Sin doesn't even require an action does it?

[JohnB445]

Can sin be done through one's thoughts alone?

And also by not taking action?

If anyone were to turn a blind eye to the suffering, a dying person near them, not reporting danger, and doing nothing.

So sin doesn't require an act to be done does it?

So there seems to be 3 elements we can see.
Sin from thoughts
Sin from inaction
And Sin from action

And they can be either done deliberately or done through ignorance. Either you know you are sinning or you do not know.

Are there any other distinctive traits when it comes to sin?

 

[timothyu]

Are there any other distinctive traits when it comes to sin?

Yes, as God said from the very beginning, all what we call sin is simply putting our will ahead of His. It was the original sin. The result is self which produces self interest, self justification, etc which is the basis for prime examples in the Bible of self interest which are as examples of many more... theft, adultery and oppression of others.

 

[HTacianas]

Can sin be done through one's thoughts alone?

And also by not taking action?

If anyone were to turn a blind eye to the suffering, a dying person near them, not reporting danger, and doing nothing.

So sin doesn't require an act to be done does it?

So there seems to be 3 elements we can see.
Sin from thoughts
Sin from inaction
And Sin from action

And they can be either done deliberately or done through ignorance. Either you know you are sinning or you do not know.

Are there any other distinctive traits when it comes to sin?

To covet is a sin. And it is done merely by thought. A desire to have something that belongs to another is to covet. It's one of the sins Paul described in detail throughout Romans 7. He describes sin dwelling inside him even though he doesn't want it to and he finds that he cannot control it always. But in the end he says:

Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Rom 7:25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Some people want to take that to mean that Paul is a wanton sinner and does whatever he wants regardless of whether it is sin or not. But the meaning of it is his sins of thought, not of action. He talks about the sins of action in 1 Corinthians:

1Co 9:26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.

1Co 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Actively sinning through action itself is cause for disqualification.

Inaction can also be a sin, just as the example you pointed out. James went over it:

Jas 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

Jas 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

Jas 2:17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Sins of inaction are specifically pointed out as grounds for condemnation in Matthew 25:41-46.

 

[Nettle]

A trait of sin - darkness?

 

[Jonaitis]

Can sin be done through one's thoughts alone?

And also by not taking action?

If anyone were to turn a blind eye to the suffering, a dying person near them, not reporting danger, and doing nothing.

So sin doesn't require an act to be done does it?

So there seems to be 3 elements we can see.
Sin from thoughts
Sin from inaction
And Sin from action

And they can be either done deliberately or done through ignorance. Either you know you are sinning or you do not know.

Are there any other distinctive traits when it comes to sin?

Sin is turning one's backside to God. It is resistance to submission, and we can apply this to intentions, thoughts, actions, words, negligence, and almost anything.

Imagine, then, the character of Jesus. His motives are pure; His thoughts are wholesome; His actions are appropriate; His word is true; His negligence is warranted. He would have lived in the way that was harmonious with creation, dancing accordingly and singing in tune. He would have been on a totally different 'frequency' than the people around Him, and they would have noticed.

 

[Mark Quayle]

Can sin be done through one's thoughts alone?

And also by not taking action?

If anyone were to turn a blind eye to the suffering, a dying person near them, not reporting danger, and doing nothing.

So sin doesn't require an act to be done does it?

So there seems to be 3 elements we can see.
Sin from thoughts
Sin from inaction
And Sin from action

And they can be either done deliberately or done through ignorance. Either you know you are sinning or you do not know.

Are there any other distinctive traits when it comes to sin?

Yes. Necessarily, ALL we do is sin, apart from Christ. Our best, even altruistic deeds, are fraught with enmity with God at the core. This enmity may not display as, for example, how the Apostle Paul behaved before his conversion, but the independent, rebellious, self-important, self-determining, self-exaltation against God is still sin. And it corrupts everything we think and do. That is the natural man, the "mind of flesh" in Romans 8 and other places.

We may even fool ourselves in all this. After all, even the demons believe, but that only makes them tremble! We may think we love God, and not know it is not God whom we love, but a construction in our own mind.

One may not think they intend sin, yet be sinning, their heart rebelling against God in the doing. None of us knows our heart like God knows it.

Consider, for a moment, in the question of obedience, the difference between compliance and submission.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

So sin doesn't require an act to be done does it?

All you have to do is to be born. The sin nature is within us from the very start of our lives. That is why Lord Jesus said you must be born again. Read the teaching of Lord Jesus in John 3.
John 3: 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

 

[BobRyan]

Can sin be done through one's thoughts alone?

And also by not taking action?

True - but at the same time - being tempted is not the same thing as yielding to temptation

 

[timothyu]

All you have to do is to be born. The sin nature is within us from the very start of our lives.

