Is It Sinful?

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(the following is a condensed excerpt for a message I recently preached)
"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not goon presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." – (Rom.6: 12-14, NASB

How many times have you made a decision by flipping a coin? Honestly! This may work when deciding on pizza topping choices or the color of paint for your house, but for bigger, more important decisions we need some guidelines. Discovering if a behavior is sinful can be a bit more complicated. One preacher says it is, another says it is not. So, who is right? Possibly both, and possibly neither. The best help in navigating difficult issues is the Word of God. The following principles are based on Scripture, and can provide a general guide in decision making.

How do I know if something is sin or not?

1. Is it mentioned?
Is it specifically mentioned in Scripture as sinful behavior? Ex. 20: 1-17, Prov. 6:16-19, and Gal. 5:19-21 let us know that idolatry and murder, haughty eyes, sorcery, dissensions, and others are sinful behavior the child of God should avoid. There are more, but there is no need to mention them here. Besides, these are the easy ones to pick out.

2. Does it bother me?
Am I personally convicted about a behavior or does it violate my conscience? Paul talks about special days and various food items that one might consider holy. (Rom. 14) Some people think movies are of the devil, some do not. If you are personally convicted about a matter, and you violate your own conscience, then you have sinned. Consequently, if someone else disagrees with you, it does not necessarily make them wrong!

3. Is it something I should be doing? Is there some behavior that is right that I am avoiding? (Jms. 4:17 ) We often think of sin as "thou shalt nots", but there are many "thou shalts" in the Bible that people of God are to be obedient in. When avoid doing right, then we are wrong.

4. Does is violate biblical principles?
Is there some larger biblical principle that can guide my decision? Illicit drugs are not mentioned anywhere in the Bible, but Paul tells us not to be drunk (Eph. 5:18), and cautions us that all things are not profitable (1 Cor. 6:12). Larger principles can provide a great standard for other matters not specifically listed.

5. Does it hurt others?
Will this behavior hurt my family, friends, church, or the church of Jesus as a whole? Paul often speaks of the freedom that we have in Christ, but that is not all he says. Paul tells us that it is a good idea to pass up anything that might cause problems for our brothers. (Rom. 14:21) While we may be "free" to do, it does not mean that we should, especially if it will bring hurt (spiritual, emotional) to others.

6. Does it take over?
Will it become more important than the things of God, possibly replacing God? In Exodus God said, "You shall not make other gods besides Me." Furthermore, Paul cautions us to not allow anything to become master over us. (1 Cor. 6:12). Personally, I enjoy bass fishing. It would be very easy to let my mind get "stuck" on thinking, planning, and dreaming about fishing, in essence, letting something innocuous become my master, thereby making it sin.

I realize that many folks do not want to talk about sin anymore. However, we cannot simply bypass the holiness of God, using the blood of Christ and our freedom in Him as a license to sin. We are told to "deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow" Jesus. With this in mind, any and all of the questions above can be helpful. However, when you boil everything down, perhaps the best way to address any question in matters of sin by asking, “Is it good in the eyes of God?”

What say you?




Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 24, 2015 at 6:09 PM

    # 2 is tricky, bec. people can sear their consciences, and other people (like me {snort}) can have overly sensitive consciences (= scrupulosity).

    Best,

    Agonizer

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 24, 2015 at 6:15 PM

    PS (from Agonizer): In the 19th century, for a Christian to read novels, or to participate in acting would have been seen as gross sin. Yet today, very few believers would judge those things that way (matter of fact, there are things like "Christian Youth Theater" which is considered a very wholesome outlet for teens). Also: a hundred years ago, women wearing even a modest 50's one-piece bathing suit would've been considered outrageously slutty; ditto for clothing revealing neck, ankles, wrists (think of Betsy Ten Boom's dress code described by Cori in THE HIDING PLACE), and yet today, the majority of serious Christians (i.e. ones who still adhere to the idea that there truly ARE standards for modest dress) see no problem with a woman wearing a sleeveless top, or mid-thigh shorts.

    ReplyDelete

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