Aside from direct sin such as pride, adultery, drunkenness, etc. when can we also be living in sin?

“All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.”

1 John 5:16

As Christians, we will stumble from time to time and trip up here and there – less so as we strive harder and attain sanctification.  It is clear though that there is sin that we will be forgiven of and sin that we won’t be.  As an example, we all know of “Christians” that are jealous, impure, immoral, selfish, etc.  Paul speaks about these Christians as well:

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Galatians 5:19-22

Therefore, if these people will not inherit the kingdom, they are not Christians and ultimately are participants of the sins which will lead to death.  These sins exist through habit and lack of repentance and become  a part of our lives and who we are until we sanctify and crucify our sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).

However, not all sin leads to death as John states.  John does not classify which sins are deadly and which are not.  But from Leviticus 4, God shows us a kind of sin that does not lead to death and can be atoned for: unintentional sin.  Take a look at the following verses:

Leviticus 4:2-3 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands – ‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.”

Leviticus 4:13-14 “If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty.  When they become aware of the sin they committed, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting.”

Leviticus 4:22-23 “When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, he is guilty.  When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect.”

Leviticus 4:27-28 “If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, he is guilty.  When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as ahis offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect.”

So the types of unintentional sins that can be atoned for in Leviticus 4 are:

1. The pastoral staff/priest commit a sin that causes the congregation to sin
2. The Church community sinning as a whole
3. When someone in a position of leadership sins within his institution
4. An unintentional sin due to lack of knowledge or an accident such as manslaughter

Leviticus 5:1-5 also lists some other unintentional sins that can be atoned for:

1. A person sins when he does not speak up and testify during a public charge
2. Touching anything that is ceremonially unclean, if you are unaware that it is
3. A careless oath/swear that you never realized you committed to because it was so careless

Since unintentional sins can be atoned for, we are forgiven once and for all because of the ultimate atoning sacrificial sin offering, Jesus Christ.  Therefore, unintentional sins are sins which we are not living in because we are unaware, lack a knowledge, or are simply careless.  These sins are atoned for through Christ.  The sins which lead to death if not repented of are sins that we are living in and as Paul states “the acts of the sinful nature are obvious.”  These sins are the sins that part us from God if we do not grow up in our salvation through sanctification.

-Mark

Let’s face it, in this day and age, Christians, all sorts of them, are concerned with what the will of God is for their life.  I heard it said many times that the number one question people ask there pastor is “What is the will of God in my life.”  Many teachings, sermons and books have been written on this subject but yet sometimes people seem to miss it or are just confused.

When it comes to the will of God there is an expression in the Church today called “an open door”.  People say that the way God leads you is by opening a door.  He will open up a door to a relationship he wants you in.  He could open up a door to the right job he wants you to be in and so on.  I agree that God does open doors to lead you but what Christians do these days is forget there is an enemy out there who also “opens up doors”.  How blind and naive can we be thinking that there isn’t an enemy out there seeking to trip us up?  Just because we see something that is open does that really mean it’s from God?  Does it really mean that God is actually the one opening that door?  I doubt it!  We are called to test everything according to 1 John.  We shouldn’t be just grasping at everything in the air and claiming that it was God that opened that door.  To show my view on it lets take a look at Jonah, one of my favorite stories.

Jonah was told by God to preach to this nation called Nineveh because there wickedness had come up to Him (Jonah 1:1-3).  Jonah, instead of listening to God sought to not do what the Lord wanted and tried to flee from God by trying to relocate somewhere.   Don’t we sometimes try this?  Come on let’s be honest, we all have done that in one way or another, whether we care to admit it or not.  So here is Jonah, he has in his mind that he can escape God so he thinks to himself “Where can I go to escape God?”  Jonah chooses to go down to the docks and pay for a ride to Tarshish.  The reason he was going to Tarshish was because it was so far in the opposite direction of Nineveh.  He probably thought God couldn’t reach him over there.  This is where things get interesting if you extract the life principles out of the situation.  You ready?  Ok here we go.

