Sin is a matter of ones personal conscience.

[SkyWriting]

Sin is a matter of ones personal conscience.
Yes it is startling. But I come from a period where I
have taken scripture literally, as a good fundamentalist
should. It was Henry Morris from the Creation
Research Institute who taught his followers to aceept
the simplest reading of any passage as the base message
and then allow other versions to explain more.

As a result, taking scripture literally as a Fundamentalist,
has moved me into a catagory of being socially progressive.



2 Peter 2:21
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and turned away from the holy commandment passed on to them.

James 4:17
16 As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, whoever knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

John 9:41
"If you were blind," Jesus replied, "you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains."

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:1-2



So, as you can read, Sin is a matter of ones personal conscience.
Yes it is startling.

 

[stuart lawrence]

I was raised in a fundamentalist church.
The literal letter was everything. At times anyway.
No one plucked their eye out if it caused them to sin In thought, word or deed.

 

[Phil 1:21]

So, as you can read, Sin is a matter of ones personal conscience.

Actually, those verses make the case for innocent ignorance (I didn't know it was wrong) instead of moral relativism (I don't feel it was wrong). Nowhere in scripture does God qualify defining sin with "...unless you disagree."

 

[SkyWriting]

Actually, those verses make the case for innocent ignorance (I didn't know it was wrong) instead of moral relativism (I don't feel it was wrong). Nowhere in scripture does God qualify defining sin with "...unless you disagree."

Here is: You are in trouble "Unless you disagree and plead ignorance"
21It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and turned away from the holy commandment passed on to them.

Here is: You are sinning against God "Unless you disagree and feel you are right"

17 Therefore, whoever knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

Not only that, but you are sinning if you don't act on what you feel is right,
even if you are ignorant of the law.

 

[-V-]

Therefore, whoever knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

And yet you still, once again, like every other time you attempt this argument, completely fail to show that the Bible defines "the right thing" as "your personal opinion."

 

[SkyWriting]

I was raised in a fundamentalist church.
The literal letter was everything. At times anyway.
No one plucked their eye out if it caused them to sin In thought, word or deed.

Yes, at times. Literalists don't want to litterally
treat all others exactly as they would wish to
be treated. And they don't want to hear that
it's the foundation of scripture either.

 

[Phil 1:21]

Here is: You are in trouble "Unless you disagree and plead ignorance"
21It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and turned away from the holy commandment passed on to them.

Here is: You are sinning against God "Unless you disagree and feel you are right"

17 Therefore, whoever knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

Not only that, but you are sinning if you don't act on what you feel is right, even if you are ignorant of the law.

Please note the bolded, underlined words. This deals with knowledge of sin, not whether or not you agree with that knowledge.

Actually, just reread verse 21. It says it would be better to lack knowledge that to have knowledge and disregard it. Nothing in there is contingent upon personal opinion.

 

[SkyWriting]

And yet you still, once again, like every other time you attempt this argument, completely fail to show that the Bible defines "the right thing" as "your personal opinion."

Who's opinion is somebody supposed to act on?
What's your opinion on that?
Do you think I am called to act on your opinion of the right thing?

I've mentioned this: Sin is a contract between you and God and no one else.

 

[SkyWriting]

Please note the bolded, underlined words. This deals with knowledge of sin, not whether or not you agree with that knowledge.

Actually, just reread verse 21. It says it would be better to lack knowledge that to have knowledge and disregard it. Nothing in there is contingent upon personal opinion.

Knowing is pretty deep in the Greek. Not shallow hearing or even reading.
More like knowing your spouse.

 

[Aldebaran]

Sin is a matter of ones personal conscience.

What if the person doesn't have a conscience, or has seared his conscience by finding ways of justifying his sin? Is it still a sin?

 

[SkyWriting]

Actually, just reread verse 21. It says it would be better to lack knowledge that to have knowledge and disregard it. Nothing in there is contingent upon personal opinion.

Lets say "experience" as in sex then. "Know-ing"

 

[Soyeong]

Sin is a matter of ones personal conscience.
Yes it is startling. But I come from a period where I
have taken scripture literally, as a good fundamentalist
should. It was Henry Morris from the Creation
Research Institute who taught his followers to aceept
the simplest reading of any passage as the base message
and then allow other versions to explain more.

