Center for Biblical Theology and Eschatology
Frequently Asked Questions
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and is this Biblical? -by Tony Warren
Every sin or transgression of God's law is deadly because God declares the penalty for any one of these sins is death. And so to call only seven sins deadly is a misnomer. That is precisely why no one could become saved by his own righteousness, or without Christ's payment for each and every one of their transgressions. Because any little (in man's eyes) sin that was left unpaid for, would result in the judgment of death (Ezekiel 18:4). But the question in the church persists--what are the seven deadly sins? In reality, the phrase 'seven deadly sins' is a part of Roman Catholic folklore and their church tradition. It is a doctrine where some sins that they personally deemed as ruinous to spiritual progress, were labeled capital or deadly. But this teaching has absolutely no foundation within the Holy Scriptures. The list consisted of the following:
These particular seven sins are nowhere listed in the Bible as a group because their penalty is as every other sin that we are warned against committing throughout the scripture. God has never singled these seven out as deadly above all others. In other words, the sin of pride is no more deadly than the sin of not loving God with all your heart and soul. The sin of wrath or anger is no more deadly than the sin of disobedience to any of God's other commandments. They are all deadly transgressions. To list seven as deadly 'as if' the other sins are not, does a terrible disservice to the holiness and perfect justice of God. It is written that the wages of sin is death, not that the wages of these particular seven sins. Nevertheless, these sins are some of the more popular sins that man seems to have much difficulty in overcoming, and so we will take a brief look at them in order to understand how they war against the Spirit, and how we may overcome them in Christ.
Pride is often the root cause of many other sins. The Godly virtue that this transgression wars against is Christian humility and a contrite spirit (Matthew. 5:5, Proverbs 16:19) where man has a spiritual aversion to being subject to God or His laws. It is a hindrance to the Christian's recognition of the sovereignty and grace of God because, without a contrite spirit, there is impenitence. To combat this sin, we should strive to look at ourselves honestly and see ourselves as sinners in need of help. We must earnestly strive not to compare ourselves to others so that we might think of ourselves as better.
The Godly virtue that this sin wars against is Christian charity (Matthew 10:21, Acts 20:35), and usually ignores the eternal spiritual in favor of the temporal physical. To combat this sin we should pray that we come to understand that generosity is the virtue of sacrifice. Sharing and allowing others to receive some credit or praise is as soothing oil to the soul. To give, wanting nothing in return is the true charity or love that combats greed.
The Godly virtue that this sin wars against is Christian contentment (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:11) and genuine loving our neighbor even as we love ourselves. We combat this sin by seeking to be noble, wherein we honestly joy over our neighbor's good fortune as if it were our own. That is the true nature of loving our neighbor as ourselves (James 2:8), where there is no resentment or spite over their success.
The Godly virtue that this sin wars against is Christian love in long-suffering or patience (Hosea 14:4, Luke 6:36) in dealing with the faults of others. We combat this sin by governing the passion of the flesh that we do not neglect benevolence or love. We pray for perseverance and resoluteness, where we endeavor to show true kindness and compassion to others, forgiving their transgressions seven times seventy (Matthew 18:21-22).
The Godly virtue that this sin wars against is Christian self-control. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Galatians 6:7-8, 1st Corinthians 9:27), therefore to combat this sin we should seek to remove from our realm or sight all temptations, inducements, attractions, or snares that we might succumb to because of such weaknesses.
The Godly virtue that this sin wars against is Christian moderation (Philippians 4:5) and sound judgment. We can combat the sin of gluttony by temperance in accepting the boundaries and natural limits of pleasures, and by praying for strength to reduce our desire to eat. We should realize that we must quit eating before we feel stuffed or full.
The Godly virtue that this sin wars against is the Christian zeal and Work (1st Corinthians 15:58, 2nd Timothy 4:5) model or ethic. We can combat this sin by repentance and by praying to God for an ardent and energetic interest or desire to respond to God's commands against our disdain for physical labor or exertion.
What are the Seven Deadly Sins? We see from the scriptures that these so-called 'seven deadly sins' are simply a small part of an extensive collection of sins or transgressions of God's law, the breaking of any of which will bring death.
The true Christian who has been born from above need, not fear any of the myriad of sins that will bring the wage of death. For we have the victory over them through our Lord Jesus Christ. God gave the Ten Commandments as a model encapsulating the 'whole law,' not seven deadly sins. And the true believer should understand that unless Christ has been the propitiation for all of our sins, from the least of them to the greatest, then we will see death as the wages of such sins. But if Christ has washed all of our sins away, then there is no sin that is deadly to us.
No condemnation to death, because there are now no sins. For we have obtained through His precious faith, the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. May the Lord who is gracious above all, grant us the robe of His righteousness, that takes away all sin.
Copyright 2000 Tony Warren Created 8/12/00 / Last Modified 4/1/02 The Mountain Retreat / twarren10@aol.com |
hat are the Seven Deadly Sins that have been touted as venial according to Roman Catholic church tradition? Well, actually, there is no Biblical list of merely seven deadly sins in Christianity because God has made it abundantly clear throughout scripture that all and any sins (transgressions of God's Law) are deadly. That is to say, unless they are washed away in the blood of Jesus Christ, they will all result in the death of the sinner.
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