By Gary Ray Branscome
Our classification of sins should never be used to excuse
wrongdoing, but to reveal God’s righteousness and our need for forgiveness in Christ.
As believers we also need to train our conscience, so that we do not take sin
lightly, excuse it, or delude ourselves into thinking that we need no
forgiveness, or that we can earn God’s favor.
Job asked, “How can man be righteous before God?”
(Job 9:2). And, the Bible’s answer to that question is that, “No flesh will
ever be justified [declared righteous] in God’s sight by the deeds of the law:
because the knowledge of sin comes by the law” (Romans
The words, “Watch and pray, that you do not enter into
temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,” should
remind us of our need to think before we speak or act (Matthew 26:41). And, the
words, “Let him who thinks that he is standing take heed lest he fall,”
warn us of our need for God’s help in dealing with temptation (1Corinthians
10:12).
The words, “Since we have these promises, dearly
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and soul,
following holiness to its goal in the fear of God,” make it clear that we
should never twist God’s promise of forgiveness in Christ into an excuse to
sin, but should “cleanse ourselves from
everything that defiles” (2Corinthians 7:1). And, the words, “Seeing that we
are a part of such a great company of martyrs, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith; who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, indifferent to its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God,” make it clear
that we are not alone in our struggle against temptation and persecution, but
are one with all believers who have gone before us, and with Christ who
suffered for us (Hebrews 12:1-2).
The False Claim That All Sins Are the Same
One of the great heresies of our age is the claim that no
one sin is greater than any other. While it is true that every unforgiven sin
(no matter how small it seems) will bring damnation; that fact is being twisted
around to excuse willful and unrepentant behavior. More than once, I have
encountered people who, when confronted with their sin, say, “sin is sin”
arguing that since we are all sinners they are no worse than anyone else.
Nevertheless they are wrong, and the following passages tell us that they are
wrong.
The words, “If anyone sees his brother commit a
sin that is not unto death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those
who do not sin unto death. There is a sin unto death: I am not saying that he
should pray for it,” tell us that there is a difference between a sin that
is “unto death” and sin that is not (1John
The words, “Jesus answered, You
would not have any power over me at all, unless it was given to you from above:
therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin,” tell us that God
regards some sins as greater than others (John
The words, “Keep your servant back from presumptuous
sins; let them not have dominion over me: then I will be upright, and I will be
innocent of the great transgression,” warn against “presumptuous sins”
(Psalm
The words, “If we sin willfully or deliberately after we
have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins remains, But
only a fearful expectation of judgment and raging fire, that will devour the
enemies of God,” give a stern warning to all who think that they can harden
themselves in unrepentance and never have to answer for it (Hebrews 10:26-27).
And, the words, “I wrote to you in my letter not
to associate with those who are sexually immoral: Not meaning that you must cut
off all contact with the immoral people of this world, or the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters; for in that case you would have
to leave the world. But I am now writing you not to associate with anyone who
calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater,
or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler; do not even eat with such a man,”
draw a clear line between those who have a repentant heart and the unrepentant
(1Corinthians 5:9-11).
Voluntary and Involuntary Sins
The words, “You shall appoint cities to be cities of
refuge for you; that the slayer, who kills any person unintentionally, may flee
there,” recognize the fact that some sins are unintentional (Numbers
35:11). Likewise, the words, “Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech
king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold,
you are a dead man, because of the woman that you have taken; for she is a
man’s wife. But Abimelech had not come near her,”
also speak of unintentional sin, however, the words “Behold, you are a dead
man” tell us that the fact a sin is unintentional is not an excuse. God
condemns all sins (Genesis 20:2-4).
The words of the Apostle Paul, “I was formerly a
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and violent: but I was shown mercy, because I did
it ignorantly in unbelief,” tell us that his persecution of Christians was
an unintentional sin (1Timothy
When the Bible describes Peter’s denial of Christ, saying,
“And the Lord turned, and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the words of
the Lord, how He had told him, Before the cock crows,
you will deny me three times. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly,”
the words “wept bitterly” tell us that Peter’s sin was a sin of weakness, not a
sin of intent (Luke 22:61-62). What Peter did was still a sin. However, the
words, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin,” tell
us that unintentional sins are not imputed to those who trust in Christ (Romans
4:8). In contrast, the words, “David did what was right in the eyes of the
LORD, and did not turn aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days
of his life, except only in the matter of Uriah the
Hittite,” tell us that when David sinned willfully in the matter of Uriah, that sin was imputed to David (1Kings 15:5). And,
the words, “David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan
said to David, The LORD has also put away your sin;
you will not die,” tell us that David’s sin in the matter of Uriah was not forgiven until he repented (2Samuel
At this point we need to make a distinction between
voluntary sins and willful sins. Peter surely knew that he was lying when he
denied that he knew Christ [see Luke
[NOTE:
The words, “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of
the flesh, for the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh: and they are opposed to each other: so that you cannot do the things that
you would,” tell us that before David sinned he had lost the Holy
Spirit’s help (Galatians 5:16-17). He may have lost it because he began to
think too highly of himself. If a person begins to think that God is pleased
with him because of his own righteousness, the Holy Spirit cannot help him to
resist sin without helping him to deceive himself.]
