This morning I was reflecting on recent prayer times and conversations I have been having with the Lord, and the topic of sin came to mind once again. I should say the topic of the definition of sin, for that is something I have been pondering over the last couple of years. As I was thinking back over this , the following question came up. Is sin action or attitude? I was immediately reminded of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, found in Matt 5-7, and thought I would read some of those specific passages. Here are the two most glaring examples - Matthew 5:21-22,27-28 NIV:
[21] “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' [22] But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."
[27] “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' [28] But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Clearly, Jesus is speaking about heart attitudes, judgments and ideas, more than actions. He somewhat equates murder with being angry with a brother, and expands that to just calling them a fool. Jesus says that even the mere lustful glance is the equivalent of adultery! Yikes!
Jesus was speaking to a group that had gone to great lengths to define what was sinful, expanding the original law to 600+ very specific statements about what was sin and what wasn't. None of the definitions Jesus spoke about was on their list, yet He made it very clear these were equally "sinful".
I think the point He is making here is that sin comes from a place of decision, and is primarily the result of us having a wrong attitude or wrong thinking. James gives a great example of this in James 1:13-15 NIV: "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
Now, after reading these verses from James, one would think that the sin that is birthed is action, but Jesus clearly says it can be as simple as a word or even a look. Both of these situations (from the quotes above), if we break them down, indicate that in the individual's mind they have made decisions, judgments if you will, that are not in line with the Will of the Lord! If we go back to the two greatest commandments, as described by Jesus (see Matt 22:37-40) We are commanded to Love God, and Love our neighbors, and in both these examples the second commandment is clearly being broken, and one could argue, the first as well.
Lately, I have been thinking about the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis and I was thinking that the first sin, was not the eating of the apple, but rather believing the lie and agreeing with the judgment about God. Eve, in the midst of her conversation with the serpent, came to a point where she believed they couldn't trust God to provide the best for her, and that He was lying, or hiding the truth. She clearly came to a point of agreement and decided to act, and my conjecture is that was actually the first sin, not the eating but the decision and thought that got her to the point of the actual act. She chose to break the trust in that relationship because of what she agreed with in her mind.
In the cases described by Jesus, we find similar situations and examples. In the murder and anger discussion, there is clearly a judgment that is made by one person against the other. There might be a reason for the anger, but the point is apparently that this type of judgment, is every bit as heinous in terms of the second great commandment. Secondly, the decision to judge our fellow man, and either acting on it, or at least speaking it, is us taking the Lord's rightful place as judge. He is the only one who can judge correctly, and our doing so ourselves is basically us saying we should be in His seat, for we can't trust Him to be just! (sounds similar to Eve).
In the same way the lustful look is not in line with loving our neighbor as ourselves, nor as Jesus loves, but instead is wholly selfish, and indicates a willingness to take what one wants! This attitude indicates that one has elevated their own appetites and judgments above the Lord, and is in many cases a form of idolatry! These type of thoughts are based on decisions that we have made in our mind and heart, and Jesus clearly is indicating they are every bit as sinful. Again, placing our appetites above all else, is clearly breaking the first Greatest commandment. In the story of Eve's fall, she saw the fruit "was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom" (Gen 3:6) and chose to fulfill her appetite in spite of what God had said, clearly choosing the fruit over relationship with God.
I could continue on, but I think I have grasped more fully how attitudes and judgments are just as sinful as the actual actions that are the result. Again, in these cases the sins are almost always in the relationship realm, and affect our relationships with God and others. As I have written before, in my reading of many of the saints lives, it is surprising to see how their understanding and awareness of their own sinfulness grows, as they become more and more like Jesus. These people aren't acting in sinful ways, but what they are seeing is how far their thoughts and attitudes are from How the Lord would act and think. They are recognising that they are falling short (see Romans 3:23).
Finally, I am encouraged this morning to take a more sober view of my own thoughts and attitudes, recognizing that so often my heart and mindset are falling short! In my love of God and desire to be like Him, I definitely have tons of room to grow and do better! Thank You Lord for helping me to see more clearly, and opening my eyes to my own state. Thank You for Your amazing grace, and mercy, and forgiveness!
Amen!
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