Jonah was able to find a ship that was actually going somewhere he wanted to go.  Can’t we view this as an open door by God?  Or do we think that God is going to force us into something?  If God was in the business of forcing people to do something then couldn’t God have sent down lightning and burned up the ship before Jonah even got on it?  Also the text says that Jonah paid the fare for the ride on the ship.  I’ll improvise a little but what happens if Jonah went to the captain of the ship and said “How much is a ride?” and the captain said “20”.  Jonah then, could have reached in his pocket and pulled out the exact amount.  Jonah had the money.  So here is the stage I am trying to set and for you to picture.  Jonah finds a ship that will take him to a place opposite the place God wanted him to go and he actually had the money for it.  Wouldn’t a Christian today say that his means where met and God opened the door because he provided him a ship to go to Tarshish and provided the money for him?  But in essence this isn’t what God wanted him to do.

This is why we must test everything that comes our way.  We shouldn’t form conclusions in our minds and think that God is going to work your situation out the way you think it should go.  God’s ways are not our ways.  To jump and grab everything claiming it was God is wrong because it could not have been from God.  You may not see it now but later on you will, just like how Jonah saw.  God let him go his way for a little while there, but then God stopped Jonah dead in his tracks.  I pray we be wise and knowledgeable about God so that we don’t fall into something that will hurt us and think that it was God.  I also pray we don’t go down a path claiming it was God because you thought he opened up the door.  Test, test, test!

-WitnessScott

⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

-Ephesians 2: 4 – 5

We all hear that we need grace and mercy but do we ever actually know what that means?  What exactly is grace and what exactly is mercy?

Grace is God giving to us what we don’t deserve and mercy is God with holding from us what we do deserve.

We are all in need of God’s grace AND mercy.  Mercy, though, can be a little tricky and misused.  This doesn’t mean you can do anything you want and not feel the repercussions of it.  It doesn’t mean you can blindly sin and get away with the consequences in this life.  It doesn’t mean you can go out and steal something while at work and think “oh well, God will have mercy on me and not have my Boss fire me because he caught me stealing.”

Many Christians raise their fists to God and cry out in an outburst when something like that happens.  Believe me, it happens.  See, what many people don’t realize, or the people that particularly believe in the pseudo-western-world-Disney Land-Christianity, is that God has set some rules.  In the Bible it clearly states, you reap what you sow.  If you reap of the flesh, you’ll sow of the flesh.  If you reap of the spirit, you’ll sow of the spirit.  Christ’s mercy is Him not saving you out of the bad choices you made or by acts that are displeasing to Him but Christ’s mercy is Him saving you from eternal judgment and death – hell.  This is what Christ came to do on the cross: to save you from hell.  Mercy is God saying, “I paid for her/his sins and by doing so I give them eternal life.”

Please, let us not mix up or think we know what mercy or grace is.  These two gifts are the life bread of Christianity.  There your hall pass, your lunch ticket, the thing that saves you in the end.  All in favor of grace and mercy?

“He hath not slandered by his tongue, He hath not done to his friend evil;
And reproach he hath not lifted up Against his neighbour.^a
Despised in his eyes is a rejected one, And those fearing Jehovah he doth honour.
He hath sworn to suffer evil, and changeth not;^b
His silver he hath not given in usury, And a bribe against the innocent Hath not taken;
Whoso is doing these is not moved to the age!^c”

A) Verse 3 of this psalm shows a principle that Jesus taught regarding our thoughts and our actions. The verse is broken up into three parts, the first two of which deal with our thoughts and actions. Jesus told those around him that even if we think anything slanderous, hateful  thoughts towards our neighbor, we might as well have committed murder. (Matthew 5:21-22) When the psalmist says, “He hath not slandered by his tongue”, this is showing that as a Christian, a righteous man or woman of God, he has nothing on the tip of his tongue that is derogatory or evil inside of him. Often when we have suddenly forgotten the answer to a question a common phrase we use is, “It’s on the tip of my tongue.” If we have slander on the tip of our tongues, even if the thought of slander is not there but the feeling of it, the emotion of something negative towards your brother is consuming you even though you can’t pin it down, that’s still sin. We are to be free from all malicious thought and any accusations against our brothers. The Apostle John reminds his readers the same thing that Christ said; he also reminds them that the love we are to be clothed in is a self-sacrificing love. (1 John 3:15-16) Let our feelings, thoughts and actions be not on belittling those around us, but on how we can serve each other in thought and deed. Resist Satan, and he will flee, for we are not called to be anywhere near the evil of this world. (James 4:7) So let nothing but the Spirit itself dwell in us, may we submit to Him and let him do what He wills in us. (John 14:23)

