1/20/06 – Sin #2

Hi all,

Last week I shared some thoughts about what is really sin and what is not. The reason for thinking along these lines is that I'm writing a book about house church and the relationships, structure and so forth.

When people get to know one another in any church structure friendships develop, but there is also the opportunity for offense. So the question comes up, is an offense a sin?

For instance if someone gives advice to another about a course of action and then that person doesn't do it, does the first person have a right to be offended or sinned against?

Jesus talked about offense, and to watch out for it...but it was more a teaching on not being offended ourselves...because the apostles too offended people, to the point of being martyred!

But those offenses caused weren't sin.

Steven's last breath was a request that the Lord forgive those who executed him. To the Jews, Steven blasphemed. But in fact, he was merely telling the truth about Jesus. He wasn't trying to offend anyone, he just told them about Jesus.

I mentioned last week some instances in Jesus' life. Several scriptures say Jesus never sinned, yet certainly he offended many people. The clearing of the temple alone would be grounds for destruction of property, assault (the whips he used), and other charges...ok..so that wasn't a sin.

Technically, it was HIS temple, and the people there had violated the Law before Jesus did, so he was merely enforcing holiness laws that should have been in effect at the temple.

How about the 12 year old Jesus who chooses to stay behind rather than go with the family back home? I've looked up some things on this incident, and most references include the fact that for feasts and such, families and whole neighborhoods and communities often traveled to and from these things in large caravans, so it wouldn't be unusual for a 12 year old to be traveling with extended family or friends and neighbors.

It would be like a family traveling in an RV caravan to and from a family reunion or large festival of some sort. Everyone loads up the motor homes and campers and heads back home, mom and dad assuming the kid is with Uncle so and so or Grandma...and then checking on the radios he is nowhere to be found to they turn the RV around and retrace their steps.

Now...you are Mary and Joseph...aren't you a bit ticked off at him? You find your son in the temple, not having had the courtesy to ask permission nor inform you he is staying behind, and all he can say is: "Didn't you know I'd be about my Father's business?"

But that wasn't a sin. It does say though that he went back with his parents and was subject to them...so I think he knew he was pushing the limit there.

OK...so I'm thinking on this I realize that having a different opinion isn't a sin...Jesus offended the whole religious system with his different opinions about God and life.

It isn't a sin necessarily to be inconsiderate, as in the case of the missing 12 year old.

Ditto for when he changed plans at the last minute at Peter's mother in law's house when everyone expected him to continue on, as mentioned last week.

Rudeness isn't necessarily a sin, as in turning to your best friend and saying, "Get behind me Satan!"

Why is this something I'm thinking on? Because you can't interact with people for very long before you will have the chance to say someone sinned against you. But did they?

The more I read Paul's letters the more I see an emphasis on walking in love, not taking offense, and making allowances for one another...trying to keep the bond of unity in the Spirit through love.

The other element is that when you get to know a person, if that person doesn't have a healthy good self image or high enough opinion of themselves, when they come to the Lord teaching them they were a sinner only serves to reinforce that poor self image. My experience has shown, and I believe scripture supports, that you can't truly know the love of God until and unless you are grounded in unconditional love.

Ephesians 3:14-21 have to do with this and says in part: "That you, being rooted and grounded in (agape' - unconditional) love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints the height, depth, length and breadth of the love of Christ..."

If you don't have that root of unconditional love in yourself, by a good upbringing most likely, then you can't comprehend the love God has for you.

So it's important to discover what is sin and what is not. A kid who doesn't fit into his family because he like books rather than sports, doesn't make him less gifted, but when he comes to the Lord with a hole in his upbringing where he didn't experience unconditional love, he will think God is mad at him and he is a horrible sinner...a sinner of some as yet unnamed offense.

That's just one example.

And we know that temptation isn't a sin. Jesus was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin. Luke and Matthew record the 3 categories of temptations Jesus endured:

Turning rocks to bread    -    physical

Proving you're the Son of God   -    mental

Worshipping Satan -            spiritual

Spirit, soul, body-Jesus was tempted in all areas and these three summarize them, but we know being tempted isn't a sin.

Jesus forgetting to tell his mom and dad where he was, wasn't a sin. Inconsiderate yes, but not a sin. Jesus enforcing the Law in his own temple-not a sin-made everyone angry, but not a sin. Jesus telling Peter "Get behind me Satan" didn't make Peter feel too good...but not a sin. Jesus changing his plans and deciding not to stay another night in Peter's mother in law's house, maybe a bit rude, maybe not, but not a sin.