Sins of Commission and of Omission
The words, “Whoever knows what is right, and does not do
it, sins,” are the basis for our distinction between sins of commission and
sins of omission (James
Sins Against God,
Against Our Neighbor, And Against Self
The words, “You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the first and greatest commandment,” specifically condemn all
sins against the first table of the Ten Commandments as sins against God
(Matthew
Now, the second table of the Ten Commandments is summarized
in the words, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and those who
violate it sin against their neighbor (Matthew
Grievous and Less Grievous Sins
The words, “All who trust in the law are under a curse:
for it is written, Cursed is every one who does not continue to do everything
that is written in the book of the law,” tell us that every violation of
God’s law is rebellion against God (Galatians 3:10). And the words, “Whoever
keeps the whole law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of all,” tell
us that every unforgiven sin, no matter how small it seems to us will bring
damnation (James 2:10). At the same time, the words, “Jesus answered, You would not have any power over me at all, unless it was
given to you from above: therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater
sin,” tell us that God sees some sins as greater than others (John
The words, “Moreover your little ones, which you said
would be a prey, and your children, who in that day had no knowledge between
good and evil, they will go in there, and I will give it to them, and they will
own it,” and the words, “That servant, who knew his lord’s will,
and did not get ready, and did not do what his master wanted, will be beaten
with many lashes. But the one who does not know, and committed deeds
worthy of flogging, will be beaten with few lashes,” tell us that God sees
willful sin as more grievous than sins of ignorance (Deuteronomy
The words, “Whatever the law says, it says to those who
are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world may become guilty before God,” tell us that no one
is righteous in the sight of God, all are guilty (Romans
Sins unto Death and Sins That are Not
Imputed
No one who sins willfully is truly sorry for his sin. And, it
is impossible for someone who wants to be a sinner to want to be delivered from
sin for those two wants are contradictory. The words, “With gentleness
instructing those who oppose their own interest; in the hope that God will give
them repentance bringing them to a realization of the truth,” tell us
that repentance is a gift of God (2Timothy
Some think that the “sin unto death” spoken of by John is
the sin of “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost,” and that truly would be a
sin unto death (see Matthew
The idea that once a man comes to faith he can willfully
engage in sin and still be saved is straight out of hell. Just as God
brings us to faith solely by His grace, He keeps us in faith solely by His
grace (1Peter 1:5). However, the words, “The flesh lusts against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other:
so that you cannot do the things that you would,” tell us that God keeps us
from falling by keeping us repentant, not by letting us sin (Galatians
In contrast, no sin is ever imputed to those who have a
repentant heart; those who like David in his youth walk “In integrity of
heart, and in uprightness,” trusting in the forgiveness that is ours in
Christ (1Kings 9:4). In fact, it is only to those who so trust in Christ that
the words, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin”
apply (Romans 4:8). That does not mean that we have no sin. On the contrary,
the Bible tells us that, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God” (Romans
The False Distinction Between
Mortal and Venial Sins
During the middle ages, someone who did not understand the
Gospel, tried to rationalize an entire class of sins by claiming that they were
too small to bring damnation. I have already explained why that idea is wrong,
and why every unforgiven sin will damn. But in the past some have tried to
sanctify that error by placing Biblical definitions on the terms “mortal” and
“venial”. However, whenever that terminology is used some people twist it to
excuse certain sins. If you have ever heard someone use the phrase, “little
white lie” they were excusing a sin. For that reason, the terms “mortal” and
“venial” should be purged from our theological vocabulary. Of those terms C. F.
W. Walther said:
The Word of God is not
rightly divided when the preacher speaks of certain sins as if there were not
of a damnable, but of a venial nature… The Lord says: Verily I say unto
you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be
fulfilled. Whosoever, therefore, shall break, one of these least commandments
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven.(Matthew 5:18-19) This is one of the most dreadful
sayings found in Scripture. The Lord does not say: “He shall be the
least,” but: “He shall be called the least.” “The least” means the
most reprobate, or one whom God does not acknowledge as His own. That will be
the sentence passed on him in the
Sins That Cry Out For Judgment
The Bible tells us that some sins cry out to God for
justice. Look for the words “cry,” “cried” or “cries” in
the following passages.
Genesis
4:10, “What have you done? the voice of your brother’s
blood cries to me from the ground.”
Genesis
18:20, “The LORD said, Because the cry of
Exodus
3:7, “The LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in
Exodus
3:9, “Now behold, the cry of the children of
Exodus
22:22-24, “You shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If you afflict
them in any way, and they cry to me, I will surely hear their cry,
and my wrath will grow hot.”
James
5:4, “Behold, the wages of the workers who reaped your fields,
that you kept back by fraud, cry out: and the cries of those who
did the harvesting have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.”
