2 Corinthians 5:21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Are the Seven Deadly Sins really listed in the Bible? Are there sins that God hates more than others? Can you cause someone to lose their salvation? These and other questions are valid, and many people want to know the answers.
Take a look at the 4 True/False statements below. The answers and explanations are below.
TRUE/FALSE
___ The Seven Deadly Sins are really listed in the Bible.
___ Sins referred to as abominations are more deplorable to God than any other sin.
___ If I don’t mean to cause someone to sin by my actions, words or deeds, I have done nothing wrong.
___ I can cause someone to go to hell because of my actions, words or deeds.
Pride + Lust + Greed + Envy + Sloth +Wrath + Gluttony…
ANSWERS
1-False
The seven deadly sins are a construct of the Catholic faith. They are never found in scripture. They teach that these are mortal sins if one dies before confessing them. You see, even one sin leads to death, unless people accept Christ as their Savior. However, the seven things that God hates are listed in the scripture below. These are sins that define the hearts of sinners. Each one of those sins listed in scripture lead to more sinful actions. Although the Seven Deadly Sins are not in scripture, they a good reminder of what Jesus died for and what Satan seeks to distract us with.
2-False
Although sins referred to as abominations are detestable, every sin separates people from God. Every sin led Jesus to Calvary. Abominations include idolatry, child sacrifice, sexual sins, the love of money and false teachers of religion, there are more listed throughout the Bible. Click on the scripture links below for more examples.
Deuteronomy 17:2-5 2 Chronicles 28:3 Deuteronomy 18:9-12 Proverbs 15:8 Luke 16:15 Titus 1:16
3-False
As believers we must always be concerned about doing anything that causes another believer to stumble. Stumbling does not mean losing salvation in this passage found in Matthew 18:6. Rather, it is the reference that reminds us not to cause other believers to sin or stumble.
Here is an example. If my friend is struggling with the sin of gluttony and I bake her a pan of her favorite brownies, I have caused her to stumble if she eats too many of them. The sin is hers, too. But I knew her weakness and should never have tempted her, even though I didn’t intend for her to lose self-control.
But if I planned to set her up to stumble then the passage in Matthew 18:6 is warning me, a fellow believer, that I will be disciplined, (Hebrews 12:7-11) and the discipline may be severe if it causes her to fall away from her faith. If I am not a believer this passage is not for me. God does not discipline those who are not His children. Their suffering is incidental to living in this dark world without Christ.
If I did tempt my friend on purpose, then I need to verify my heart. Do I really have the Holy Spirit living in my heart? Probably not because the Holy Spirit verifies that believers love one another. That would not have been a loving thing to do on purpose. 1 John chapters 1-5 is a great measuring stick for your own salvation.
4-False
I have heard well-meaning believers make statements like, “their blood is on your hands.” meaning that if I don’t witness to people, the ones that I overlook will die and go to Hell because of my failure. That is a terrible lie. Look at this passage from John 10:28-29
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
No person has the power to rob another person of salvation. Even people claiming to hate Christianity because of all the Christian hypocrites are fully responsible for being lost. They are simply rejecting Christ when they refuse salvation. Jesus prayed for all who would be saved the night before He was crucified.
John 17:24-27 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. Righteous Father, the world has not known you. However, I have known you, and they have known that you sent me. I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.”
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 