New topic...

Well, folks, the day has arrived for us to begin a new study.  This one will be markedly different than others past, because I am going to reference something specifically named by a single Christian denomination which is known (or at least heard of) by almost anyone you ask.  The topic is going to be "The Seven Deadly Sins," as named by the Catholic Church in their Catechisms going back to as early as 1854.  But the term is widely recognized, and given my penchant for studying things in numerical sequence and the recent development of certain cultural questions about our American way of life, the idea of going through these was brought to me.

However, there is one thing that I must make perfectly clear before moving into any of this at all: all sin is equal, and there is absolutely nothing in Scripture that separates one from another.  Sin is sin, and it all separates us from the glory of God.  Therefore, all sin is deadly to the soul, regardless of the size of the infraction or the intent. 

"For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all."

James 2:10, HCSB

I'll say it again: all sin is equal.  I know that I'll have some friends who will disagree with me, but the truth is that from the tiniest of white lies of omission all the way to the worst things imaginable, sin is sin.  And if you have read the Bible, you know that God hates all sin.  Further, since He cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13), and we are born with a sin nature (Psalm 51:5a), conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5b), and we are ALL sinners (Romans 3:23), then God cannot look upon the murderer any more than He can look upon the shoplifter, regardless of whether they were caught or not.  Sin is sin, whether overt or covert, discovered or kept hidden... and NOTHING is hidden from the Father!  And if you even step a single millimeter out of line, you are guilty of jumping the fence entirely.  Those are the facts.

So then, how does He look to us at all, given that we are awful and wretched sinners, every single one of us?  He looks upon us through the sacrifice of Christ (Romans 5:8).  Jesus took upon the punishment for us all, and so as Christians, God looks at us and sees His Son instead.  Jesus stands in the way for us, and IS the way for us (John 14:6).  And if Jesus Christ is the Son of God (and He is), and if He is unable to fail (and He is), and if Jesus has offered forgiveness through the only acceptable sacrifice possible (and He did), and you have accepted Him as Lord and Savior (and I have, and I pray you have, too), then you are forgiven... like, for real forgiven.  He doesn't do halfsies, you know?

Now, we also need to know that the freedom of the forgiveness is not an excuse to continue to sin.  Awareness of the sin and the things that lead to the sin are of the utmost importance, as we've discussed recently, mostly for the sake of those who are watching you at all times.  They need your example, and you need to look to Christ alone to deliver any semblance of that example.  And you are probably looking to someone, as well, watching their example.

So for the next several weeks we will look to these specifically named sins, and we will examine what they are and what they mean, not only in our culture, but in the church and the world.  For each one, also, we'll look to its corresponding virtue and look at the characteristics we should seek to display.  No matter what, we'll all learn something through this.

God bless you all!!!