Revelation
6:10, “And they cried with a loud
voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, will you not judge and avenge
our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
Luke
18:7-8, “Will not God avenge his chosen, who cry to Him day and night,
though he bears long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.”
In general, sins that cry
out for justice seem to be crimes against the innocent, the poor and the
helpless.
Pardonable Sins and Blasphemy Against the Holy Ghost
The words, “Men will be forgiven every sin and
blasphemy: but blasphemy against the Holy Ghost will not be forgiven. Anyone
who speaks a word against the Son of man, will be forgiven: but anyone who
speaks against the Holy Ghost, will not be forgiven, not in this world, or in
the world to come,” tell us that every sin is pardonable, except for
“blasphemy against the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 12:31-32).
However, the fact that
most sins are pardonable should never be twisted into an excuse to sin. The
words, “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you wilt not despise,”
tell us that forgiveness is only promised to those who are sorry for their sin
(Psalm 51:17). In contrast, the man who sins willfully has treated “The
blood of the covenant, by which he was sanctified, as an unholy thing, and
insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews
Now we come to the
question of what constitutes “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost”. In
order to answer that question let us first consider the words of Nicodemus who,
when he came to Jesus by night said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a
teacher who has come from God: for no one could do these miracles that you do,
unless God is with him” (John 3:1-2). Those words of Nicodemus tell us that
the Pharisees knew that Jesus performed miracles by the power of God.
Therefore, when the Bible tells us that, “The scribes that came down from
Jerusalem said, He is possessed by Beelzebub, and casts out devils by the
prince of the devils,” we know that those scribes had so hardened
themselves against Christ that they would rather claim that His miracles were
done by the power of Satan than admit their own sin (Mark 3:22). That being the
case, the fact that “Jesus called them to Himself, and said to them in
parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself,
that kingdom cannot stand,” tells us that Jesus was still reaching out to
them, still trying to bring them to repentance (Mark
In the past there have
been many Christians who have been tormented by a fear that they might
blaspheme the Holy Ghost. If you are one of them, instead of worrying you need
to entrust the safekeeping of your soul to God’s grace, believing that you are
“kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1Peter 1:5).
God’s grace is fully able to keep us from that sin. As it is written, “I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which
I have committed to him against that day” (2Timothy
Hidden Sins and Open Sins
The distinction between hidden and open sins is useful to pastors
in dealing with matters of church discipline. For example, if one member of a
family is guilty of a certain sin, to avoid bringing shame to the entire family
a pastor might follow the steps of Matt. 18:15-18 while keeping the matter
private (at least until the last step — see verse 17). If the sin is already
known, then it can be dealt with publicly.
In Matthew 18 we read, “If
your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him
alone: if he will hear you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not
listen, then take one or two others with you, so that every word may be
established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. And if he refuses to
listen to them, tell it to the church: but if he refuses to hear the church,
let him be to you as a heathen man and a publican. I tell you truly, Whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven: and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven” (verses 15-18).
The words, “Rebuke those who sin before all, that others
also may fear,” tell us that open sin by a member of the church
needs to be dealt with swiftly and openly (1Timothy 5:20). And, the words, “Among
you one hears of immorality, and of a kind of immorality that does not even
occur among the Gentiles, that one has his father’s wife. And you are still
puffed up. Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with sorrow, and have put out
of your fellowship the man who did this?” command churches to put those who
are immoral yet unrepentant out of their fellowship (1Corinthians
5:1-2).
Personal Sins and Sins in Whose Guilt We
Share
Personal sins are sins that we are guilty of. However, the
Bible also speaks of those who share in the guilt of sins committed by others.
We partake in the sins of others whenever we command someone to sin, advise
them to sin, help them to sin, or help them to cover up a sin.
The words, “Anyone who is partner with a thief hates his
own soul: he is put under oath, but discloses nothing,” call those who know
of a crime, but refuse to testify, a “partner” in that crime (Proverbs 29:24).
In an American court of law, someone who helps cover up a crime is guilty of
being an “accessory after the fact”.
The words, “If anyone
sins, by hearing a public call to give sworn testimony, and is a witness, whether
he has seen or learned of it; if he does not speak, then he shall bear his
iniquity,” again condemn those who have knowledge of a sin but refuse to
testify (Leviticus 5:1).
The instructions that
David gave to Joab, “Set Uriah
in the forefront of the hottest battle, and withdraw from him, so that he will
be struck down and die,” made David guilty of murder even though he did not
commit the act (2Samuel
The words, “Come out of her, my people, so that you do
not share in her sins,” and the words, “Do not be hasty in laying hands
on any man, and do not share in the sins of others: keep yourself pure”
warn us against sharing in the sins of others (Revelation 18:4, 1Timothy
The words, “If there come any unto you, and bring not
this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed, for
he who bids him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds,” warn us against
encouraging those who spread cultic doctrines and pervert the Gospel (2John
10-11).
The words, “Who knowing the judgment of God, that those
who commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have
pleasure in those who do them,” warn against friendship with evildoers
(Romans