Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

[Times Online]

After 1,500 years the Vatican has brought the seven deadly sins up to date by adding seven new ones for the age of globalisation. The list, published yesterday in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, came as the Pope deplored the “decreasing sense of sin” in today’s “securalised world” and the falling numbers of Roman Catholics going to confession.

The Catholic Church divides sins into venial, or less serious, sins and mortal sins, which threaten the soul with eternal damnation unless absolved before death through confession and penitence.

Read about it here.

[From me]

Who give the Catholic Church the right to add additional sins?  Isn’t that tampering with the Bible?  Also, a sin is a sin in the eyes of God.  You can’t rank sins.  There may be different consequences but sin is sin.

What do you think?

Proverbs 6:16-19

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

 17 ……………

 18 ………………,  

 19 ……………..
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (NIV)

Now to refresh why we are talking about these sins is because there are accusations (some are justified) that Christians only focus on a few sins. The truth is we shouldn’t dwell on any sins but our focus should be on Jesus. But for argument’s sake I thought we could look at The Big 7 that the Lord hates!

The Hebrew word for stir is the verb “shalach.”  The KJV translates he who soweth.  Shalach means to send, send away, let go, or stretch out.  Dissension is the noun “mĕdan” which means strife or contention.  The word for brothers is “‘ach” which means brother of same parents, half-brother (same father), relative, kinship,  or same tribe.

Now could this mean among believers?  I think so.  When a person becomes a Christ-follower they are in the family of God.  To me this is the cause of more problems in the church than anything else.  How many times have I seen people purposely cause problems with other people in the church?  A lot!  If they don’t get their way then they will do whatever it takes to  bring others down.  I have been hurt by this sin more times than I can count.  You would think that Christians would support one another and not tear each other down.  However I have seen other things.  I have been treated by non-Christians better than I have by some so-called Christians.

Thankfully, I have some grace-filled friends.

What do you think?

Proverbs 6:16-19

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

 17 ………………….

 18 ………….

 19 a false witness who pours out lies (NIV)

Now to refresh why we are talking about these sins is because there are accusations (some are justified) that Christians only focus on a few sins. The truth is we shouldn’t dwell on any sins but our focus should be on Jesus. But for argument’s sake I thought we could look at The Big 7 that the Lord hates!

A false is a noun phrase from the Hebrew phrase “sheqer” which means lie, deception, disappointment, or falsehood.  Witness is from the noun “`ed” which means witness, testimony, evidence (of things) and(of people). Pours out is from the verb “puwach” which means to breathe, blast or blow.  From what I see the NIV didn’t translate this well.  Pours out is much different than breath or blow.  Lies comes from the noun “kazab” which means a lie, untruth, falsehood, and deceptive thing.

I think it is interesting that lying is mentioned twice in this list.  I guess it is talking about someone who just is deceptive.  I would think that gossip would fall into this sin because gossip is giving false testimony or falsehoods about people.  Think about it when a person gossips they are only giving one side of a story.  The person who is being gossiped about doesn’t get a chance to defend their character.  In my opinion this is the worst sin that affects the body of Christ.  Why would a non-believer want to become a follower of Jesus if His followers are constantly bearing false witness against each other.

What do you think?

Proverbs 6:16-18

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

 17………………………

 18b feet that are quick to rush into evil,

(NIV)

Now to refresh why we are talking about these sins is because there are accusations (some are justified) that Christians only focus on a few sins. The truth is we shouldn’t dwell on any sins but our focus should be on Jesus. But for argument’s sake I thought we could look at The Big 7 that the Lord hates!

The noun for feet is “regel” which can mean foot or leg. The phrase are “quick to” is the word, “mahar” which means to  hasten, to be hurried, be anxious, hasty, precipitate, or impetuous.  The KJV translates it “that be swift.” The verb for rush is “ruwts” which means to run, to run swiftly, dart, to bring or move quickly, hurry, to drive away from, cause to run away.  The KJV translates rush as “running.” Into evil is the Hebrew word, “ra`” which can be an adjective or noun meaning bad, evil, disagreeable, malignant, unpleasant, (giving pain, unhappiness, misery), displeasing, worse than, worst (comparison), sad, unhappy, or wicked (ethically).

I had a hard time trying to get the real meaning of this one.  The way I see it -it is talking about those who run to or easily do evil.   The prudent person thinks before they act.  But the one who is prone to sin is the one who doesn’t think about their actions.  They run swiftly towards evil.  I wonder how many times I have been guilty of this.  I’m not proud of it but I have rushed into evil.

That is why I love Andy Stanley’s book The Best Question Ever.  The best question is:

Is it the wise thing to do?

If we live according that question, I believe it will save us from rushing into doing something we will regret later.

What do you think?

Proverbs 6:16-19

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

 17 ………………..

 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,

Now to refresh why we are talking about these sins is because there are accusations (some are justified) that Christians only focus on a few sins. The truth is we shouldn’t dwell on any sins but our focus should be on Jesus. But for argument’s sake I thought we could look at The Big 7 that the Lord hates!

Heart is the noun “leb” which means the inner man, mind, will, heart, or understanding. Devises is the verb “charash” which means to cut in, plough, engrave, devise or to plot evil. Wicked is the noun “‘aven” which means trouble, wickedness, or sorrow. Schemes is the noun “machashabah” which means thought device, plan, or purpose.

So this verse is referring to the sin of making evil plans that will purposely cause harm to another. In Genesis 6:5 it says:

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

Under our own power we will always scheme to get our own way.  Look at children.  We don’t teach them to be selfish–they get it because of sinful nature in us.

However, the good news is for everyone who follows Jesus we exchange our old sinful life for Jesus living through us.  When Christ lives through us we don’t have to dwell on sins, just on the power we have through Him.

What do you think?