B) This verse has two ways of being interpreted. One way is to say that the man of God holds in contempt those whose actions are wicked, while still being able to be free from the presence of evil thoughts or words. The second way is that the Christian is to find himself rejected and worthless in his own eyes. Both are great ways to read this verse. The first way of interpreting the verse we see a very godly man who is able to rightly judge his brothers, yet has an undying love for them. He sees their actions and knows the wicked things that they have done, yet he can only think of how he can build them back up. He holds them in contempt, at a distance, not because he views himself as more, lest he sin, but a distance so that he does not fall into the same snare. This idea is echoed in Paul’s writing in Galatians when trying to restore a fallen brother in Christ. (Galatians 6:1)

The second way of reading this verse actually comes from a translated version by Aben Ezra, “He is mean and contemptible in his own eyes” which is also a valid translation from the original, “ נבזה בעיניו נמאס, nibzeh beeynaiv nimas”. I don’t know which I like more because I stumble continually with trying to separate the sin and the sinner, and yet there is something so glorious and redemptive in the second way this verse is interpreted. We are to never put ourselves on a high pedestal, or think anything great of ourselves. We are to serve each other, and view ourselves as nothing. (1 Corinthians 10:24) Just as Christ came to wash our feet and save us from our sins, we are to have the same attitudes towards our brothers. As Christ humbled himself, and by taking on the form of man, not grasping at the being of God and took on our form, there shines something beautiful in that. (Philipians 2:6-8) How can someone so holy, so perfect in every way become lower just to serve, just to save us while we were sinning against Him? (Romans 5:8) This is the God we serve, we serve a God who has given himself to us, saved us and given His Word to use, so that all who believe in Him are saved. (2 Corinthians 11:4)

When was the last time that you lowered yourself, humbled yourself not to those who are close to you, but to those who despise you? Sinners show love to those who love them, so shouldn’t we do more? (Luke 6:32) If Christ showed the standard for living on Earth, and His whole time He spent humbling himself, putting those who had no right to be near the living God ahead of him, why are we not doing the same? Christians often use the term, “taking up the cross” as an expression about dying to ourselves, but I do not see many dead men or women around me. I don’t see people who gasp for breath, who are begging for a drink of water or a piece of bread, I see people who are healthy and do not have any thirst or hunger. Do I see a generation of dead men and women as we are called to be? I am the first to admit as I look in the mirror I do not see a dying man, and for that God convicts me. But let this be a note to anyone who reads this, if you look in the mirror and see an emaciated man, do y0u not also see the light of Christ in shinning through your life?

C) The last verse in Psalm 15, ties everything together. We have a man who does not take advantage of those who are innocent, for he is ultimately a man who fears the Lord. This whole psalm is also to point out that these things are only accomplished by those who fear God. These are the standards and the rules that he has given us that we need to keep. We are to abide in Him daily, and have the Holy Spirit convict us of the truths that He has already spoken. (John 14:26) When a Christian neglects these truths, he is not abiding close to Christ, and the fear of the Lord is not in his eyes. (Romans 3:18) I think that is important to look around and see anyone else that isn’t living up to this psalm. When we see a brother or sister in Christ who is not abiding in Christ, we are to restore them and pray for them. (Galatians 6:1) Let us not forget though, that it is a sin if we know we are to be praying for someone and fail to do so. (1 Samuel 12:23) Restore and pray for those who are shaken, help them see the truths of God and the love He has shown us. Be certain that you don’t have a log in your eye before you go to your friend with the speck, but be prayerful of those who you can help.

