Is it sin even when you don't know it?

[DirectionSeeker]

Hi,

There are some instances in scripture that suggests that if the person didn't know something, then he/she won't be guilty for the wrongdoing, i.e. for him/her it's not sin. However, there are also instances where a wrongdoing is still sin (e.g., if I remember right, Jesus parable of the ignorant servant still receiving beats, but fewer than if the servant knew). The only way to reconcile this is that for certain things, wrongdoing won't be counted as sin in ignorant situations.

And so that makes me wonder, would you consider these situations to be sin even though the person wasn't aware of it?

1. You say something thinking it's the right answer, but it was actually wrong. Was it sin for that person to say what was wrong? For example, the person gets asked where the keys are. The person replies: "On the couch", because that's what the person really thought. The keys were on the table. I mean, God didn't make us all-knowing, so this can't possibly be sin, can it?

2. You download a picture from Google and send it to some family members, or screenshot your screen showing something you want to share. You broke the copyright law by doing this. Now, I'm not sure if showing a downloaded picture to a few people is actually violating the law (is it? I'm genuinely curious), but let's say it is, did the person sin?

 

[Tolworth John]

Hi,

There are some instances in scripture that suggests that if the person didn't know something, then he/she won't be guilty for the wrongdoing, i.e. for him/her it's not sin. However, there are also instances where a wrongdoing is still sin (e.g., if I remember right, Jesus parable of the ignorant servant still receiving beats, but fewer than if the servant knew). The only way to reconcile this is that for certain things, wrongdoing won't be counted as sin in ignorant situations.

And so that makes me wonder, would you consider these situations to be sin even though the person wasn't aware of it?

1. You say something thinking it's the right answer, but it was actually wrong. Was it sin for that person to say what was wrong? For example, the person gets asked where the keys are. The person replies: "On the couch", because that's what the person really thought. The keys were on the table. I mean, God didn't make us all-knowing, so this can't possibly be sin, can it?

2. You download a picture from Google and send it to some family members, or screenshot your screen showing something you want to share. You broke the copyright law by doing this. Now, I'm not sure if showing a downloaded picture to a few people is actually violating the law (is it? I'm genuinely curious), but let's say it is, did the person sin?

Sin is an offence against God. It has nothing to do with our rules and laws on earth.

So your example of keys would only be a sin of the respondent deliberately lied about the key location.
Copying a picture, would be theft if that picture was protects by copy right. Many sites are happy for people to copy a photo for personal use but not if it is being done for commercial gain.

 

[Rene Loup]

35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.


47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.


48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

~Luke 12:35-27 (KJV)

35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

41 Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

~Luke 12:35-27 (NKJV)

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”


41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”


42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

~Luke 12:35-27 (NIV)

35 “Be ready! Be dressed for service and have your lamps shining. 36 Be like servants who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding party. The master comes and knocks. The servants immediately open the door for him. 37 Those servants will be blessed when their master comes home, because he sees that his servants are ready and waiting for him. I tell you the truth. The master will dress himself to serve and tell the servants to sit at the table. Then the master will serve them. 38 Those servants might have to wait until midnight or later for their master. But they will be happy when he comes in and finds them still waiting.

39 “Remember this: If the owner of the house knew what time a thief was coming, then the owner would not allow the thief to enter his house. 40 So you also must be ready! The Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him!”

Who Is the Trusted Servant?
41 Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this story for us or for all people?”

42 The Lord said, “Who is the wise and trusted servant? Who is the servant the master trusts to give the other servants their food at the right time? 43 When the master comes and finds his servant doing the work he gave him, that servant will be very happy. 44 I tell you the truth. The master will choose that servant to take care of everything the master owns. 45 But what will happen if the servant is evil and thinks that his master will not come back soon? That servant will begin to beat the other servants, men and women. He will eat and drink and get drunk. 46 Then the master will come when that servant is not ready. It will be a time when the servant is not expecting him. Then the master will cut him in pieces and send him away to be with the others who don’t obey.


47 “The servant who knows what his master wants but is not ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows! 48 But the servant who does not know what his master wants and does things that should be punished will be beaten with few blows. Everyone who has been given much will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the one who has been given more.”

~Luke 12:35-27 (ICB)

My own interpretation of this passage so far is the grace God is willing to give us for sinning in ignorance. However, the more we are educated about sin and its effects on the world, the less excuse we will have on the Judgement Day. I would say it has to be genuine ignorance and never willful.

We discipline (within reason) our children to teach them that their words and actions have consequences.[2] Either the parents do this, or the law does.[3][4] If neither does this, then an essay titled, "The Fate of Empires" by Sir John Bagot Glubb would be a very interesting read.[1]

1. http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/glubb.pdf
2. Ephesians 6:1-4, Proverbs 13:24-25, 19:16-29, 22:15, 23:13-14, 23:22-25, 29:15-27
3. Why Do Youths Commit Crime, Teenage Crime Risk Factors
4. Statistics

1. You say something thinking it's the right answer, but it was actually wrong. Was it sin for that person to say what was wrong? For example, the person gets asked where the keys are. The person replies: "On the couch", because that's what the person really thought. The keys were on the table. I mean, God didn't make us all-knowing, so this can't possibly be sin, can it?

I wouldn't say so. It was not willful deception, just ignorance because we are all fallible, human beings.

Now, unknowingly spreading conspiracy theories about COVID-19, on the other hand, would be an entirely different story. That actually would put human lives at risk by spreading more ignorance about the nature of the crisis and put more lives, and ultimately society, at risk. The proverb, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." would apply to this sort of situation.[1][2][3][4]

The Sermon of the Mount (found in Matthew chapters five through seven), shows that the motive matters MUCH more than the deed itself.

In essence, it would depend on the situation and the severity. God is the only rightful judge on this.[5]

1. (PDF) Conspiracy theories and their societal effects during the COVID-19 pandemic
2. Eight Persistent COVID-19 Myths and Why People Believe Them
3. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-conspiracy-theories-covid-outweigh-science.html
4. This is the conspiracy theory that prompted a pharmacist to destroy 500 COVID-19 doses
5. Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, Matthew 7:13-29, 12:30-37, 25:31-46, Revelation 20:1-15, Romans 2:1-16, 14:10-12

2. You download a picture from Google and send it to some family members, or screenshot your screen showing something you want to share. You broke the copyright law by doing this. Now, I'm not sure if showing a downloaded picture to a few people is actually violating the law (is it? I'm genuinely curious), but let's say it is, did the person sin?

If there is a genuine copyright law broken, then yes, I would say it is sin done in ignorance. If it was intentional because of either apathy or thinking one is above the rules would be completely unacceptable.

 

[Palmfever]

Don't if this will help any. It deals with knowing and not doing.
James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.”

The following deals more with those who have not heard the gospel.
Romans, 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.

 

[xaris]

yes/no

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET." (Rom 7:7)

for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
(Rom 5:13)