In Christian hamartiology,
eternal sins,
unforgivable sins,
unpardonable sins, or
ultimate sins are sins which will not be forgiven by God.
One eternal or unforgivable sin (
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) is specified in several passages of the Synoptic Gospels, including
Mark 3:28–29,
Matthew 12:31–32, and
Luke 12:10.
Sins of Omission.
By:Mark E. Larson
Introduction:
We are careful not to commit “sins of commission”, but what about
the “sins of omission”? (James 4:17).
The apostle James son of Alphaeus declares that if we fail to do the good we know we ought to have done, we sin! This is another category of sin that is too often overlooked,
otherwise referred to as the
“sins of omission.”
In contrast, “sins of commission” are those sinful actions that are proactively done.
More obvious, overt, sinful acts. Lying, idolatry, swearing, murder, etc. are examples of
sins of commission.
A sin of omission is a sin committed because of neglecting to do what is right.
They
are good works left undone. Works that God expects us to do, but we don’t do them.
Examples could include not praying, not forgiving others, or not confessing your faith in
Christ and His word to others when you have the opportunity.
All sins are equal in God’s eyes from the seemingly gigantic, more obvious sin to the
seemingly small, supposedly minor sin.
Therefore, when we neglect to do something that
God has told us to do we are sinning against God. Yet more often than not, those sins of
omission are overlooked as unimportant, not thought of actual sin that can cost you your
salvation.
While a sin of commission is typically observable and often more dramatic (e.g.
adultery, stealing), sins of omission can do just as much damage. Silently and slowly it
can erode the foundation of our relationship to the Lord and with the people in our lives.
I. The Consequences of Sins of Omission.
A. We fail to truly love Jesus (John 14:15).
i. Both sins of commission and omission is disobedience to the Lord and
therefore a failure to love Jesus (e.g. Mat. 25:41-46).
ii. When Christians fail to reach out and give a helping hand to those in need
in this world with whom they have the ability and opportunity to help, we
are failing to love Christ and represent Him.
iii. Those that fail to confess Christ to others not only fail to honor Him, but
will lose their salvation as a result (Mat. 10:32-33).
a) Though you may not have denied Him, used His name in vain, or
blasphemed, the failure to confess your faith in Christ condemns you.
B. We fail to “let our lights shine” (be good examples for Christ) (Mat. 5:16).
i. Shining our lights is not merely about what we do not do, but more
specifically about the “good works” we do.
ii. Sins of omission may in many cases be more of an indictment against our
example as Christians than our sins of commission!
iii. When a broken world sees Christians acting no different than the rest of
humanity, indifferent and not involved in good works, we cease to “shine.”
iv. Merely abstaining from evil (adultery, stealing, bad temper, etc.) will not
be enough to win anyone to Christ. They need to see the good you do!
(e.g. acts of kindness, hospitality, honoring parents, worship of God, etc.).
v. Jesus illustrates for us in the parable of the “Good Samaritan” the
importance of doing the good we know we ought to do (Luke 10:30-37).
a) Those that passed by without helping did not commit “sins of
commission” – they did not contribute to the robbery or throw stones.
b) Yet, they were guilty of the sin of omission – they were unwilling to
get involved, to show compassion to a stranger in desperate need.
C. Our faith is dead and will not save us (James 2:14-18ff.).
i. Some claim to be faithful to God simply because they abstain from various
forms of overt sin (vulgar language, drunkenness, lewd dancing, etc.).
ii. However, faithfulness is equally demonstrated through active obedience to
commandments that demand action (e.g. benevolence).
iii. Our love is also dead as a resoult of not doing the good we know we ought
to do.
It is a failure to show love for our fellow man (1 John 3:17-18).
D. Sins of omission can also do much harm to others.
i. Those that otherwise could be strengthened and revived may perish
because of our neglect to lend a helping hand.
a) “Pure religion” is not just about keeping yourself “unspotted” from
overt sin, but about helping those in need (James 1:27).
b) Failure to to rescue sinners can cost them their souls! (James 5:19-20).
ii. Harm of the sins of omission may be evident in marriage (Eph. 5:22-33).
a) A man who cheats on his wife (commits adultery, sin of commission)
does much damage to their relationship – but does not also the man
who neglects his wife by failing to love her, nourish and cherish her
(sins of omission) also do great damage to the marriage?
b) Similarly, an adulterous wife does great harm, but equally damaging
can be the weakening of her husband by failing to show him respect.
iii. When you fail to love your brothers and sisters in Christ by obeying the
“one another” commands you will through your neglect cause them harm.
a) Love (Jn 15:12-13); Admonish (Rom. 15:14); Serve (Gal. 5:13);
Comfort and edify (1 Thes. 5:11); Exhort/encourage (Heb. 3:13);
Hospitable (1 Pet. 4:9); etc.
iv. Forsaking the assembly can harm your Christian family who otherwise
would receive needed encouragement from you (Heb. 10:24-25).
