What is considered sin and how do I know if I’m living a sinful life? We talked about that a few weeks ago, but let’s get into the rest of Galatians 5:19 so you know how to identify sin in your life! In the previous post, I started to explain the sins listed in Galatians and 1 Corinthians, and here is a continuation of these so that you can have more insight into what is and isn’t acceptable to God. So, let’s get a deeper understanding of what is considered a sin in the Bible!Â
Sin According to the Bible
Galatians 5:19-21 says, “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” These aren’t the only sins but cover much of what the Bible says about sin. The definition of a sin is anything that is disobedient to God’s Word, so keep that in mind as you read this post because that is what counts as a sin in Christianity.
Hatred / Hostility are Considered Sin
Do I even need to explain this one? Hate is the complete opposite of God; 1 John 4:8 says, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” So, if there is any hate in your heart for anyone, and I mean ANYONE, you do not know God. Hostility is strong opposition toward someone, but that is not how we are to operate as Christians. We are called to love each other, as Jesus says in Matthew 22:39: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It is only through love that we can effectively spread the gospel. Hate gives the enemy fuel and an entrance into your life. It makes us bitter and can corrupt our ways.
Humans Cannot Handle Hatred
Hate is what the devil operates on, but love is what God operates on, for what good is anything we do if it is not in love? So, try to love people as Christ called us to and not be disobedient by letting hatred into our hearts. We must not have hatred in our hearts because we cannot handle what that does to our Spirits. It’s the same reason why we must forgive people and not enact our own revenge. It makes us bitter and filled with anger. Unable to operate in the love of Christ.
Romans 12:19-21 says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” We are supposed to give our anger and hatred to God. He is the only one who can handle it; you can never repay someone better than God can.
Hate Sends Us to Hell
Ephesians 4:31 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” If we don’t, we are on our way to hell because I John 2:9 says, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.” We cannot claim to be a Christian with hate in our hearts; that is the antithesis of a Christian, a hateful person. Get rid of all hate in your heart and ask God to give you the grace to forgive. You are in darkness and on a destructive path if you hate anyone; you were not created to be this way but to have the love of Christ in your heart!
Hate What Is Evil
When it comes to hate and being a Christian, the only thing acceptable is hating what is evil. Proverbs 8:13 says, “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” As Christians, we are to hate all evil, hate sin, and perverse ways. That’s why you’ll hear a lot, “Hate the sin, not the sinner,” If anyone is condemning someone for sin and it feels hateful, that is not of God. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” If you ever feel condemned, know that it is the devil. You are supposed to feel convicted of sin, a Godly guilt that leads to change.
Too many Christians justify hating people because of sin, but we were never meant to hate people. Only the sin and through our love, hope they change. Everything changes with love! So, think about how today you can show the love of Christ! Hate is considered sin, but hating sin is not, so make sure you know the difference!
A Chance to Change
How can something be a sin if you don’t believe in Jesus? The Bible still stands true and doesn’t change if you aren’t saved. However, know that Jesus loves you despite everything you may have done. He hates the sin because He loves you! God only wants the best for you, so if you want to change your ways and experience God’s immense love, say this prayer!
“Dear Heavenly Father, I repent of my sins and turn my back to them. I give Jesus my whole life, heart, mind, and soul by faith; I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for my sins, and I accept Him into my heart now. I believe Jesus is Lord, and I give my life to Jesus! Amen!” If you said this prayer, go to the I Just Got Saved page for church recommendations, a Bible, and a journal!
Contentions and Outbursts of Wrath
Contentions are heated disagreements. Not all disagreements are bad, but when there is yelling, cursing, and physical abuse involved, that is when it turns into sin. This goes with outbursts of wrath because contentions can lead to outbursts. The Bible says many times that we should remain peaceful; for the fruit of the spirit is peace (Galatians 5:22), He will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3), and to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6). When you are in heated discussions, the more you’re tempted to give in to the flesh and to give in to anger. Then you can do something you regret. Is it a sin to be angry then? No, but you must be careful about how you handle that anger.