That leads me to conclude that minor social offenses aren't sins against God or man, though

Paul would later write about not being a stumbling block for others, which might cause them to sin. Such as eating meat on purpose when you're having a meal with a vegetarian-check with them to make sure they won't be offended. If you force your way on them it's a sin against them. But if you didn't know they were vegetarian and ate meat you wouldn't have sinned.

In other words, just being a human being and rubbing people the wrong way if you're just going about your business, or putting people out from time to time isn't a sin ...so what is?

For instance, one time while ministering in Mexico before the service I sat down in the back of the AG church to practice my Spanish on a woman from that village. Two women came in to sit down for the service and wagged their fingers at me. The missionary had to tell me that in that church the tradition was for the men to sit on one side and the women on the other, and I had sat down on the wrong side. Was that a sin? No. Did I break a tradition, yes. Could I have undermined my ministry if I hadn't responded by switching sides? Yes!

Here is how scripture defines sin:

Paul mentions 2 categories that cover all sin: In Eph 2:1 he says that we have been made alive who were formerly dead in trespasses and sins.

Trespasses are sins that I like to say are horizontal-sins against fellow man.

Sins are vertical - sins against God.

Therefore all trespasses are sins, but not all sins are trespasses.

Leviticus 6: 1-7 lay out the conditions for receiving forgiveness from trespasses:

"If a soul trespasses against the Lord by lying to his neighbor about something he asked him to keep (lying-one of the 10 commandments)...or of a bargain or promise (ditto), or of robbery (stealing-another commandment); or has deceived his neighbor (lying), or found something lost and lied about it (ditto, ditto) or swears falsely in anything that men do and has sinned...

then it shall be because he has sinned and is guilty, that he will restore that which he took by violence, or the thing he got by deceit, or that had been given to him to keep, or the lost thing found, or all that he lied about...he must restore it in the principle and add 20% interest as a penalty in the day he brings his offering to the Lord. And he will give it to the priest and then he can make an offering and he will be forgiven."

This passage and others detail the concept of sin being a serious act of deceit or violence against another person. Paul would later write in Romans 13:9-10

"For this...you shall not commit adultery, nor murder, nor steal, nor lie, nor covet, if there is ANY OTHER COMMANDMENT IT IS SUMMARIZED by this, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love works NO ILL to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law."

Works no ill towards his neighbor...that's it! Sin is the working of ill towards another person.

Amplified Version: "Love does no wrong to one's neighbor (it never hurts anybody). Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law."

In the Old Testament, one who trespassed against another had to restore the injury plus add 20% before God would forgive him. It is this principle that Jesus was talking about in Mark 11:25-26 when he said if you don't forgive those who trespassed against you, your trespasses won't be forgiven. Jesus didn't say sins (vertical) he said trespasses (horizontal).

This is not a salvation passage. It is however a 'what you bind on earth is bound in heaven' passage. If we don't loose the sins of those who've trespassed against us, God the Father is bound from forgiving our trespasses against other people.

That is one reason why Steven asked forgiveness of his executioners...and I'd like to share with you an insight to the Jewish understanding surrounding Steven's death.

In Acts 7:56 Steven says that he sees the Son of God standing on the right hand of God...that was the straw that broke that camel's back, and that is what got him executed. Why?

Because of Isaiah 3:13 which says "God stands to judge his people".

In Judaism, unlike our 'Judgment seat' where we picture God sitting down to judge, Isaiah actually indicates he will stand up from his throne to judge...when Steven said he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father, he was saying that Jesus was standing up to judge his accusers...

And that is why they rushed forward to execute him so quickly...the nerve of Steven to say that Jesus was watching the proceedings, ready to judge them.

That is why Steve asked the Lord to forgive them with his last breath, in essence, saying to the Lord to sit down and not judge them. (my 2 CD series "Through Jewish Eyes" contains this and other Jewish customs FYI)

That is how I will conclude these thoughts. Just being a human being isn't a sin. Just going about your business isn't a sin. Working ill against someone is a sin.

I believe that for some, the judgment seat of Christ will be in part a review of a person's life during which Jesus will rightly divide incidents in which that person thought someone sinned against them, but in fact did not--that person being quick to take offense instead of acting in love. Jesus will set the record straight.

However, we must be quick to make allowances for each other, and like Steven, ask the Lord to sit down by asking him to forgive them, not holding other's trespasses to ourselves.

Blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org