Yes, we are born with our animal instincts which are of course 'self' oriented for survival. There is also the part of us made in God's image we must connect with and then the battle begins within for dominance in allegiance, to self or to the will of God.

 

[timothyu]

True - but at the same time - being tempted is not the same thing as yielding to temptation

Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of
old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart.

Either way you are putting your will first

 

[public hermit]

Can sin be done through one's thoughts alone?

And also by not taking action?

If anyone were to turn a blind eye to the suffering, a dying person near them, not reporting danger, and doing nothing.

So sin doesn't require an act to be done does it?

So there seems to be 3 elements we can see.
Sin from thoughts
Sin from inaction
And Sin from action

And they can be either done deliberately or done through ignorance. Either you know you are sinning or you do not know.

Are there any other distinctive traits when it comes to sin?

No, sin does not need action. Sinful actions come from sinful thoughts and desires.

 

[mama2one]

Sin includes a failure to do what is right. But sin also offends people; it is violence and lovelessness toward other people, and ultimately, rebellion against God. Further, the Bible teaches that sin involves a condition in which the heart is corrupted and inclined toward evil.


from biblestudytools.com


if you know your neighbor needs help & you have the means to help but do nothing....that is sin, would you agree?

 

[Mark Quayle]

Yes, we are born with our animal instincts which are of course 'self' oriented for survival. There is also the part of us made in God's image we must connect with and then the battle begins within for dominance in allegiance, to self or to the will of God.

So no "original sin" or anything of the sort? No imputation of Adams sin upon us? If not, then no imputation of righteousness either. By your narrative here, we are no worse than Adam in the Garden before he sinned. That is simply not scriptural.

 

[public hermit]

So no "original sin" or anything of the sort? No imputation of Adams sin upon us? If not, then no imputation of righteousness either. By your narrative here, we are no worse than Adam in the Garden before he sinned. That is simply not scriptural.

The whole concept of imputation is not scriptural. Abraham was reckoned as righteous, not because Christ's righteousness was imputed to him but because he trusted God, picked up and went, i.e., he had faith in God.

 

[Mark Quayle]

The whole concept of imputation is not scriptural. Abraham was reckoned as righteous, not because Christ's righteousness was imputed to him but because he trusted God, picked up and went, i.e., he had faith in God.

My point was not to prove imputation nor even original sin, but to mention there is scripture he seemed to ignore, to the effect that we are born in sin, and slaves to sin, and so on. What is going on here, is not just what he described. We are not neutral, innocent bystanders in someone else's war.

But maybe I took him wrong.

 

[timothyu]

Sinful actions come from sinful thoughts and desires.

Yes. Self interest placed over concern of the effect it will have on others

 

[timothyu]

So no "original sin" or anything of the sort?

Original sin was putting our self interest (our will) ahead of the will of God.

 

[public hermit]

Yes. Self interest placed over concern of the effect it will have on others

Are there sins that have no effect on anyone but one's self? I'm not sure if there are, but I wonder. I don't think it would matter if there were, actually. At least, sin seems to be more a frame of outlook or way of being than simply isolated thoughts or desires. We seem to come into this world with an innate tendency to favor ourselves against all others, to a greater or lesser degree. Statements like "Deny your self" or "Put the interests of others before yourself" have a counter-intuitive ring because we naturally favor ourselves- survival instinct. But, the kingdom is wholly other related, Christ was wholly oriented toward the good of all, which would work if everyone were that way. Those who are spiritually mature are other oriented, to a greater or lesser degree. But if everyone is not oriented that way, dead to self-centeredness, then those who love will suffer because they aren't playing by the same rules. Sin is definitely rooted in self interest, at any rate.

 

[timothyu]

Are there sins that have no effect on anyone but one's self?

Ask Eve. She created the original sin of self interest putting her will ahead of the will of God. But one could say God was the one affected, being shut out.

Statements like "Deny your self" or "Put the interests of others before yourself" have a counter-intuitive ring because we naturally favor ourselves- survival instinct.

Yes, common to all we animals here in nature. But God made us hybrids for the purpose of communication rather than trained AI or as domesticated beasts.

Those who are spiritually mature are other oriented, to a greater or lesser degree. But if everyone is not oriented that way, dead to self-centeredness, then those who love will suffer because they aren't playing by the same rules.

Yes, I call it the counter-culture of the Kingdom which is treated in the same way by fellow man as the mini counter-culture of peace and love was mocked by the people a half century ago (and for the same reasons)

Sin is definitely rooted in self interest, at any rate.

Absolutely

 

[public hermit]

Ask Eve. She created the original sin of self interest putting her will ahead of the will of God. But one could say God was the one affected, being shut out.

I agree; that makes sense. The ubiquity and love that is God eliminates any possibility of there being sin that affects only the self. That's just a pipe dream of selfishness lol.