E. Above all, the consequence for sins of omission is death (Rom. 6:23).
i. The wages of sin is death, whether it is the sin of commission or omission.
II. How to Prevent the Sins of Omission.
A. Understand the will of the Lord (Eph. 5:15-17).
i. Christians have a duty to know the good that God expects for them to do.
Be committed to reading and studying your Bible.
B. Know what your gifts and opportunities are and use them the best you can.
i. The good we know we ought to do will depend in part on what gifts and
opportunities God has given us (Rom. 12:6-8; e.g. Acts 9:36/ 2 Tim. 4:5).
C. “Do not forget to do good” (Heb. 13:16, NKJV).
i. “Forget” (EPILANTHANOMAI): “to lose out of mind, by implication,
neglect” (Strong’s Greek Dictionary); “to forget” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).
ii. We often have good intentions, but then forget to follow through.
iii. We need to work at not forgetting and keep our promises (cf. James 5:12).
Omission V/s Commission
James wrote, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” ( Jas. 4:17 ). James could not have been much clearer- not doing what we know we should do can constitute sin!
Such sins are called sins of omission . Now, why did James have to include that verse in his letter?
Because James was writing God’s word ( 2 Tim. 3:16-17 ), and God guided him to write exactly what He wanted James to write ( 2 Pet. 1:20-21 ).
There are many passages of scripture that warn against doing certain things.
“You shall have no other gods before Me”
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”
“You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal”
( Ex. 20:3, 7, 13-15 ).
These warnings, and many others like them, describe sins of commission .
Sins of commission are overt, sinful acts. They’re sinful because they’re something we do that we’re not supposed to do.
Sins of omission, on the other hand, are acts left undone, things that God expects us to do, but we don’t do them. They’re sinful because they’re things we don’t do that we’re supposed to do.
Both types of sins represent disobedience.
Sins of Commission are acts of outright disobedience to clear and direct commands to abstain from this or that.
Sins of omission demonstrate disobedience to a clear instruction to do something.
Sins of omission are covered under Jesus’ admonition,
“If you love Me, keep My commandments” ( Jn. 14:15 ).
To “keep” the Lord’s commandments is to obey His commandments.
To not obey is to be disobedient to His commandments.
Some people feel that they’re basically righteous simply because they abstain from overtly unrighteous acts such as murder, theft, lying and using vulgar language.
But righteousness is equally demonstrated through active obedience to commandments that demand action.
The most basic sin of omission is the failure to repent of one’s sins, openly confess faith in Christ and surrender to Him in baptism for the remission of one’s sins ( Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 2:38 ).
Willful neglect to worship God with the church can also be a sin of omission ( Heb. 10:23-25 ).
A lack of active service and dedication to Christ ( Rom. 12:1-2 ), not being involved in “good works”
God has designed for us to be involved in as faithful Christians ( Eph. 2:10; Tit. 2:14 ) can be another sin of omission.
Which is worse, sins of commission or sins of omission?
While different types of sin, they’re both sinful. And, “the wages of sin is death!” ( Rom. 6:23 ).
Paul’s warning makes no distinction between types of sin; he simply states that sin not repented of and not sought forgiveness for leads to eternal spiritual death.
We would do well to carefully weigh the implications of James’ admonition: “to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin”…
Sin is Public Enemy Number One.
It always has been, and always will be.
Sin breaks the heart of God, nailed Jesus to the cross and carries men down to hell.
We read in 1 John 3:4 that
“sin is lawlessness.” Someone says,
“I don’t see any harm in this thing or that thing.”
But it is not a question of how we see things, but how God sees them.
Since he is God he has a right to say “thou shalt” or “thou shalt not.”
There are three different types of sin. First, there is the sin of commission. God says, “You are not to do that.”
We do it anyway and when we do we commit the sin of commission. We have gone against what God told us not to do.
Then there is the sin of omission. When we know to do good and do not do it, we are guilty of the sin of omission (James 4:17).
The third sin is the sin of disposition. It is a sin to have bad feelings in your heart toward someone else.
Many Christians are guilty of this sin. We are told to “Love one another.”
