If you’ve read any my articles or visited my blog, you know my tendency is to write about sin. So when I was asked to submit the question of the week I couldn’t help but camp right out where I guess I’m most comfortable.
We tend to make some sins larger than others. Struggling with porn may be considered a larger sin than anger. But what if the struggle with porn is once or twice a month and includes repentance and sorrow, while your anger is daily and in light of “more serious” sins you’ve become somewhat flippant over it?
I guess the questions for discussion are:
Do you have sins you neglect as important or serious?
Do you really do inventory on yourself in those areas? I’m not talking about, “fruit checking,” but just being honest with yourself and God about your struggles.
Do you remember to repent when you struggle with something that is out of character for you, but let those “easy sins” slip right by?
Well, let the conversation begin!
- Don’t Be So Heavenly Minded? - May 23, 2015
- Gospel Transparency - February 17, 2015
- Adam and Eve: The Fall Toward Grace - February 7, 2015
I’d say I struggle most with doing more of what Christ commanded and less of what’s comfortable. Call it sins of omission or the tyranny of the present, I always find myself busy doing “good” things but not always focusing on God’s thing.
In 2015 I’m hoping to spend more time developing disciples and less time busying myself with organizational ministry. What I mean is, less time running organizations and more time with people. People like my wife, kids, and congregation. Sometimes we not only need to repent of our wickedness but also our perceived goodness.
Dominick, it dawned on me that I did not discuss an act of shalom. Shalom means to make a payment. My daughter was holding a friends violin. Another child grabbed the violin and it broke. I paid for the repair of the violin as an act of shalom. A member of my family was responsible for the care of the violin so therefore I am the responsible party. That is why Luther taught we are to forgive peoples debts (schüld) and just as God forgives our debts (schüld). He does not say Sünden. This is the Theology of Shalom.
All good points to both of you.. I fail daily… Do I live there? Sometimes.. My hope is still in Christ and his promises.. Scott, curious on what are accidental sins? I know there are people who let a curse slip, when they stub their toe.. But….
I am working on how do we incorporate the three types sacrifice (guilt, sin, and peace) into our everyday life. Sin Sacrifice is for the things we do against the commands of God unintentionally. Guilt is the things we do against God such as breaking the Ten Commandments. If I hit someone while waving my arms by accident I have committed a sin by striking another person. It is not something I intended to do. If I walk up and sucker punch someone I did it intentionally. Which act requires repentance and which requires just reconciliation?
Remember in Hebrew sin can be translated to make a mistake and in Greek to miss the mark. Where would mistakes land in your reflection on sin?
Man, I felt like you was talking directly to me, lol
Since I know many know the weight of the Law, yet do not apply it…I will throw my 2 cents in
No, we don’t take our sin seriously. We take the “big ones” (by big ones I mean the sins that we decide are worse than others, even tho James 2:10 says otherwise), yet skim over the ones we can try to justify & try to excuse.
“love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself”
I fail at this daily. And most of the time I don’t even realize it or I excuse it with pride “my neighbor deserved x,y,z”
I wish I honestly could say that I do not look at my neighbors sins in disgust & then dress my sin up to excuse it.
#ChristHoldFast
I have to rely on Christ & know that He who began a good work in me will finish it. I try to take my sin serious, yet I know in the grand scheme things I don’t. So, I am banking it all on Christ.
Good question, We have those sins we do intentionally; ones we do by accident; and then those things we do that are not sin yet break the peace around us. So yes when I mess up and do something intentionally I have to confess and return to God with a contrite heart. My unintentional sins I need to confess and work on not repeating them. For my actions that I cause that break the peace I need to reconcile with those folks I have offended. Psalm 32:3-4 shows what it is like when we do not turn around, “3. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”(ESV) I have been there and it is not fun. This is one of the reason Martin Luther told us to do the morning and evening blessing. It centers us.