People often mean different things when they say they take the Bible literally and usually they mean that they believe everything in the Bible is historical. Whether people really end up in a pickle is where they do not allow for the fact that the Bible uses figures of speech.

2 Peter 2:21
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and turned away from the holy commandment passed on to them.

James 4:17
16 As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, whoever knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

John 9:41
"If you were blind," Jesus replied, "you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains."

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:1-2



So, as you can read, Sin is a matter of ones personal conscience.
Yes it is startling.

When interpreting the Bible, it is important not to take verses in isolation, but to consider everything that is said about the topic. If you come up with an interpretation that is different from what is said elsewhere, then chance are that your interpretation is wrong. The Bible makes it clear that the Law was given to make us conscious of sin (Romans 3:20), that Paul would not have even known what sin is if it wasn't for the Law (Romans 7:7), and that sin is defined as Lawlessness (1 John 3:4), so the only way to come up with the interpretation that sin is a matter of personal conscience is to ignore these verses.

In 2 Peter 2:21, it says that there is a way of righteousness, and conversely there is a way of sin, but it does not say that you are free to make up your own way of righteousness or sin. The way of righteousness is based on God's righteousness. It also does not say that it is better to not instruct people in the way of righteousness. Likewise, James 4:17 does not say that it better to not know what is right than to know what is right, but that it whoever knows what is right, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin. It also does not say that what is right is a matter of personal conscience. Similarly, neither John 9:41 nor Matthew 7:1-2 say that sin is matter of personal conscience. Jesus went on in Matthew 7:3-5 to encourage us first take the spec out of our own eye so that we can judge rightly.

 

[SkyWriting]

What if the person doesn't have a conscience, or has seared his conscience by finding ways of justifying his sin? Is it still a sin?

God does not consider it a sin. That's how He can forgive
even when man continues to Sin.

Man will still press charges.

The payment of Sin is Death.
God does not press charges.

 

[Phil 1:21]

Lets say "experience" as in sex then. "Know-ing"

I hope you catch that straw you're grasping for.

 

[-V-]

Who's opinion is somebody supposed to act on?

God's opinion, *obviously*.

What's your opinion on that?

That's not my opinion, that's what the Bible teaches.

Do you think I am called to act on your opinion of the right thing?

Nope, I never once claimed, suggested, or hinted at that at any time. You're called to act on what God says is the right thing.

I've mentioned this: Sin is a contract between you and God and no one else.

Sure, and God has stated in the Bible the definition of what is right/wrong we are to use, and "your personal opinion" aint it.

 

[Ygrene Imref]

Sin is a matter of ones personal conscience.
Yes it is startling. But I come from a period where I
have taken scripture literally, as a good fundamentalist
should. It was Henry Morris from the Creation
Research Institute who taught his followers to aceept
the simplest reading of any passage as the base message
and then allow other versions to explain more.

As a result, taking scripture literally as a Fundamentalist,
has moved me into a catagory of being socially progressive.



2 Peter 2:21
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and turned away from the holy commandment passed on to them.

James 4:17
16 As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, whoever knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

John 9:41
"If you were blind," Jesus replied, "you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains."

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:1-2



So, as you can read, Sin is a matter of ones personal conscience.
Yes it is startling.

I agree. It is a sort of "throwing up of the hands" in a rebellion, or spiritual retort - when you have the knowledge of what is wrong and right. In a way, it is a conscious submission - especially with the mentality that "I am carnal/sinful/God hates me anyway, why not just do what I want since I cant help it.

One of my philosophies is that we severely underestimate our brains, intellect and ability to reason. We reason our own minds into doing things we don't want to do. That is actually spectacular when you think about it.

 

[SkyWriting]

That's not my opinion, that's what the Bible teaches.

That's your opinion.

I learnt different lessons.

 

[SkyWriting]

Sure, and God has stated in the Bible the definition of what is right/wrong we are to use, and "your personal opinion" aint it.

I used to think the same thing for 20 years.
I took me a while to see farther into scripture
past the laws of the OT. I held on tight to laws.

 

[SkyWriting]

I hope you catch that straw you're grasping for.

It was a long time before I could see more, past the legalism.

 

[-V-]

That's your opinion.

No, it's a fact that is what the Bible says:
"There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." - Proverbs 14:12.
That completely contradicts your claim that what is right is simply what it seems to us to be.