These sins are all found in the Bible. Satan steals into the church and brings guilt to the hearts of God’s people.
Persecution from the outside of the church brought the Christians closer together.
Sin was found in the Jerusalem church, the church at Corinth and the seven churches in Revelation.
This is the best way Satan can hurt the cause of Christ.
Churches today are no different. Impurity, adultery, gossip and evil speaking can be found in churches today.
Sin is also found in the homes and individual lives. It is no respecter of persons as seen with Abraham, David and Simon Peter.
What are we to do? Confess our sins (1 John 1:9), turn from them and ask God to forgive and cleanse us (Psalm 51).
Sins of Commission vs Sins of Omission: The Two Types of Sins Humans Commit
What are sins of commission vs. omission? That’s a great question. There are two types of sins any human can commit: Sins of commission and sins of omission. Both of these sins are wicked in God’s eyes, and it’s all but guaranteed that you’ve committed both types of sins in your lifetime (probably many times). As Christians, we need to be on high alert for sin in our lives, for it can hinder our prayers, lead to chastisement, and even lead to death and misery:
“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him” (Genesis 4:7).
“and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15).
What does the Bible teach about these two types of sin? What are they?
Sins of Commission Defined
Sins of commission are sins that we commit by doing something we shouldn’t do. It’s the type of sin in which we are most familiar. For example, if a man brutally beat an elderly lady on the subway, we’d all be infuriated and disgusted. Or if a man cheated on his wife, we’d immediately know it was sin. Why? Those things are easily recognizable as sins of commission. It’s something someone did that they shouldn’t have done.
The Apostle Paul gives us a short list of sins of commission in First Corinthians:
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:10).
Here are some other examples of sins of commission:
All sexual sins: Adultery, fornication, bestiality, rape, molestation, pornography, etc.
Theft, covetousness, etc.
Murder, physical abuse, bullying, mental abuse
Gossip, slander, backbiting, etc.
Lying, manipulating, cursing, etc.
and much more.
Clearly, there are many “sins of commission” that we can commit. When I look back at my life, I’m disgusted by the sins I’ve committed. However, it wasn’t until I learned of the sins of omission that I fully realized how sinful I truly was, and how loving and forgiving God really is.
What is a sin of omission?
Sins of Omission Defined
As you might have guessed, sins of omission are sins we commit by not doing something we should do. This is a sin that is easy to hide from others. It’s difficult to commit a sin of commission and get away with it, but it is quite easy to commit a sin of omission without others knowing. Therefore, I think this type of sin is perhaps the most dangerous for us in our Christian walk.
Here are just some examples of sins of omission we may commit:
1. Failing to pray regularly, or failing to pray for others in our lives. Consider what the prophet Samuel said in the Old Testament:
“Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way” (1 Samuel 12:23).
2. Failing to tithe or be faithful stewards in our finances. Consider the words of Malachi:
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8).
3. Failing to help another person when we have both the capacity and a nudging from the Holy Spirit to do so. Consider this passage in James:
“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
4. Failing to provide for our family, especially those of our own household. The Bible teaches that this is not only a sin, it even goes as far as to say that a Christian neglecting this is even worse than unbelievers. What a tragedy in today’s society that many men will impregnate a woman, and then leave with no intention of supporting her or raising his own child:
“But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Timothy 5:8).
5. Failing to read and study the Bible regularly. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the WORD of God. The great evangelist D.L. Moody once said this about the Bible:
“Either this book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.”
with other Christians or attend some type of church fellowship: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
There are many other types of sins of omission. In summary, we commit a sin of omission when we neglect to do something God commands us to do.
Conclusion: Sins of Commission vs. Sins of Omission Sin is sin, and God hates any and all sin. Sin will keep you out of fellowship with God, hinder your prayers, cause God to chastise us, and even lead to an early death. As Christians, we must guard ourselves from the temptation to sin in all areas of our lives. By recognizing both types of sins (commission and omission), we can ensure that we are walking blamelessly before the Lord. Of course, the most important sin to overcome is that of rejecting the Holy Spirit. Have you received Christ as your savior? If you died today, do you know for sure that you’d go to heaven? The Bible teaches that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. However, we can receive forgiveness of our sins and eternal life by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray that you’ll come to faith in Christ, for He is the only way to heaven. No other person, no other faith, and no type of “good deeds” can get you to heaven. It is only by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ that you can be saved.
By : https://www.revelation.co/2015/07/21/sins-of-commission-vs-sins-of-omission/
Precious Blood of Jesus Christ