How many sins is it?

[Gabriel]

A couple of Don's post got me thinking about this subject. When you THINK about willfully committing a sin, Christ tells us we have already committed a sin. When it is still a thought, you can seek God through prayer, asking for forgiveness and the strength to resist and re-align your sight towards Him. But, if you ACT upon the sin, are you committing ANOTHER sin and if so, what is that sin?

 

[Knight]

Interesting question Gabe.

There are three types of active sin. Thought, Word, and Deed. There are also sins of omission which I will call passive sin since it is the act of not doing something.

You question is if we have the thought and then act upon it is that one sin or two. I think it is two.

Take the example of David. (I'll paraphrase what the Bible ays because I don't hav it in front of me)

David saw Bathsheba bathing and desired her. (Lust: Sin #1)

He then went and took her. (Adultry: Sin #2)

Does this make any sense?

 

[Gabriel]

More specifically, when you decide to act upon a particular sin and then commit it, is it the same act? For example, when David looked at her and thought, "I am going to take her." According to Christ, David was guilty of adultery at that point. When David actually, physically took her, was he guilty of adultry again or was he guilty of another sin?

Here's where I'm going with this. IMO, as Christ says, if you thought it, you've done it. So, now that I am guilty of it, I may as well enjoy it right? Wrong.

If I think about adultery, I have committed adultery and lust. If I ACT upon that thought I have compounded my sin. When you see the sin through, you have denied Christ. You have disobeyed. You have made sex your idol. You have become a stumbling block to the person you are committing adultery with. You have dishonored your wife. You have caused the other person to sin. If she is married you have interfered with a marriage (let no man rent asunder). Depending on the sin, there may be a multitude of sins involved with the ACT.

Thus, the importance of holding every thought captive. Temptation is an attack. Nip in the bud through prayer and obedience or you will heap sin upon sin until you and, possibly several others, are buried in it.

 

[eldermike]

Is it possible that what Jesus did by describing sin the way He described it, was to show us the hopeless condition of man. And: even though the law's purpose was to reveal this very fact, the people had become slaves to the law.
Wasn't Jesus just trying to show to the slaves of the law what the law was actually meant to show.

I personally believe that we desperately need slavery, just like the children in the desert. Jesus wasn't trying to give us a picture of sin, He was trying to give us a picture of why He had to die on a cross.

We over think the issue of sin, trying to become slaves.

I hope this makes sense.

I do not advocate living in sin, and I am all for trying to live the life that God desires we live. However, it's what we are that makes us humble and therefore changeable, and that's what important to know about sin, IMHO.

 

[Knight]

Is it possible that what Jesus did by describing sin the way He described it, was to show us the hopeless condition of man. And: even though the law's purpose was to reveal this very fact, the people had become slaves to the law.
Wasn't Jesus just trying to show to the slaves of the law what the law was actually meant to show.

I personally believe that we desperately need slavery, just like the children in the desert. Jesus wasn't trying to give us a picture of sin, He was trying to give us a picture of why He had to die on a cross.

We over think the issue of sin, trying to become slaves.

I hope this makes sense.

I do not advocate living in sin, and I am all for trying to live the life that God desires we live. However, it's what we are that makes us humble and therefore changeable, and that's what important to know about sin, IMHO.

Good point Mike.

I tend to think that Christ had a dual purpose in his Sermon on the Mount. (I pick that one because it seems to fit with the topic at hand.)

Purpose #1:
To show us that we cannot hold the law in and of ourselves. Therefore we cannot be justified by the law.

Purpose #2:
To show Christians how He wants us to live. After all if you can eliminate the thought/desire for sin then you will eliminate the act of sin. Are we going to do this perfectly? No. Reference Purpose #1.

Just my opinion.

 

[Flames]

It depends on the thought. If the thought is lust then it is a sin. If you think about speeding on the highway and then decide not too, I do not think you have committed any sin.

(Speeding is breaking the law of the land and is a sin. )

 

[eldermike]

Purpose #1:
To show us that we cannot hold the law in and of ourselves. Therefore we cannot be justified by the law.

Purpose #2:
To show Christians how He wants us to live. After all if you can eliminate the thought/desire for sin then you will eliminate the act of sin. Are we going to do this perfectly? No. Reference Purpose #1.

Yep, that covers it well!
Very well put!

 

[erichmess_]

"Mortal sin had to be a grievance offense, suffiecent reflection and full consent of the will. You had to wanna. In fact, wanna was a sin all by itself. Thou shalt not wanna. If you woke up in the morning and said 'I'm going down to 42nd street and comit a mortal sin...save your car fare, you did it, man! Absolutely. It was a sin for you to wanna feel up Ellen, it was a sin for you to plan to feel up Ellen, it was a sin for you to figure out a place to feel up Ellen, it was a sin to take Ellen to the place to feel her up, it was a sin to try to feel her up and it was a sin to feel her up. It was 6 sins in 1 feel, man."

---George Carlin. "The Confessional"


Though I'd lighten things up a litte.

 

[La Bonita Zorilla]

Interesting question Gabe.

There are three types of active sin. Thought, Word, and Deed. There are also sins of omission which I will call passive sin since it is the act of not doing something.

You question is if we have the thought and then act upon it is that one sin or two. I think it is two.

Take the example of David. (I'll paraphrase what the Bible ays because I don't hav it in front of me)

David saw Bathsheba bathing and desired her. (Lust: Sin #1)

He then went and took her. (Adultry: Sin #2)

Does this make any sense?

Setting up Uriah, her husband, to be killed in battle, would be one more.

 

[Knight]

Setting up Uriah, her husband, to be killed in battle, would be one more.

Agreed.

I was simply addressing the thought leading to the sin being two sins rather than one.

David then compounded this sin by comitting another one in the murder of her husband.