When Is Sin Not Sin???    A Word from THE WORD!!! #323

“There is a way

which seemeth right unto a man,

but the end thereof

are the ways of death.”  Proverbs 14:12

Sin isn’t a very popular subject except when we want to participate in it and call it something else.  As the old adage says about beauty being “in the eye of the beholder”, we have applied that mindset to sin—sin is now “subject to interpretation”!  Now I’ll grant you that there are differences of opinion about when something is a sin or not, yet I’d like us to spend some time today seeing what God says about sin; for God’s Word is given to be the standard in all practice for God’s own; so I’d like to look at the ”heart” of the matter if you would, beginning with Jesus’ own observations.

The context of this portion of scripture is Jesus encountering the religious leaders (again), and I encourage you to read the entire chapter, for Jesus makes it clear that religious activity, in and of itself is insufficient to change the heart.  And as I have often written, laws can’t change hearts—only Jesus can.  It all comes down to the heart—what’s in it will come out—the good, the bad and the ugly.

“Ye hypocrites,

well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto me

with their mouth,

and honoureth me

with their lips;

but their heart is far from me.

9 But in vain they do worship me,

teaching for doctrines

the commandments of men…

…17 Do not ye yet understand,

that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth

goeth into the belly,

and is cast out into the draught?

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth

come forth from the heart;

and they defile the man.

19 For out of the heart proceed

evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,

fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20 These are the things which defile a man:

but to eat with unwashen hands

defileth not a man.”   Portions of Matthew 15:7-20

And again in chapter 12 of Matthew, Jesus encountered the same kinds of questions:

“O generation of vipers,

how can ye,

being evil,

speak good things?

for out of the abundance of the heart

the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man

out of the good treasure of the heart

bringeth forth good things:

and an evil man

out of the evil treasure

bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you,

That every idle word that men shall speak,

they shall give account thereof

in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified,

and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying,

Master, we would see a sign from thee.

39 But he answered and said unto them,

An evil and adulterous generation

seeketh after a sign;

and there shall no sign be given to it,

but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

40 For as Jonas

was three days and three nights

in the whale’s belly;

so shall the Son of man

be three days and three nights

in the heart of the earth.”  Matthew 12:34-40

Paul had so much to say, and one of the greatest passages that he left to us is his call to us to have the mind of Christ Jesus!  If we are willing to heed his call, we will find a discerning heart, and an ability to look and live beyond the flesh from a heart set on Jesus.  I know these are lengthy passages, but my words are simply to help guide you to them, while my prayer is that God’s Spirit will speak to you through HIS WORD!!!

“Let this mind be in you,

which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God,

thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation,

and took upon him the form of a servant,

and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man,

he humbled himself,

and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,

and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

of things in heaven,

and things in earth,

and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

12 Wherefore, my beloved,

as ye have always obeyed,

not as in my presence only,

but now much more in my absence,

work out your own salvation

with fear and trembling.

13 For it is God which worketh in you

both to will

and to do of his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

15 That ye may be blameless and harmless,

the sons of God,

without rebuke,

in the midst of a

crooked and perverse nation,

among whom ye shine as lights

in the world;” Philippians 2:5-15

Even as Paul stated, it’s not a list of “dos” and “don’ts” but rather a heart set on pleasing our Lord and King, that others may see His reflection in me (and notice Paul said, “work out” your own salvation, not “work for”!  There’s a big difference!)  For me that means there are places I don’t go for the effect it would have on others, there are things I don’t do, there are things I don’t say, but again Paul said it better than I can.

“Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?

to his own master he standeth or falleth.

Yea, he shall be holden up:

for God is able to make him stand.

5 One man esteemeth one day above another:

another esteemeth every day alike.

Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

6 He that regardeth the day,

regardeth it unto the Lord;

and he that regardeth not the day,

to the Lord he doth not regard it.

He that eateth,

eateth to the Lord,

for he giveth God thanks;

and he that eateth not,

to the Lord he eateth not,

and giveth God thanks.

7 For none of us liveth to himself,

and no man dieth to himself.

8 For whether we live,

we live unto the Lord;

and whether we die,

we die unto the Lord:

whether we live therefore, or die,

we are the Lord’s.

9 For to this end

Christ both died,

and rose,

and revived,

that he might be Lord

both of the dead and living.

10 But why dost thou judge thy brother?

or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?

for we shall all stand

before the judgment seat of Christ.

11 For it is written,

As I live, saith the Lord,

every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall confess to God.

12 So then every one of us

shall give account of himself to God.

13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more:

but judge this rather,

that no man put a stumblingblock

or an occasion to fall

in his brother’s way.”  Romans 14:4-13

So the question has a simple answer, yet at the same time not an easy answer, if it pleases Jesus, it will never be sin; if not, you might want to measure it by the preceding passages from God’s Word—not me!  Jesus makes it clear in John 3 that activity, religious or not, can’t get you to heaven, only HE can do that, and HE requires that we come to Him for the new birth.  So I’ll close with three rather important things to consider in our opinion of sin (that which separates us from God, in its simplest form!) and how that appears in your life and mine, as well our choices!  Choices and consequences are a fact of life.  So choose wisely, you are free to do so, but you are not free to pick your consequences!

“3 Jesus answered and said unto him,

Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

Except a man be born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God…

…16 For God so loved the world,

 that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world

to condemn the world;

but that the world through him

might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him

is not condemned:

but he that believeth not

is condemned already,

because he hath not believed

in the name of the only begotten

Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation,

that light is come into the world,

and men loved darkness

rather than light,

because their deeds were evil.”                       Portions of John 3:3-19

“He was in the world,

and the world was made by him,

and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own,

and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him,

to them gave he power

to become the sons of God,

even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man,

but of God.”  John 1:10-13

And Paul’s great commentary and standard for judging ourselves (not others) to see if we truly be in the faith or making (faking) our own way to heaven, we think.  What’s your standard?  Here’s God’s!

“Therefore if any man be in Christ,

he is a new creature:

old things are passed away;

behold, all things are become new.

18 And all things are of God,

who hath reconciled us to himself

by Jesus Christ,

and hath given to us the ministry

of reconciliation;

19 To wit, that God was in Christ,

reconciling the world unto himself,

not imputing their trespasses unto them;

and hath committed unto us the word

of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,

as though God did beseech you by us:

we pray you in Christ’s stead,

be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him

to be sin for us,

who knew no sin;

that we might be made

the righteousness of God

in him.”  2 Corinthians 5:17-21

So where is your sin?  Under the blood of Jesus?  Have you received the righteousness of God through Him?  Have the old things “passed away” or are you trying to hold on to Jesus and sin at the same time?  You’ll find it an impossible task to maintain.  Are you “in Christ”?  Is He in You?  I pray that you will hear God’s Holy Spirit speaking to you; that you will hear, heed and be “made the righteousness of God in him”; or even adjust what you have been seeing as sin in your life!  It’s your choice, but choose wisely, there is a test (and it’s God’s test not mine!)

Amen and Amen!!!