Anger is Not Considered a Sin
The Bible says to be angry, but sin not. Yes, people can upset you, but you can’t allow them to make you act out of your Christ character. That means don’t start yelling and cursing them out or potentially causing physical harm. You must keep your cool and turn the other cheek so you don’t have to go and repent later. Also, so you don’t have to reap bad seed. Sowing discord is a great way to sow bad seed, and now God has to deal with you! I personally don’t want God to deal with me, so I’m gonna keep my mind on Him and remain in peace.
How to Overcome Outbursts
If you find yourself getting angry during an argument, start reciting scriptures! Start speaking the Word of God because outbursts are only of the enemy. Anger is not necessarily bad because, like hate, we can be angry at sin or the devil. However, anger should never be directed at people but at the spirit operating behind the person. You have to be careful and keep your flesh in check! Anger directed at people never ends well.
Contentions are a great way to start walking in the flesh, but as Christians, we must walk in the Spirit, and one way to do that is to hold onto our peace and focus our attention on Jesus rather than on what provoked the argument. So, have bible verses that help you calm down and start speaking them when you get angry. Keep your mind on God, and you’ll keep your cool!
Jealousies and Envy are Considered Sin
Jealousy is a kind of resentment towards another person because they have something you desire. Jealousy can creep up on you so suddenly, but it can lead you down such a dark path. Let’s use Joseph as an example; his brothers were jealous of him because he was his father’s favorite. Due to their jealousy, they devised a plan where they would sell Joseph into slavery and then tell their father, Jacob, that he was killed. This was extreme, but it was all rooted in jealousy.
Same with Jesus, the Pharisees, and the Sacaceeds. They hated Him so much because they were jealous of His influence. Jealousy can quickly turn into hatred if you don’t check it, and we have already established that hatred is considered a sin. Jealously is not rooted in love. If you think about all the sins listed, none of them are rooted in the love of God. Envy is very similar to jealousy as it is the resentment of someone because of their possessions, qualities, or ‘luck.’
Fleshly Desires
Again, what started to make Joseph’s brothers jealous was their envy for his coats of many colors and the love Jacob showed him. Jealously and envy work together as they are rooted in the resentment of someone for what they have or who they are. It makes you bitter, and you lose track of who God made you. You lose track of what He has for you because you’re too focused on the person you envy or are jealous of. How to know if something is a sin, you should consider where it stems from. Does it stem from a Godly love or fleshly desires?
Jealously only occurs because we want something with our flesh, not our Spirit. When defining sin, this is something you must think about so you can stay away. Our flesh wants to be pleased all the time, but we must submit it to our Spirit. A common theme among these sins is that they take your attention from God, which is precisely what the flesh wants. Focus on Him and His Will for your life, and it’ll be hard to be jealous or envious of anyone.
Selfish Ambition is Considered Sin
Having dreams and ambitions is not bad; it becomes bad when those dreams and ambitions are rooted in selfishness. As Christians, our goals should stem from our love for God and what God told us to do with our lives. We live to advance the Kingdom of God; you’ll find in the Bible that as people followed God’s call, they succeeded. However, when they strayed away from that, their life went downhill.
A perfect example of this is Solomon. He was on fire for God when he first became king, but he became a stranger to God when lust and greed took hold of him. He was seeking success for his own gain and not for the gain of God. As Christians, we must be mindful of why we do certain things and ask ourselves these questions: is this to glorify God or glorify me?
Do Things to The Glory of God
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” So, no matter how big or small the action may be, do it to the glory of God so that He may be praised. If you don’t have this attitude towards your goals and dreams, it is easier to fall into pride, which God hates. When all your goals are about making your name big and making yourself successful, and you leave God out of the equation, you start to forget that He is the one who gave you those gifts and talents. How do I sin if I have dreams and aspirations? It’s not a sin then, but it is sin when you start to glorify yourself, so be careful about your motives and check your heart posture continually.