The psalmist ends with a promise, a guarantee that Christ gives to his followers. Those who keep God’s commandments and abide in Christ are on solid foundation that is unshakeable. When we start studying the Word, we find more about God and see more of what He has done for us. Too many people neglect to study the Bible, and are seeking experiences only. This is one of the most dangerous things possible because your foundation is going to be based on moment to moment feelings rather than everlasting truth. This is why we study God’s word so that we may pour more concrete on our foundation. Knowing who God is and what He has done for us is the concrete that we build our lives on.

We experience all kinds of hope: hope for the future, hope during uncertainty, etc.  But as a Christian, our hope should never flee.  “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6).  Christ’s followers placed their hope in him while he was walking on earth.  And then, Christ was crucified and laid in a dark tomb for two days.

I’m sure you can imagine the trials of hope and faith that the early believers were going through during those two days when Christ’s body laid lifeless in the tomb.  Although they were uncertain, God was certain.  He was raised from the dead on the third day to prove once and for all that death has been defeated.  Through his death, we find forgiveness and will also be raised from the dead, since death has been defeated for those that place their hope and faith in Christ.

Readers, I’m not sure what your struggle is in life.  Perhaps you are going through a difficult trial in a relationship, laid off work, cannot find a job, suffered a loss, financial difficulty, etc.  But realize this: that our hope should never be defeated as long as our hope is placed in God.  Our hope not only in that God will fulfill His promise to us of eternal life, but also our hope for that certain blessing that we wait for through petitioning to God.  I don’t want to be the one to state the obvious, but if God can raise the dead to life, then surely he can fulfill anything that we ask of Him while we are alive.

I am not preaching a wealth and prosperity message.  Because this caveat applies:

Our hope is not to be placed in what God can do, but in his character and identity

What does this mean? Simply put, our hope is in God but we must also recognize God’s will for our life.  Meaning, His moral will, that He desires us to be sanctified above all else and that He is always looking to strengthen our relationships with Him.  Therefore, we do not receive everything that we ask for because God has another plan.  And this pleasantly opposing (to our flesh), yet superior plan helps us to better understand the identity and character of God the Father.

Hopefully this message of hope is not only relevant as we celebrate the Feast of Firstfruits (aka Easter), but also as we go through trials that require hope.  Philippians 4:13 says “I can do anything through him who gives me strength.”  Does this mean that we can “ace this school test” or “knock a job interview out of the park” because God gives us strength?  Highly doubtful.  But I believe what Paul is teaching us here is that there is a secret to complacency, contentness, and confidence in this world: putting our hope not in this world, but in the identity and character of God and in the salvation of Christ.

-Mark

“He who is walking uprightly,^a
And working righteousness,^b
And speaking truth in his heart.^c”

From the last post on Psalm 15, it becomes clear that to be able to dwell with God and live with him is one of the greatest gifts that we receive through the Holy Spirit. This is also something that we should remind ourselves not to forsake and always remember God as our Lord and Savior. David describes the type of man, or Christian who is able to dwell with God. Just because the Holy Spirit dwells in us does not make give us an easy ride to talk with God, in fact it may make it more difficult in some aspects because Satan will try doubly as hard to try and ruin us by sin. If we do not possess the characteristics of Psalm 15, we quench the Holy Spirit within us.

A) When David says, “He who is walking uprightly”, the word for “uprightly” in Hebrew, tamim, literally means perfectly, complete in all its parts. What is the Christian walking in though? Each day we walk along the thin line that is the will of God. The will of God when described by most commentators is not an individual plan for your life, though there is one for all of our days are written in His book, but one that is the moral will of God. (Psalm 139:16) This moral will is described perfectly in Colossians 1:9-13:

“Because of this, we also, from the day in which we heard, do not cease praying for you, and asking that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, to your walking worthily of the Lord to all pleasing, in every good work being fruitful, and increasing to the knowledge of God, in all might being made mighty according to the power of His glory, to all endurance and long-suffering with joy. Giving thanks to the Father who did make us meet for the participation of the inheritance of the saints in the light, who did rescue us out of the authority of the darkness, and did translate [us] into the reign of the Son of His love.”

