Friday 4 February 2011

If you sin and you just don't know it's a sin, did you sin?

Wow, that is an awesome question! It is a little difficult to answer because the answer is very complicated and has been open to much debate and discussion. So, let me use an example that might help you to understand this.

Let’s say you go to another country (we’ll make one up). And let’s say in this country, Kidonia, it was illegal to drink soda on Sundays. So, you go to Kidonia and get thirsty and drink a Coke on Sunday, not knowing that it was against the law. All of a sudden the police come in and arrest you and tell you, “You’re under arrest for drinking a Coke on Sunday!” You would argue that you are a foreigner and didn’t know it was illegal to drink a Coke on Sunday. But, the police say to you, “We don’t care; it’s still illegal and you committed a crime!”

So, did you commit a crime in Kidonia? Yup. Did you know you were committing a crime? No. Does it mean that because you didn’t know it was a crime, it’s okay to do? No. It is still against the law.

Let’s now compare that to sin. Just because you didn’t know something was a sin, doesn’t mean it’s not a sin. It is still a sin and, if you do it, you committed that sin. We call those unintentional sins. God says that stealing is a sin. But, if you didn’t know that stealing was sin and you did it, would you still be sinning? Of course!

But, God also looks at the heart. He looks at your motives. And you do have a foundation in Christ so you do know what is right and what is wrong. And because you do have Christ in your life, you are covered in His love for you.

Romans 8:1-2 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

If you believe in Jesus and because you know that He died on the cross for you, you don’t have to be anxious about things like worrying about whether you have sinned or not. Look at what it says in Philippians 4:4-7:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

God will guard your heart and your mind. If you have to question your actions or your thoughts, then pray for God to help you. He loves you and won’t let you unintentionally sin.

Now, if you know something is a sin and you still do it…well, that’s a different story. Habitual and intentional sin have different consequences. But, that’s a whole different topic!

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