LIST OF SINS THAT CHRISTIANS OFTEN IGNORE

I'm still in this self-evaluation phase of the New Year. Do you know what I'm talking about? Most people make resolutions to lose weight, save more, travel, etc. Well, I guess you can say one of my resolutions is to try to be more acceptable to God; let me explain: God hates sin, and sin separates us from God. So, this blog is about digging deeper into ourselves and rooting out the deepest sins hiding deep in our souls. They may have become so embedded into us that we no longer see them as sins. We accept them as usual. But in reality, some sins have become culturally acceptable. We do not call them out. We rarely even acknowledge them. And many don't even recognize them as a sin. But this list of sins is something we should not ignore.

Now, before you read this and point your finger at others, look in the mirror. This isn't a weapon to use against people but rather an opportunity to evaluate our sin.

Here's a short list of sins that we often ignore, I'm sure there's others.

LIST OF SINS WE OFTEN IGNORE

Gluttony 

Gluttony is probably the most acceptable sin in the American church. Which is why it's first on the list of sins we ignore. While the church is known for taking hard stances on other sins, it almost glorifies the overindulgence of food, drink, and anything else we can shove in our mouths. We live in a culture of excess, but Christians should take a stance against this unhealthy behavior.

We made gluttony normally. But the Bible takes a different stance. It talks at length about self-control in our lives. When God does control us, it takes the place of God; in other words, it's a sin. We should instead strive to practice self-control so that nothing gains control of us.

Now, I'm not saying if you overeat turkey on Thanksgiving, that's a sin. 

Gluttony is not an occasional indulgence; instead, it is a habitual practice. The Bible portrays occasional feasts as a good thing. But when we make a good thing an ultimate thing, it becomes destructive. And for many, food is a deadly force in their life. It's become an Idol. 

Food is good. We should eat it and enjoy it. But we should also be careful not to let it control our lives.

Fear/Anxiety

Let me be clear: mental illness is not sinning. Some have actual medical conditions. I'm not proposing that those who have mental illness are sinning.

What I'm talking about is the fear and anxiety that people bring on themselves by worrying about things out of their control. Whether it be politics or money or some disease, you might contract. As Christians, we ought not to worry. If Jesus died and rose again, what does it matter?!" 

That's what Jesus is getting at in Matthew 6:25-27. We don't need to worry about how much money we have. Or what happened to this country? What illness might we get in the future? No one but Jesus has the power to make any impactful change in our lives. We have nothing to worry about or fear.

Idolatry

I know what you are thinking: I don't have any golden statues in my house. But you still have idols. It might be that black box that hangs on your wall. It might be your social media accounts. That brick in your pocket that you stare at constantly. Your clothes, bank account, relationships, looks, and intellect can all be idols. An idol is anything that takes the place of God. We have plenty of those in our culture today. Do we spend more time prepping ourselves to go out somewhere than reading His word? Isn't vanity a sin? I believe so. 

There's always something vying for God's spot in our life. Money, time, social status, and even technology are all trying to become essential in your life.

How do you know if you have an idol? What's the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing at night? Whatever that is, it's a good chance that it is an idol in your life. Idolatry leads to many other sins, many of which are on this list.

Consumerism 

This could fall into the previous category as an idol. But this one stands out. We are the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. Yet we are buried in debt. We could be better managers or stewards of our wealth. That is a sin.

In Matthew 25: 14-30, Jesus talks just about that. Although his parable isn't exclusive to our finances, it applies. God has entrusted us with time, money, resources, and opportunities. We are charged with caring for however much, or minor, he has given us. When it comes to money, we are failing.

Let me make one thing clear: having money is not a sin. But letting it run your life is. Using it all on yourself and taking extra credit to spend even more is being a bad steward. God gave you what you have so you can provide for yourself and, yes, find enjoyment. But he also expects you to use it to grow his Kingdom. But the American church is failing in this regard, and worse, we rarely call it out or put it on any list of sins.

Nationalism 

It's a sin to put anything before God. That includes America. Our ultimate allegiance is to God, not this country. Too many in the church place their American freedoms above God's Kingdom.

This means that sometimes what is best for this country differs from what is Biblically correct. I hear far too many Christians who are more concerned with the direction of the government and need to be more concerned with their neighbor. Where is your allegiance? Is it to God or the country? Are you more concerned with the direction of this country or advancing the Kingdom of God?

I know this is a touchy subject. God's Kingdom has a different set of morals and governing principles that stand in opposition to every earthly government. We need to look and see where our allegiance lies.

One of the most extraordinary temptations man faces is to be idle. It started in the Garden of Eden when Eve was tempted; Adam did nothing; he was inactive. We do the same today. We primarily don't even protect our families. Sure, we protect them from the "physical" dangers, but what about the spiritual dangers? Why don't we warn our Christian brothers and sisters when they wander in the wrong direction? Why don't we call out sin in our own family?

God did not call us to be idle and timid. He called us to be bold and courageous. It's time to stop being idle and get involved in others' lives.

Comfort

It may seem weird to be on a list of sins. But the most significant lie we have bought into is that life is all about our comfort. It's not. Jesus never said that his disciples would be surrounded by comfort and lovely things. He said that to follow him, they would have to pick up their cross to follow him.

Comfort is alright. We are commanded to take time to rest and relax. But this is the same principle as gluttony. Too much of a good thing can become destructive. We should rest and find comfort, but that shouldn't be the primary goal in our lives.

What would Jesus' life look like if he pursued comfort instead of us? It wouldn't be a life that would change the world, that's for sure. We must stop following comfort and chase the things after God's heart. It will lead us to some pretty uncomfortable situations, but it will also lead to a life well-lived.

This list of sins isn't intended to be used to show how bad "they" are. It's not ammo to shoot people with. It's a mirror to examine yourself.

We need to each take our sins to Jesus, even the sins that are socially acceptable. We will see change once we each deal with our sins.

Michael

Bibliography: Sins We Have Often Forgotten, Jeffery Curtis Poor, 23 May 2016

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