Paul clearly lays out the will of God for every believer. The will of God is never directed towards the individual, but for all God’s children. (Though God has a will for the individual, this is seen in retrospect when we see God’s hand on our lives) We are to walk in these things daily if we want to be able to walk with the Lord. These are the things that David says we have to walk in all parts, we cannot skip one and go to the next. When you read 2 Peter 1:5-8, these are all the characteristics that a Christian should have, this is what God wants for your life, what the will of God is for you. Do not be ignorant, may the Holy Spirit convict you on what you are missing from your walk with the Lord. Like David, let the Lord search you by His Spirit and show you what is missing. (Psalm 139:23) In fact, there is a complete list of all the things that God hates in Proverbs 6:16-19. (The Seven Things God Hates)

B) Going into the Hebrew again for the 2^nd part of this verse, the Hebrew word for working, paw-al, is something that should be translated as, “systematic, habitual work.” This is not a type of work that every once in awhile when God smacks you over the head to do something good. You will know when you are doing this when you never receive a rebuke from God about doing works of righteousness because you are always doing it. I think that Christians are way too lazy and need to actually start getting out there and working. One of the best descriptions of work and labor is in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, when Paul says to “labor in love.” This type of labor is work that breaks you down and is merciless. This is not something you can do each day without it crushing your spirit and building it back up. Did you not know that God always called Israel out on the lack of care for the poor and widows? What are you doing this week to help those who need it and feverously work righteousness? This is not something you take your time and say, “not now, maybe tomorrow or the next day.”Maybe your worldy needs are being met and you have no reason to seek out the hungry and poor. Will God still answer your prayers? Of course, but to what extent? Will your lack of fervor for His will hold back or delay an answer?

C) The person who speaks truth in his heart does not make false promises or teaches lies. Whatever his heart convicts him of, he speaks it. He is a man who believes in the truth and makes it a practice of living by it daily. This truth can mean he speaks Gods word and that of the Bible, or that he does not let any falsehood escape his mouth. Solomon talks about this in Proverbs when he says that if we make any type of promise we cannot keep, we are to go immediately, forsaking sleep, and right the wrong. (Proverbs 6:1-4) Do we have the truth in us? Do we not hear from God every time we read His word? If we go against what He says, the truth is not in us, and we do not speak it in our hearts, let alone follow through and produce fruit from it. Are we slandering those around us, or are too promiscuous with our words? If all our words are played back before us when we stand before Christ, will we be able to stand on them or have them crush us? For a man’s words either condemn him or save him. (Matthew 12:37)

I often hear Christians saying in one form or another that “things are going well” and that they are “growing a lot”.  Or another way of saying this is that because they are “growing”, things appear to be going well.  Whenever I hear this, I always question why they think they are growing – never to discourage, but always to shed some truth.  Too often the response I get for why one thinks they are growing is because they are spending more time with God, receiving deeper convictions to their sin, have a sustained joy, etc.  In a little bit, I’ll explain why this is not biblical growth.

I’m not a pessimist, but I do lack confidence in another’s confidence for a few reasons, the primary reason being that there is an overall genuine lack of the fear of God in Christian churches today: we are quick to speak before the altar, quick to view God as the object of a sappy love song (thanks to modern pop-worship), quick to forget about the necessity of sanctification, quick to manipulate others into salvation by preaching topical messages (and not the deeper truths), etc.  And because of the lack of fear, they do not know what growth is.  Isaiah 33:6 says:

“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.”

So let’s take a look at how the bible defines growth.  For it is one thing to spend more time with God when your spirit is strengthened, but what happens when your spirit is broken?  It is another thing to receive conviction, but another to respond to conviction.  To get a better understanding of what I’m basing this theology on, please read Growing from Faith to Love. In case you do not have the time to read that post, I will briefly sum it up.  From James 1:4-5, 3:13, and 2 Peter 1:5-9, we can define the biblical route of growth as follows:

Faith, Goodness, Knowledge, Self-Control, Perseverance, Wisdom, Humility, Godliness, Love

See also:

