When I was a teen I was not sure I was willing to give my life to God because of all I feared God would ask me to give up! The sins listed in the Bible (particularly in Leviticus, and in the New Testament by Paul) seemed impossible to avoid… and sometimes the “sins” as interpreted by those in the church seemed too much to even consider giving up!
No dancing? What?!
No “secular” music? Boring!
No Rated-R movies? Whatever!
The church I attended at the time transformed the Bible into an impossible rule book of do’s and don’ts! Depending on what you DID you were either IN or OUT. Saved or Backsliding. Good or Bad. Right or Wrong.
Seriously, a sin was a sin was a sin… and a sin for one was a sin for ALL.
I felt constantly felt guilty and anxious, worrying about what “sin” I might commit on any given day! I even stopped wearing mini-skirts, lest I tempt boy into lusting me. It didn’t matter that it was the late 1980’s and high-waisted above the knee minis were the rage. If I wore one… BAM! Sinner.
I have since that time woken up! Sin has now taken it’s rightful place in my walk of Faith. No longer do I believe sin can be categorized, contained or defined. Our actions are secondary to our beliefs and our focus on God.
When we align ourselves with God and are faithful to His voice we will automatically step away from sin. With each action, each thought and each moment it is best not to ask : How am I to try and stop sinning? But instead: How am I to best start following my God, loving my neighbor, and forgiving my enemies?
I have come to realize avoiding sinful behavior isn’t about following religious rules but is about being true to myself and what brings me closer to God.
My list of temptations and sins will likely be much different than yours! What I struggle with may not lead you into temptation… yet it may be all wrong for me! Yet, what is wrong for me may indeed be just fine for you! What you do or don’t do and what you consider a sin or not is totally between you and the Big Guy.
Judge not people! Seriously. Just because you cannot have a beer or two with dinner without overindulging doesn’t mean they can’t. If someone is behaving in a way that doesn’t hurt them or another… let it go!
The behaviors of unbelievers should be even less of our concern… especially if nobody is being hurt. Unbelievers aren’t inspired nor saved through condemnation… but through compassion and through love!
Seriously, why do we Christians think we have the right to judge and dictate how everyone lives their lives? God has got them ALL in His hands and doesn’t need our help convicting others in the error of their ways!
Yet, sin is real and is often a problem we need to face! And face it we must, but after we realize what sin IS and what it is NOT.
First off, sin is any behavior, thought or belief that separates us from God and from the life He has called us to live. He has planted in each of us the seed of our souls greatest potential! When we choose anything other than His perfect plan we are sinning. Sin is individual and personal… just like our relationship with God.
Instead of worrying about sin and fretting over what we should or shouldn’t do we need to focus on God and on our relationship with Him and the people in our lives. Let’s stop worrying if what we are doing is wrong according to others and start listening to God as He speaks to our heart.
Yes, the Bible offers us insights into how we can connect with God and live the life we are destined to live. Many “sins” of Biblical times no longer complicate our spiritual walk like it may have back then. We have new stumbling blocks of sin in these modern times however that we struggle with… distraction with technology, materialism, greed, pornography, exploitation of children, and gluttony, just to name a few!
God wants what is best for us! He encourages each of us to let go of those things.. those “sins” that are keeling us away from Him and our best life. He wants us to live a life in peace and filled with love!
By placing our eyes on God and intentionally walking on the path He has laid out for us we will draw closer to Him and the sins that we struggle with will fade away. Letting go of our sins and seeking God isn’t about giving something up… it is about gaining a life more wonderful than we could ever dream!
❤️Ann ‘Not Just A Blonde’
Romans 8
Not Just A Blonde 
“With each action, each thought and each moment it is best not to ask : How am I to try and stop sinning? But instead: How am I to best start following my God, loving my neighbor, and forgiving my enemies?” Amen! Good post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bluntbelief, Thanks! And, I’m thrilled you agree! ❤️Ann
LikeLike
Blonde, I think you summarized the truth about how to understand sin: “It is best not to ask: How am I to try and stop sinning? But instead: How am I to best start following my God, loving my neighbor, and forgiving my enemies?”
I understand sin to be nothing more than doing harm to our self or others, and it is something we must all work through and develop for ourselves. No one has a right to judge another on how to behave as they follow Jesus.
LikeLike
Tim, It’s wonderful to hear your thoughts! I agree with your comment: “No one has the right to judge another on how to behave as they follow Jesus.” I do think we can express concern, yet it must be with compassion and no judgment or it’s best not to say anything at all. Judging another when we each have our own issues is just never going to be a good idea. ❤️Ann
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes we are tempted in different ways, but sin is defined by God not you or me. If he says “Do not lie” then lying is a sin. He can do this because his is righteous, holy and perfect. He doesn’t just say these thing because to make your life harder and just say “No, No, No” all the time. He say them becuase he cares for you and wants to keep you from the filth of this world. He wants you to walk close to him. We cant pick and choose what is and is not sin. That is another reason God gave us the bible, so He can show us how we should live. “for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
We are called by God to live differently from the world:
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
” For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light”
How can we walk as children of the light if we don’t obey the father?
LikeLike
James, I agree that the Bible does give some pretty clear cut examples of sin. However, there are a multitude of things that are simply not covered in the Bible.
Let’s say Jane spends 12 hours every day on the internet. She accomplishes some important and useful things, such as planning meals for her family, but she spends a lot of that time “goofing” off on Facebook, Twitter, and so on. Is she sinning by spending so much time online? It’s hard to say without more details on her life and responsibilities, and we have no specific guidance from the Bible about the appropriate amount of time to spend online.
Similarly, let’s say Brenda also spends 12 hours every day on the internet. She also accomplishes some important and useful things, but she also has a special needs child that some might argue is being neglected when she uses the internet for a “break”. Is she sinning by spending so much time online instead of attending to her special needs child?
In my opinion, I think either lady could possibly be sinning by spending so much time on the internet IF it is interfering with responsibilities to their family or becoming a stumbling block in their relationship with Christ. But there are a lot of unanswered and, frankly, unknowable aspects to these scenarios. And they are unknowable to us because, clearly, we aren’t omniscient.
So while I agree that yes, there are certainly some sins that seem fairly clear-cut, there are a multitude of other things that I might do that do not interfere with my relationship with Christ but could possibly be a stumbling block for you. Or vice versa. And I’m willing to bet there are even things that are SOMETIMES a hindrance in my relationship with Christ, but maybe they aren’t ALWAYS, and the same likely goes for everyone.
LikeLike
Ann, you have arrived at a similar definition of sin to the one to which I have been brought, which is that to sin is to do something that we are aware could lead to suffering in a person or persons, or a creature. You have also rightly recognized that the person who suffers could be ourselves. The last paragraph shows that you are moving closer to God by allowing Him/Her to help you along the way.
LikeLike
Chas, I agree with your definitions of sin.
LikeLike