the New Testament calls us to at any given moment. This dilemma is solved with the third definition of sin:
But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. (Ro.14:23)
If our actions are done out of doubt or fear, we are not acting in faith and commit the sin of indecision. If we are not sure that God is leading us but act in that indecision, we commit sin. God's revealed will for us, will always be in accordance with the written word of God as faith comes from the word:
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message
, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Ro.10:17)When God's revealed word to man, that is His will, and His written word agree, we can act in faith. All decisions must be made based on the scriptures or scriptural principles contained therein:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2Ti,3:16-17)
The Scripture is the foundation on which all decisions should be made. There will be many decisions that need to be made, which are neither supported by nor violate scriptural principles. The Scripture is God’s general will for the church, yet what specifically is God’s will at this moment. It would be nice to tell you to listen for God’s voice calling as He verbally called Samuel, but this is usually not the case. You need to know how to fine-tune into God’s will specifically for you at any given moment, in all the decisions you face in your daily walk. The Bible teaches us:
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Ro.1:17
Some interpret this verse as saying "the righteous receive life by faith", that our faith gets us into heaven. However the verse states that we will live by faith, walking in the confidence of His leading. . If we were to define faith we could qoute Hebrews 11:1:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see. (He.11:1)Faith is always in something that we do not have, but hope for, and in something we cannot see but are certain of it. Faith is God's method of directing us for a given moment, when we have nothing more than the confidence of his leading
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Ga 5:6)
So this morning I am being exercised by faith to visit a sick friend, and this afternoon I am exercised to share the gospel with someone the Lord brings to mind. Some might accuse me of not doing one thing or another, but I need to respond to the Lord's leading concerning his assignments for today, which is by faith:
"... that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith." (2Th.1:11)
We must not go beyond faith, rather we must keep in step with faith:
"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith." (Ro.12:6)
If you believe that God has given you a word to give to someone, act in that faith:
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, (2Co.4:13)
No matter how good the act, we must not act outside our faith that God is leading us:
These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith. (1Ti.1:3-4)
Without the surety of faith, even becoming a pastor or missionary is sin. If God desires anyone to act, in any decision, He will grant them the faith to step out. In this way, God uses faith as the means to direct our paths:
We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1Th.1:3
Once you have made your decision, expect Satan to bring trials and doubts in your way. Always continue in the path which God has led you, but if He closes the way, ask for further direction. In my experience a closed door at some point does not mean you were outside God's will, rather God has used that path to develop and teach you. However, now He has something to show you down a different path. Sometimes He keeps us from going on because He has more to teach you where you are. Trust His timing and His leading. Always remember:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. (Pr.3:5-6)
Always tell people why you're doing what you're doing: "I am confident that this is God's will for me right now." If for no other reason we must step out in His leading otherwise we sin:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (He.11:6)
If we commit wrong we sin. If we omit doing the good we know, we sin. If we act in indecision, that is outside of the surety of God's leading, we sin. Therefore let us live according to the Scripture:
We live by faith, not by sight
. (2Co.5:7)