Is it a sin to........
April 12th 2011 19:16
I get that question in various forms way too often. Thankfully it is a simple answer although not an easy solution. The answer is maybe. :0)
The Word is very clear that nothing in and of itself is 'bad'. Sex, drugs, alcohol, poisonous snakes, lion fish, scorpions, etc. They were all created by God and were perfect, good and beautiful and yet the mishandling of any of them can lead to death. In and of itself, nothing is a 'sin'. Eating meat sacrificed to idols, circumcision, manner of dress and hairstyles, and various rituals are all mentioned in the Bible as having no intrinsic value in and of themselves. If the culture views them as distasteful, then avoid them. If they would reflect badly on your faith, then avoid them. If they would make it more difficult for you to share your faith, avoid them.
On the other hand, James clearly says that if you know what you should be doing and you don't do it, you are sinning. It is as simple as that. If you have Biblical knowledge or that 'feeling' that you shouldn't be using the 'f' word, having pre-marital sex, engaging in pornography, drinking alcohol, etc because it isn't pleasing to God, then you already know what you should be doing. Most often, the reason you ask isn't because you are unsure if you SHOULD be doing it, the real reason is that you want to know if you could go to hell because you are planning to continue doing it.
The answer to that is, 'no'. The truth is that you cannot go to hell for sinning. If sinning was the only prerequisite then we would all be going to hell regardless, as we once were. No, the only reason people go to hell is because they chose to reject forgiveness for their sins through Christ Jesus. We all sinned and will continue to sin. That is not the question. The question is rejection.
The premise is: "Is my salvation in jeapoardy if I do such and such?" Occasionally it is concerning the salvation of another, but the premise is the same, "Will so and so go to hell if they continue x,y or z?"
If I gave you a brand new sports car and you entered it into a demolition derby, that would tell me something about our relationship and how you view the gift. It could be that you dislike me, desire to punish or hurt me, dislike the gift, are just a spoiled brat with no concept of value or sacrifice, or a number of other scenarios that all have one thing in common: personal rejection. If you personally valued our relationship it would not matter how much you liked the gift or how valuable it was. The relationship would impart value in and of itself. Like a kindergartener's macaroni necklace. I still have several of those. They have no instrinsic value and yet no amount of fire insurance could ever replace them.
If I knew that throwing out the necklace would hurt my child, I would keep it forever regardless of its physical value. Christ gave us more than a macaroni necklace. How you regard sin reflects your view of that sacrificial gift as a reflection of your relationship. Choosing to behave in a manner that causes you to even ask 'Is it a sin to..' is dangerous territory if it is because you have that 'gut feeling' telling you not to engage in such activities.
I am not advocating legalism, where one lives in fear that any wrong move is sin and God will be upset, angry, disappointed, etc in you. The only reason to abstain or partake in any activity should be to glorify Christ. It should be to help others know and understand Him better. If a behavior is associated negatively in a culture, such as wearing long hair down in many Biblical cultures signified prostitution, then it is only natural to avoid that appearance. It is not a 'sin' to have long hair down if you are a believer in such a culture, it is just not helpful to the cause of Christ. It could confuse people. On the other hand, doing so would not constitute 'sin' in and of itself. It's just hair. The same is true of any 'sin'. Pre marital sex, adultery, homosexuality, murder, dishonoring parents. None of it effects our salvation, it just reflects on our relationship with Christ.
So legalism is useless. Nothing you do or don't do contributes to your salvation. That would be heresy, which is at the heart of legalism. Obedience to the guidelines given for the 'proper' use of the things in this world are out of love and relationship, not to 'get' something. It may help us avoid some pitfalls and lead to a 'better' life experience, but nothing we do effects our salvation other than rejection or acceptance of salvation through Christ. If you properly use the gift of that sports car I mentioned,you will have a better long term experience with it. Of course, you can choose the 'going down in a blaze of glory' option and destroy it in one shot and have the one experience of 'a lifetime'; but what will that do to your relationship with the giver? What will that tell others around you about your character? What will they think about your relationship with me? That is the heart of 'sin'. How does it reflect on your relationship?
I have developed the following philosophy: If in doubt, go without. I have found it best to go without some of my 'freedoms' if it benefits the cause of Christ. I have also found it best to go without some of the 'christian rules' if it benefits the cause of Christ. Whichever I choose it must be for one reason and one reason alone:
Philippians 1:27 But whatever happens to me, you must live in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ, as citizens of heaven. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the Good News.
