The Bible's Guide To Understanding Sins And Their Consequences

The Bible contains various verses that discuss the concept of sin and its consequences. The seven deadly sins are: gluttony, greed, wrath, lust, envy, sloth, and pride. The Bible also defines sin as the breaking, or transgression, of God's law (1 John 3:4). It is described as disobedience or rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7) and as independence from God. The original translation means to miss the mark of God's holy standard of righteousness.

The seven deadly sins

• Pride
• Greed
• Wrath
• Envy
• Lust
• Gluttony
• Sloth

These "evil thoughts" can be categorised as physical, emotional, or mental. The physical thoughts are produced by nutritive, sexual, and acquisitive appetites. Emotional thoughts are produced by depressive, irascible, or dismissive moods, and mental thoughts are produced by jealous/envious, boastful, or hubristic states of mind.

• Γαστριμαργία (gastrimargia) or gluttony
• Πορνεία (porneia) or prostitution and fornication
• Φιλαργυρία (philargyria) or greed
• Λύπη (lypē) or sadness, rendered in the Philokalia as envy, or sadness at another's good fortune
• Ὀργή (orgē) or wrath
• Ἀκηδία (akēdia) or acedia, rendered in the Philokalia as dejection
• Κενοδοξία (kenodoxia) or boasting
• Ὑπερηφανία (hyperēphania) or pride, sometimes rendered as self-overestimation, arrogance, or grandiosity

Sins of omission and commission

Sins of commission and omission are two ways in which humans can sin. Sins of commission are those that are proactively done, such as lying or stealing. These are sins that we take action to commit, whether in thought, word, or deed. They can be intentional or unintentional. For example, in the story of Adam and Eve, God forbade them from eating a certain fruit, but they disobeyed his command and ate it anyway.

Sins of omission, on the other hand, are those in which we know we should have done something good but refused to act. For instance, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, two men passed by an injured man without helping him. Their lack of action can be considered a sin of omission. James 4:17 is often used as a key verse regarding sins of omission: "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him, it is sin."

The Bible provides many examples of sins of omission, such as Matthew 25:44-45, where Jesus says, "Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'" Here, Jesus indicates that our lack of action can be considered sinful. Another example is First John 3:17-18: "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

While sins of commission are often blatant and deliberate, transgressing a known law or command, sins of omission can be more subtle and sneaky. We may not even realize that we have failed to do what God commands. For example, one might not commit adultery but fail to love their spouse as Christ loved the church. In this case, committing adultery would be a sin of commission, while failing to love would be a sin of omission.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines sin as "any lack of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God" (WSC 14). This means that a sin of omission is any lack of conformity to God's law or failing to do what God commands, which is as grievous as actively transgressing his commands. We commit sins of omission in our thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. For example, we may fail to set our minds on things above (Col. 3:2) or to love God with all our hearts and minds (Luke 10:27). We may also fail to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15, 29) or give words of encouragement to one another (1 Thess. 5:11).

Both our sins of commission and omission have been laid on Christ, and he has paid our debts in full. We can trust in his power to wipe away our sins and restore us to fellowship with God.

Mortal and venial sins

The Bible contains various verses that discuss the concept of sin and its consequences. For instance, 1 John 1:8 states: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Another example is Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The Bible does not make a distinction between mortal and venial sins. This distinction comes from Catholic moral theology. According to Catholicism, a venial sin is a lesser sin that does not result in a complete separation from God and eternal damnation in Hell as an unrepented mortal sin would. A venial sin can be committed in two ways. Firstly, by acting as one should not, without the actual incompatibility with the state of grace that a mortal sin implies. Secondly, by disobeying the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.

For a sin to be considered mortal, it must meet three conditions: the act must be considered a grave matter, the sinner must have full knowledge of the sinful character of the act, and the sinner must give full consent of the will. Mortal sins destroy charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law and turn man away from God.

Original sin

The idea of original sin was developed in the 3rd century by Irenaeus of Lyons and was later shaped by Augustine of Hippo, who was the first to use the phrase "original sin". Augustine's interpretation of original sin was influenced by his reading of Paul's letter to the Romans, specifically Romans 5:12–21: "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned".

Augustine taught that Adam's sin was an act of foolishness, pride, and disobedience, and that it resulted in the transmission of sin to all humanity. This transmission occurred through concupiscence, or "hurtful desire", which led to a distortion of the Image of God in humanity. Augustine also identified male semen as the means by which original sin was passed on from generation to generation, affecting all humans except for Jesus Christ, who was conceived without semen.

The doctrine of original sin has been a subject of debate and has been rejected by some Christian sects and interpretations, especially those who consider the story of Adam and Eve as a metaphor rather than a factual account. Despite this, it remains an important concept in Christian theology, providing a basis for understanding the meaning of Jesus' Crucifixion and atonement, as well as the practice of infant baptism in some churches.

God's commandments

The Bible contains various verses that discuss the concept of sin and its consequences. Here are some of God's commandments and related verses from the Bible:

> "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

> — Romans 3:23

> "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

> — 1 John 1:8

> "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them."

> — James 4:17

> "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

> — Romans 6:23

> "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One."

> — 1 John 2:1

> "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

> — Galatians 5:19-21

> "Whoever despises their neighbor sins, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy."

> — Proverbs 14:21

> "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."

> — Ephesians 4:26-27

> "What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

> — Mark 7:20-23

> "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

> — 1 John 1:8-10

> "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

> — 1 John 1:9

> "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming."

> — Colossians 3:5-6

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