Goodness vs. Godliness

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

Humility vs. Love

This should give you a solid understanding on what growth as a Christian is.  But within the church, we judge others not on their heart, but on their fruit.  We cannot tell where one is in this sanctification process, but we surely can tell if one is going through it.  With that, take a look at Looking at the Fruits.  This post uses Galatians 5:22-23 and lists the fruit of the Spirit.  Notice that fruit is not pluralized and that it is referring to the Spirit, a singular subject.  To clearly illustrate this meaning, think of the Spirit as an entire grape vine and the individual grapes as the fruit.  Therefore, if we have the Spirit, we should posses all of the fruit – not acquire each quality individually and over time.  And through the sanctification process, we are increasing the measure of each quality.  The fruit of the Spirit are:

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control

Also, notice the parallel between the fruit of the Spirit and the steps in the sanctification process.  Pretty amazing!  The bottom line is that we grow through sanctification.  The key to sanctification is wisdom and knowledge, which comes from the fear of the Lord and letting God’s word do its work in your heart as you read, through reflection and meditation.  Let us all become a meditator on the Word of God.

I would love to hear your comments or answer any questions.

-Mark

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rules, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:12

Let’s face it, in this particular verse Paul isn’t saying that we enter into the spiritual battle, he states that we are in fact in a spiritual battle whether we like it or not.  If you do not know this because you never realized it or you just ignore the fact that you are, I can probably tell you that you aren’t winning the battle.

When we are in conflict with someone or some circumstance we aren’t warring with humans or flesh.  We shouldn’t be saying “Oh if this person would just act this way everything would be fine”.  It is not the person who is causing the strife, it is the spiritual forces behind them.  Now I am not saying there is a demon behind every bush but what I am saying is if we are in conflict in some way, the bible teaches us that we are warring with principalities.

We should realize this spiritual realm and recognize it as being real and very important.  We have an enemy out there that wants to trip us up and basically have our head.  There are angels and demons fighting constantly behind the scenes in our life and to prove this point take a look at this scripture in Daniel.

Daniel received a very disturbing vision from the Lord which left him terrified.  He was so shaken that he fasted and prayed for 3 weeks.  As he became so weary he fell to the ground and an angel touched him and comforted him.  The angel then stated in Daniel 10:12-14 ” Then he said to me “Do not be afraid Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.  BUT the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days, then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.”  It is clear that Satan and his demonic forces actually held back this prayer from Daniel.

As you can see we are involved in this battle and it is real.  We shouldn’t be so lofty and think “oh Satan, what’s the big deal?”  He is a big deal!  The Bible states that he is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

The next time you get into an argument at work with your boss;  The next time you get into an argument with you mother-in -law;  The next time you’re in a fight with one of your siblings;  Remember who you are really fighting and battling – you aren’t fighting with them, but with the forces that are behind them and that are pulling the strings, looking to trip you up and get to you.  Also remember this: the only way to fight the spiritual is through prayer!  Not reasoning with them or making them try to see your point – that’s God’s Job.  We can only fight for people and circumstances through prayer.

