Leviticus 5:17
17 “If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity.”
What actions are sinful? This is a question that we sometimes struggle with. None of us wants to think of ourselves as sinful, so it is tempting to try and rationalize or minimize our sins. We may think that it is okay as long as we didn't intend to sin ("I didn't mean to have sex; it just happened"). But this passage makes it clear that the issue is not whether we knew we were sinning or were planning on sinning, but instead whether we did sin (this theme is repeated several times in chapters 4 & 5). Sin in this passage is defined as doing what God commands us not to do, or not doing what He commands us to do. It is sin because it does not meet God's standards. So the reality of sin is based on the external standard of God's righteousness, not on the subjective perspective of our own intentions. We do not get to decide what is right and wrong; we must instead accept what God says is right and wrong. This needs to be balanced by other passages that say God looks at the heart, i.e. our motives. But that is mostly a warning about doing "good" things from bad motives, not about it being okay to do "bad" things if you have a good motive. The truth is that it is hard for us to be objective, because we want to believe that our actions are justified. We need to be open to correction, to hearing what the Lord says about our motives and actions.
Lord, it is tempting to think of myself as being better than I really am, and thus to minimize my sins. But You are a holy God, and Your standard does not change. Help me to obey Your commands.
17 “If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity.”
What actions are sinful? This is a question that we sometimes struggle with. None of us wants to think of ourselves as sinful, so it is tempting to try and rationalize or minimize our sins. We may think that it is okay as long as we didn't intend to sin ("I didn't mean to have sex; it just happened"). But this passage makes it clear that the issue is not whether we knew we were sinning or were planning on sinning, but instead whether we did sin (this theme is repeated several times in chapters 4 & 5). Sin in this passage is defined as doing what God commands us not to do, or not doing what He commands us to do. It is sin because it does not meet God's standards. So the reality of sin is based on the external standard of God's righteousness, not on the subjective perspective of our own intentions. We do not get to decide what is right and wrong; we must instead accept what God says is right and wrong. This needs to be balanced by other passages that say God looks at the heart, i.e. our motives. But that is mostly a warning about doing "good" things from bad motives, not about it being okay to do "bad" things if you have a good motive. The truth is that it is hard for us to be objective, because we want to believe that our actions are justified. We need to be open to correction, to hearing what the Lord says about our motives and actions.
Lord, it is tempting to think of myself as being better than I really am, and thus to minimize my sins. But You are a holy God, and Your standard does not change. Help me to obey Your commands.