James 4:17 says “So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin”. (This means purposefully and willingly doing what is evil in the sight of God).
We will begin by looking at sin and its roots. “Sin” is a Greek word that literally means to miss the mark. The mark in this case is a moral and spiritual perfection which we desire;: Jesus Christ Himself! In other words, to sin is mainly to ‘miss Christ.’
What do you see as sin? Where is that point where you say it’s enough? In a 2008 survey that was taken in America, people were asked a series of questions on what they would identify as sin from examples of thirty different behaviours.
Behaviours majority of Americans described as sinful were:
• Adultery: 81%
• Racism: 74%
• Using “hard” drugs such as cocaine, heroin, meth, LSD, etc.: 65%
• Not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change back: 63%
• Having an abortion: 56%
• Homosexual activity or sex: 52%
• Not reporting some income on your tax returns: 52%
A number of other behaviours were considered sinful by a significant portion of all Americans, although not a majority. These were:
• Reading or watching pornography: 50%
• Gossip: 47%
• Swearing: 46%
• Sex before marriage: 45%
• Homosexual thoughts: 44%
• Sexual thoughts about someone you are not married to: 43%
• Doing things as a consumer that harm the environment: 41%
• Smoking marijuana: 41%
• Getting drunk: 41%
• Not taking proper care of your body: 35%
Then there are behaviours that less than one-third of all Americans saw as sinful:
• Gambling: 30%
• Telling a “little white lie” to avoid hurting someone’s feelings: 29%
• Not attending church or religious worship services on a regular basis: 18%
• Playing the lottery: 18%
• Being significantly overweight: 17%
• Not giving 10% of your income to a church or charity: 16%
• Drinking any alcohol: 14%
• Working on Sunday/the Sabbath: 14%
• Spanking your child when he/she misbehaves: 7%
• Making a lot of money: 4%
• Dancing: 4%
It’s interesting knowing people’s view point on what sin is. Sin is not justifiable; it’s not a negotiation between you and God. Sin is sin, having said everyone will be judged according to their own sin. (Matthew 16:27; Revelation 20:12-13)
According to 1 John 2:16 there are 3 major roots of sin that afflict men and keep them from growing spiritually: “…the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life…” The lust of the flesh refers to our sensual pleasures, the lust of the eyes refers to our vanity, and the pride of life refers to a hardened heart caused by spiritual blindness.
So in simple terms we have Pride (pride of life), Vanity (lust of the eyes) and Sensuality (lust of the flesh). The flesh is constantly lusting after these things to gain satisfaction. Some of the characteristics of these sins are outlined below:
PRIDE – Often caused by rejection and rebellion
Characteristics – haughtiness (having an elevated concept of oneself); unwillingness to take correction; difficulty in recognizing one’s own failings or acknowledging someone has been hurt; obstinacy to ask, seek or render forgiveness; insincerity in order to hide faults; self-righteousness; hypocrisy; unwillingness to serve; Stubbornness; refusal to submit to authority; uncontradictable; self-centered; nursing grudges; inflexibility.
VANITY – Springs from insecurity
Characteristics -Seeking admiration; hypocrisy in the attempt to be accepted; disregarding principles in order to “fit in”; paranoia; inferiority complex; stretching the truth, or lying in order to be noticed/appreciated; boasting on accomplishments; fear of rejection; inability to genuinely rejoice in the success of others; easily envious.
SENSUALITY – Root of lust
Characteristics – Giving primacy to feelings; easily inconvenienced; Passing easily from friendship to animosity in relating to others, the need to feel the affection of others as a high priority. Always looking for the most comfortable, that which requires least effort; Daydreaming, Self-centered; Having to see everything, experience everything; excessive curiosity; seeking pleasures, even to the point of endangering my purity with thoughts or actions.
It is important to understand that the temptation to sin is not a sin in itself until one consents to it.
– Joshua Adekeye
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