Friday, January 3, 2020

Half a Truth

“Half a truth is often a great lie.” (Benjamin Franklin)

God sees us as no one else. Nothing is hidden. He knows our innermost thoughts, secrets, and failures. He even knows our hidden faults. Sins we have failed to recognize in ourselves. What does this have to do with sins of commission and omission? The good news is that God forgives both of these sins.


Sins of commission are ones that you take action to commit whether in thought, word, or deed. They can be intentional or unintentional. They include such things as sexual sins, theft, greediness, murder, physical or mental abuse, bullying, gossip, slander, backbiting, lying, manipulating, or cursing. Sins of omission are when you knew you should have done something good, but refused to.


They can include not regularly praying, tithing, helping and providing for those in need, studying the Bible, fellowshipping with other Christians, attending church, or neglecting obedience to God’s will for our lives. James 4:17 (ERV) says, If you fail to do what you know is right, you are sinning.”


Humanity’s first sin was a sin of commission. God forbade the eating of a certain fruit (Genesis 2:16–17). Adam and Eve knew God’s command and disobeyed anyway (Genesis 3:6). They took action to commit a sinful act. If a parent tells their child to clean their room and they don’t, this is an act of disobedience, but not because of something they’ve done. It has more to do with what they haven’t done. This is a sin of omission.

All sin is equal to God. Sin will keep you out of fellowship with the heavenly Father, hinder your prayers, cause God to chastise you, and maybe even lead to an early death. As Christians, we must guard against sinful temptations in all areas of our lives by recognizing both types of sins (commission and omission). You can then ensure that you are walking blamelessly before the Lord.


“Omission is a sin only if, in the process of deceiving, you forget the truth. Lying is a sin only if, in the process, the lie becomes the only truth.” (Julianna Baggott) [i]



[i] Sources used:
·        “Sins of Commission vs Sins of Omission: The Two Types of Sins Humans Commit” by Revelation.co
·        “The Difference between Sins of Commission and Omission” by Richard Weirich

·        “What is a sin of commission?” by Got Questions

·        “What Is the Sin of Omission? Its Definition and Consequences” by Joel Ryan

 

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