I Know It’s a Sin, But Is It Really That Bad?
A Bible Study on
Socially Acceptable Sins
by Pastor Kris Minefee
Purpose: This study
will be an attempt to deal with the modern idea that some “sins” as defined in
the Old Testament may have been technically sins, but that with the coming of
the New Testament or just with the changing of time and societal norms, theses “sins”
are no longer really applicable to us today. In other words, yes, they are sins
in the Old Testament but today they really aren’t that sinful or perhaps not
sins at all. Just like the dietary laws against eating certain foods given in
Leviticus don’t apply to us today, neither do the laws against certain sins
also found in the New Testament.
I want to also deal
with the idea that even if it is a sin, then its just like any other sin and we
shouldn’t preach or teach against it more than any other. This idea states that
all sin is the same and has equal consequences or remedies. In other words, sin
is sin, so quit emphasizing some and ignoring others.
This idea seeks to
ignore the greater consequences of some sins which are not just a personal sin
in my own life, but are also sins against society, communities and the
institutions and foundations of civilization. These sins have a more profound
effect on those around me and the society I am a part of.
Understanding The Law Then
All Law comes from God and is a revelation of His character and holiness.
Only One Law In Before
the Fall (Garden of Eden)
Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden
thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die.
The Law Under the
Noahic Covenant (Mt. Ararat)
Genesis 9:1-6 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said
unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of
you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every
fowl of the air, upon all that moveth [upon] the earth, and upon all the fishes
of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth
shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But
flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And
surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will
I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life
of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the
image of God made he man. And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth
abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
The Law Under the Covenant of the Law (Mt. Sinai)
The Law Condensed To
10 Commandments
Exodus 20:1-17 And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which
have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto
thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD
thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And
shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD
will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the
sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy
work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou
shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor
thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in
them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath
day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may
be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his
ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
The Decalogue
4 Commands Concerning
God
Thou shalt have no
other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make
unto thee any graven image
Thou shalt not take
the name of the LORD thy God in vain
Remember the sabbath
day, to keep it holy.
6 Commands Concerning
Man
Honour thy father and
thy mother
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit
adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet
The Law Expanded With
Examples
Exodus 21-23 Gives
examples of how the law is expanded in specific cases.
Laws concerning fair
treatment of a slave Exodus 21:2
Laws of a murder and
manslaughter Exodus 21:12
Laws of injury to a
pregnant woman Exodus 12:22
Law of punishment
fitting the crime Exodus 12:24-25
Laws of liability
Exodus 21:28
Laws of restitution
Exodus 22
Leviticus expands the
law even further and introduces laws the deal only with the nation of Israel as
well as more about the moral law that applies to all mankind.
The Law and Covenant Repeated and Reaffirmed (Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal)
Deuteronomy repeats
the laws before the Hebrews go into the Promised Land and reminds the people of
the Covenant they made with God on Mt. Sinai and now repeatd on Mt. Gerizim and
Ebal “Choose You This Day.”
Deuteronomy 11:29 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in
unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the
blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before
you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou
and thy seed may live:
The Law In Three Categories
In Leviticus and
Deuteronomy, we clearly see that the law falls into three categories, the
Moral, the Ceremonial and the Civil/ Judicial.
Some Laws Were Specifically
given to Israel.
These are often
preceded by the phrase, “Say to the Children of Israel”
Lev. 4:2, atonement for unintentional sins
Lev. 7:23, don't eat fat from ox, sheep, or goat
Lev. 7:29, procedures for peace offering to the Lord
Lev. 11:2, list of animals the Israelites may eat
Lev. 12:2, uncleanness after giving birth
Lev. 23:24, rest on 1st day of 7th month
Lev. 23:34, Feast of Booths on 15th day of 7th month
Lev. 24:15, the one cursing God will bear his sin
The Three Types of Law In the Old Testament
Civil – These applied
while Israel was a Theocracy or a Monarchy but did not apply directly to other
nations, except as examples of justice, fairness and that which pleases
God. God never intended other nations to
be theocracies or to have kings chosen by Him, therefore though we can learn
from these as example they will not always fit all nations.
Justice practices
(Lev. 24:17-23)
Law of property
redemption (Lev. 25)
Be just with the poor,
(Lev. 19:15)
Do not hate in your
heart (Lev. 19:17)
Retain just scales in
commerce (Lev. 19:35f)
Robbery, extortion,
false witness, and restitution (Lev. 6:1-7)
Ceremonial – These
laws were designed by God to show a separation from His nation Israel and the
other nations of the world. These again were for Israel and in most instances
were finished when Jesus came and fulfilled the law, keeping what we could not.
Many of the dietary and ceremonial laws have passed into tradition and culture
among the Jewish people today, but they do not apply to us as Christians.
Priestly duties (Lev.
7:1-37)
Laws on animals for
food (Lev. 11:1-47)
Cleaning house of
leper (Lev. 14:33-57)
Law of Atonement (Lev.
16:1-28;17:1-16)
Regulations for
Priests (Lev. 21,22)
Festivals (Lev.
23:1-25)
Moral – The moral law
preceded all the covenants of God and was part of the creation of man. Paul
says it is written into our hearts. These laws apply across all peoples,
nations and times. They show us the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man.
They condemn us as sinners and show us that we need a savior. They also form
the basis of all good laws of all peoples.
Understanding The Law Now
The laws which deal
with what is clean and unclean, the foods the Israelites could and could not
eat, or the clothes they could or could not wear, all fall under the ceremonial
laws, the laws that separated Israel from the other nations. These laws, though
they may have insight into God’s desire for a separated people, contagious
diseases, and healthy or unhealthy food, were finished when Jesus came to
earth.
Jesus stated it in
Mark 7:14-23
And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
It was repeated in
Acts 10:9-16
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
The Ceremonial and Dietary Laws no longer apply but the Moral Law still does
1 Timothy 1:8-11
But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
Here Paul plainly
states that the moral law still applies to the lawless and disobedient and he
specifically points out murder, sexual immorality (Greek pornos),
homosexuality, kidnappers (probably related to slavery esp. prositution),
liars, liars under oath, anything else contrary sound doctrine ( the revealed
moral law of God)
Comparison of the
moral law in the Ten Commandments and Paul’s list in 1 Timothy 1:9
10 Commandments
|
Paul’s List of The
Law 1 Timothy
|
Thou shalt have no other
gods before me.
|
disobedient, for the
ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane
|
Thou shalt not make
unto thee any graven image
|
|
Thou shalt not take
the name of the LORD thy God in vain
|
|
Remember the sabbath
day, to keep it holy.
|
|
Honour thy father
and thy mother.
|
for murderers of
fathers and murderers of mothers
|
Thou shalt not kill.
|
for manslayers
|
Thou shalt not
commit adultery.
|
for them that defile
themselves with mankind
|
Thou shalt not
steal.
|
for menstealers
|
Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbour.
|
for liars, for
perjured persons
|
Thou shalt not covet
|
Conclusion
Once again, we see
that understanding God’s Word requires us to put it in context. In this case
the context is mankind in the Old Testament, Israel in the Old Testament and
Christians in the New Testament. By doing this we see that some laws were
specifically to Israel while others have been with us since creation. The moral
law, which is reconfirmed as applying to all of us in the New Testament, can never
can be ignored lest we lose our humanity and become reprobate and like the
animals.
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