“There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” – Proverbs 6:16-19

1. Haughty eyes – “Haughty” in Hebrew can be translated as “to lift up”.  An example of haughty eyes is in Isaiah 10:12, where God punishes Assyria because of the haughty look in its eyes.  Assyria saw the destruction of Israel as an opportunity to bring wealth and power to its kingdom through looting, plundering, and expanding its kingdom.  For us, haughty eyes can be thought of as the opposite of humility.  In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul talks about how Christ did not raise himself high, rather he made himself nothing and became a servant.  When we allow pride to creep in and compare ourselves to others with the mindset that we are greater, this allows us an opportunity to act in a haughty manner. (See Having an Attitude Like Christ Jesus.)
2. Lying tongue – This is pretty self-explanatory.  When we speak deceitfully and do not tell the truth, God hates this.
3. Hands that shed innocent blood – This is self-explanatory as well. Here, “hands”  in Hebrew is translated as an open hand, where openness indicates power, means, direction, etc.  This is not talking about involuntary manslaughter, but the violent act of cold murder.  God hates this.
4. Heart that devises wicked schemes – For someone that has sinful/evil/wicked plans, they usually make these plans in secret.  God hates a heart that devises such plans.
5. Feet that are quick to rush into evil – This is someone that rushes into doing evil.  We are supposed to remain in fervent prayer (Colossians 4:12) and by remaining in prayer (not necessarily on your knees, but even while at work), we can find our strength to overcome evil.  By going through the process of sanctification, we are learning more about God, gaining His wisdom and understanding, and strengthening our spirits.  Through sanctification we can better distinguish God vs. satan since we are learning more about God, and therefore, sin is becoming more apparent.  By not going through this process, we will not be able to afford ourselves the option to be prayerful against sin, because more than half the time, we don’t recognize when we are sinning.  So first comes sanctification to have the wisdom on how to flee from sin and then comes prayer to strengthen our spirits.
6. False witness that pours out lies – This connects to point number 3 – hands that shed innocent blood.  Not necessarily in the sense of murder, but by bearing false witness against someone who really is innocent, can be considered hatred.  Those that hold hatred against someone in their hearts is actually murdering that person, just as the one who lusts commits adultery.  By bearing false witness, you are harming the innocent.
7. A man who stirs up dissension among his brothers – This is not talking about rebuking or correcting those that do wrong.  In 1 Corinthians 5:10, Paul tells us not to separate ourselves from the sin of the world (for then we must take ourselves out of this world – which is impossible), but rather separate yourselves from the sin of an immoral brother (sin within the church).  Therefore, this is talking about the brother/sister who sins, and by their sin, they stirred up dissension and spread strife among other members within the church.  In this case, we are called to correct the sinner.  If they do not acknowledge their sin, then we are called to separate ourselves from that sinner.  When they confess, they are forgiven – when we confess, we are forgiven.  But without repentance, we are considered a sinner and in this case, we are called to do what the Holy Spirit tells us to do do in 1 Corinthians 5:10 – separate yourself from the sin in the church.  God hates the one who sins within their church, where the sin affects others in a negative way.

These seven things represent the complete list of the flaws in man that God hates.  Seven represents fullness – on the seventh day, God’s creation was complete.  The seventh day is the Sabbath and we will enter our eternal sabbath after the resurrection, the completion of God’s plan.  The good news is that if we repent, we are forgiven through Christ!

-Mark

UPDATE: Check out Sin that does not lead to Death.  Many times, we unintentionally commit one of these sins in the above.  God does forgive us.

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

Joshua 1:8

We live in a day and age where success is expected of all people.  The world tells us that money is the key to success.  It even screams at us that success is labeled as having a nice house on the water or a white fence and a family with a dog.  This isn’t success in the eyes of the Lord; He is looking for something deeper.

What God cares about first and foremost is our character.  Who we claim to be, how we handle our relationships and how we handle every situation that comes to us.  Wisdom, knowledge and discernment is needed to accomplish a Christian life that is pleasing to the Lord.  You may ask “Ok, that’s great but now how do I live the life, make God honoring  decisions, and please Him?”  The answer is the Word of God enables you to do so.  Now you’re thinking “Oh common! A book?!  Can it really do that?!”  I tell you – yes it can.

All I say is to take steps of faith to make this book, the bible, a number one priority in your life.  Well now I bet someone may say “What about worship? I need to worship, I need to sing and play an instrument for the Lord.”  Worship is an important part of Christian living but I tell you the Word takes higher place.  If you have an hour for the Lord do not spend that time worshiping, instead spend it reading the bible.

Right before this passage, God appoints Joshua to lead Israel into the promised land because His beloved servant, Moses, has died.  This is a huge task that Joshua needs to fill.  The Lord assures Joshua to remain strong and courageous numerous times, He also tells him that He will be with him wherever he goes.  Now note that this is not the only thing God said to Joshua to help him with this task.  God also tells Joshua to meditate day and night on scripture so that he will be prosperous and have success.

We have to make the steps to read and meditate.  God can give us strength and courage.  He can lavish His presence  on you but He can’t force us to read.  I can’t stress it enough how much the reading of scripture benefits the Believer, this passage should help you realize it.  I pray that if you don’t, that God then will reveal it to you through His Holy Spirit.  Make the effort to set time aside throughout the day to have the chance to sit and mediate on scripture.  This will birth a fruitful, Christian life.