Missing the Mark
The seriousness of sin is often played down. "Ah, we cannot all be perfect!" people say. But sin is serious business. "The full seriousness of sin can only become apparent when we have understood the full potentialities of human existence as created in the image of God."—John Macquarrie, Principles of Christian Theology (London: SCM Press, 1966), p. 238.
Sin does not have to do with wrongfully committed acts only. It also includes the desire and the fantasizing about things that we know are wrong (Matt. 5:28).
What have you fantasized about in the past 24 hours? Would you be ashamed to have those thoughts made public? What should your answer tell you about where your heart is? See Rom. 8:6.
There also is a category of sin that usually is referred to as "sins of omission." This refers to the willful neglect of duty, the conscious refusal to do something one knows ought to be done.
In Matthew 23:23 and Matthew 25:45 we find statements made by Jesus that deal with sins of omission. Read these verses in their context. What are the implications of these statements?
Also in chapter 25 of Matthew's Gospel we find the parable of the talents (vss. 14-28). What happened to the servant who had hidden his one talent? What is the significance of this for our discussion?
We all have been given certain talents. It is part of the concept of stewardship that we utilize our talents to the full. We must answer to God for what we fail to do with what He has given us. Let us remember the word of the apostle Peter: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms" (1 Pet. 4:10, NIV).
| Sins of omission, sins of thought-who hasn't been guilty of them all? Dwell on the promise of forgiveness that we can have in Jesus. Why should this mean so much to us? |
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