He created you with those dreams and goals, so don’t decide to go after them with selfish ambition. He gave you that extraordinary mind to create success, and with selfish ambition, you take that for granted and become prideful. Once pride takes over, in your mind, you got yourself there and not God. You have convinced yourself that you didn’t need God’s help to move forward in life. Still, the Bible says, “Before destruction, the heart of a man is haughty” (Proverbs 18:12). So, just know when you develop that attitude, you will be humbled and the life you built without God’s instruction and glory, will be destroyed.
Have Humility
Matthew 23:12 says, “But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Humility is how you become successful, not pride. Humility will keep you from seeking self-ambition; it keeps you seeking God. It is tempting in this life but continually go to God for guidance. The more you involve God in your plans, the more prosperous they will be! Humility and faith in God will bring you to heights you never thought possible! Acknowledge God in all your ways, and that’s how you stay humble. If you seek success for your own gain, trust, it will be destroyed. Being humble creates longevity for your success; pride shortens it.
Heresies / Dissension
Heresies are opinions and beliefs contrary to the Word of God. In the Bible, it says plenty of times how those who go against God’s Word are condemned, but the most important part of this is unbelief in Jesus. Belief in Jesus is the foundation for the Word of God as Jesus is the Word of God. John 1:1 states that “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” So obviously, opinions and beliefs contrary to the Word of God are something that will keep you out of heaven.
John 3:18 says, “He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” and John 16:8-9 reads, “He will convict the world of sin…of sin because they do not believe in Me.” So it clearly states that unbelief in Jesus is a sin. If one didn’t have opinions or beliefs that are contrary to the Word of God, they would believe in Jesus. However, this is not where these opinions end. If there is someone who is against/doesn’t believe in healing, Godly provision, the Holy Spirit, or righteous living, they are in sin and teaching a false doctrine.
False Doctrines Are Considered Sin
God takes His Word very seriously and considers people not using it how He intended a sin. In Deuteronomy, Moses was speaking to the Children of Israel about a prophet being raised up. He tells them that God said, in Deuteronomy18:20, “The prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.'” If that doesn’t give you an idea of how seriously God takes His Word, I don’t know what will.
Now, we’re not in the Old Testament anymore, but that still applies. You may not die immediately, but there are severe consequences to using God’s Word out of context and twisting it into what it’s not. God’s Word is meant to bring healing, prosperity, joy, righteousness, and more! Anything that is taught against that, that person needs to be weary of God’s wrath. The Bible is nothing to play with, so if you’re trying to make it your own, don’t. It is holy and doesn’t need to be changed or tampered with. Keep God’s Word the way it is.
Worldly Doctrine is Sin
2 Timothy 4:3-4says,” For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. “I’m sure you know that a lot of people do not preach the Bible but rather opinions. People will teach what they feel is right and twist the Word to fit their unholy lives. That is considered a sin. When you are given the office of a minister, you are supposed to preach the Bible, nothing else but the Bible!
Preaching your own opinions is considered a sin? Yes, because our nature is sinful, and our hearts are deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” So, for someone to preach from their “heart” and pass it off as biblically sound doctrine is 100% considered sin. If you are going to say something is the Word of God, make sure it actually is the Word! Otherwise, prepare for some nasty consequences from God Himself.
Please God, Not Man
No matter how much pressure the world puts on you, never deviate from the Word of God. I rather be judged by man than by God, so don’t sin because of fear of man. It is better to please God than man. When it comes to this society and sin, it is more acceptable to live in sin than to be holy. However, if you want to make it to Heaven, you must live holy. If your definition of sin is just ‘bad things’ and not based on the Bible, you need to reevaluate. There is no, if it is a sin to you then it is a sin. If it is a sin, according to the Bible, that is what counts.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, the difference between sinning and living in sin. Sinning should be rare, and repentance often follows. However, when you’re living in sin, that is when these things are your lifestyle. Don’t let sin be a lifestyle; change and repent and stand out for God!
Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The way you renew your mind is by continually filling it with the Word of God. That’s how you will know what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Remember, we cannot do it ourselves; we must utilize the Holy Spirit. So, as you go about your week, rely on the strength of the Holy Spirit to live out God’s perfect will! I hope this helped, and God bless!
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What is Considered Sin? Am I Living a Sinful Life?
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