Like I said, easy answer, difficult solution.
The Word is very clear that nothing in and of itself is 'bad'. Sex, drugs, alcohol, poisonous snakes, lion fish, scorpions, etc. They were all created by God and were perfect, good and beautiful and yet the mishandling of any of them can lead to death. In and of itself, nothing is a 'sin'. Eating meat sacrificed to idols, circumcision, manner of dress and hairstyles, and various rituals are all mentioned in the Bible as having no intrinsic value in and of themselves. If the culture views them as distasteful, then avoid them. If they would reflect badly on your faith, then avoid them. If they would make it more difficult for you to share your faith, avoid them.
On the other hand, James clearly says that if you know what you should be doing and you don't do it, you are sinning. It is as simple as that. If you have Biblical knowledge or that 'feeling' that you shouldn't be using the 'f' word, having pre-marital sex, engaging in pornography, drinking alcohol, etc because it isn't pleasing to God, then you already know what you should be doing. Most often, the reason you ask isn't because you are unsure if you SHOULD be doing it, the real reason is that you want to know if you could go to hell because you are planning to continue doing it.
The answer to that is, 'no'. The truth is that you cannot go to hell for sinning. If sinning was the only prerequisite then we would all be going to hell regardless, as we once were. No, the only reason people go to hell is because they chose to reject forgiveness for their sins through Christ Jesus. We all sinned and will continue to sin. That is not the question. The question is rejection.
The premise is: "Is my salvation in jeapoardy if I do such and such?" Occasionally it is concerning the salvation of another, but the premise is the same, "Will so and so go to hell if they continue x,y or z?"
If I gave you a brand new sports car and you entered it into a demolition derby, that would tell me something about our relationship and how you view the gift. It could be that you dislike me, desire to punish or hurt me, dislike the gift, are just a spoiled brat with no concept of value or sacrifice, or a number of other scenarios that all have one thing in common: personal rejection. If you personally valued our relationship it would not matter how much you liked the gift or how valuable it was. The relationship would impart value in and of itself. Like a kindergartener's macaroni necklace. I still have several of those. They have no instrinsic value and yet no amount of fire insurance could ever replace them.
If I knew that throwing out the necklace would hurt my child, I would keep it forever regardless of its physical value. Christ gave us more than a macaroni necklace. How you regard sin reflects your view of that sacrificial gift as a reflection of your relationship. Choosing to behave in a manner that causes you to even ask 'Is it a sin to..' is dangerous territory if it is because you have that 'gut feeling' telling you not to engage in such activities.
I am not advocating legalism, where one lives in fear that any wrong move is sin and God will be upset, angry, disappointed, etc in you. The only reason to abstain or partake in any activity should be to glorify Christ. It should be to help others know and understand Him better. If a behavior is associated negatively in a culture, such as wearing long hair down in many Biblical cultures signified prostitution, then it is only natural to avoid that appearance. It is not a 'sin' to have long hair down if you are a believer in such a culture, it is just not helpful to the cause of Christ. It could confuse people. On the other hand, doing so would not constitute 'sin' in and of itself. It's just hair. The same is true of any 'sin'. Pre marital sex, adultery, homosexuality, murder, dishonoring parents. None of it effects our salvation, it just reflects on our relationship with Christ.
So legalism is useless. Nothing you do or don't do contributes to your salvation. That would be heresy, which is at the heart of legalism. Obedience to the guidelines given for the 'proper' use of the things in this world are out of love and relationship, not to 'get' something. It may help us avoid some pitfalls and lead to a 'better' life experience, but nothing we do effects our salvation other than rejection or acceptance of salvation through Christ. If you properly use the gift of that sports car I mentioned,you will have a better long term experience with it. Of course, you can choose the 'going down in a blaze of glory' option and destroy it in one shot and have the one experience of 'a lifetime'; but what will that do to your relationship with the giver? What will that tell others around you about your character? What will they think about your relationship with me? That is the heart of 'sin'. How does it reflect on your relationship?
I have developed the following philosophy: If in doubt, go without. I have found it best to go without some of my 'freedoms' if it benefits the cause of Christ. I have also found it best to go without some of the 'christian rules' if it benefits the cause of Christ. Whichever I choose it must be for one reason and one reason alone:
Philippians 1:27 But whatever happens to me, you must live in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ, as citizens of heaven. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the Good News.
Like I said, easy answer, difficult solution.
| 10 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
