What is the greatest sin?
Many of us, throughout
our growing up, can give an answer to what the greatest sin is. And, for
sure, I know that many of us have even heard of the movie entitled
“SEVEN,” back in 1995, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, where the
plot outline speaks about “two cops, one new and one about to retire,
after a serial killer using ‘the seven deadly sins’
as his MO.”
The Sins, which are
listed in order of increasing severity, as Pope Gregory the Great, from
the 6th century, calls “the seven deadly sins”
which are as follows:
1. Lust (Latin,
luxuria)
Lust
(fornication, perversion) — Depraved thought, unwholesome
morality, desire for excitement, or need to be accepted or recognized by
others. Obsessive, unlawful, or unnatural sexual desire, such as
desiring sex with a person outside marriage or engaging in unnatural
sexual appetites (like bestiality.) Rape, adultery and sodomy are
considered to be extreme lust and are said to be mortal sins. Dante's
criterion was "excessive love of others," thereby detracting from the
love due to God. Lust prevents clarity of thought and rational behavior.
Lust is symbolized by the snake in most Christian religions and the
color blue, although it can also be associated with the cow. The
punishment in hell for lust is being smothered in brimstone and fire.
2. Gluttony
(Latin, gula)
Gluttony (waste,
overindulgence) — Thoughtless waste of everything,
overindulgence, misplaced sensuality, uncleanliness, and maliciously
depriving others. Marked by refusal to share and unreasonable
consumption of more than is necessary, especially in the case of food or
water. Destruction, especially for sport (like trophy hunting.)
Substance abuse or binge drinking. Dante explains it as "excessive love
of pleasure". Associated with pigs and the colour orange. The punishment
in hell for gluttony is being force-fed rats, toads, and snakes.
3. Greed/Avarice
(Latin, avaritia)
Greed (treachery,
covetousness) — A strong desire to gain, especially in money or
power. Disloyalty, deliberate betrayal, or treason, especially for
personal gain or when compensated. scavenging and hoarding of materials
or objects. Theft and robbery, especially by violence, trickery, or,
worst of all, manipulation of authority. Simony is the evolution of
avarice because it fills you with the urge to make money by selling
things within the confines of the church. This sin is abhorred by the
Catholic Church and is seen as a sin of malice; Dante included this sin
in the first poem of the Divine Comedy (the Inferno). Simony can be
viewed as betrayal. Thomas Aquinas on greed: "it is a sin against God,
just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for
the sake of temporal things." Greed is often seen as the most childish
of the 3 exaggerated adulthood sins, because it often focuses on
short-term gains. An extreme form of gluttony. Greed is represented by
the frog and the color yellow. [citation needed] The punishment in hell
for greed is being submerged in the finest boiling oils. It can also
mean to endour or to induce some topics.
4. Sloth (Latin,
acedia)
Sloth (apathy,
indifference, laziness) — Apathy, idleness, and wastefulness of
time. Laziness is particularly condemned because others must work harder
to make up for it. Cowardice or irresponsibility. Abandonment,
especially of God. Sloth is a little like a state of equilibrium: one
does not produce much, one does not consume much. However, sloth, unlike
homeostasis, leads only to despair. Dante wrote that sloth is the
"failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind and all one's
soul". Associated with goats and the color light blue[citation needed].
The punishment in hell for sloth is being thrown into a pit of snakes.
5. Wrath (Latin,
ira)
Wrath (anger,
hatred, prejudice, discrimination) — Inappropriate [unrighteous]
feelings of hatred and anger. Denial of the truth to others or self.
Impatience with the law, or seeking revenge outside of justice.
Unnecessary vigilanteism. Wishing to do evil or harm to others.
Disliking others for no good reason, such as their race or religion,
leading to discrimination. Self-righteousness. Wrath is the root of
murder, assault, discrimination, and, ultimately, genocide. (See Crimes
against humanity.) Dante described wrath as "love of justice perverted
to revenge and spite". The childish of the two prolonged adolescence
sins, being hard to safeguard against especially in the case of people
in teens and 20s. Wrath is considered childish because hatred is often
born out of misunderstanding, or the inability to forgive. Wrath is
symbolized by the bear and the color red. The punishment in hell for
wrath is being dismembered (probably over and over again, like the eagle
that repeatedly eats Prometheus's liver every day in Greek mythology.)
6. Envy (Latin,
invidia)
Envy (jealousy,
malice) — Grieving spite and resentment of material objects,
accomplishments, or character traits of others, or wishing others to
fail or come to harm. Envy is the root of theft and self-loathing. Dante
defined this as "love of one's own good perverted to a desire to deprive
other men of theirs." An extreme form of greed/avarice. It is associated
with the dog and the color green. The adolescent of the 3 exaggerated
adulthood sins. The punishment in hell for envy is being placed in
freezing water.
7. Pride (Latin,
superbia)
Pride (vanity,
narcissism) — Pride is known as the father of all sins. Pride is a
desire to be more important or attractive to others, failing to give
credit due to others, or excessive love of self (especially holding self
out of proper position toward God). Dante's definition was "love of self
perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbor". In Jacob
Bidermann's medieval miracle play, Cenodoxus, superbia is the deadliest
of all the sins and leads directly to the damnation of the famed Doctor
of Paris, Cenodoxus. Pride was what sparked the fall of Lucifer from
Heaven, and his subsequent transformation into Satan. Vanity and
Narcissism are good examples of these sins and they often lead to the
destruction of the sinner, for instance by the wanton squandering.
We could even go on and
name many of others if we would put our thoughts to it but each person’s
perspective would be different because of the way they have both been
raised and even influenced by their family members, church and friends.
Becoming influenced, by
someone or something, when defined it means:
“The exercise of
moral control over the actions of another”
Even, Psychologist Adam
Cash says, “…social and cultural factors…”
can affect one’s behavior because when it comes to the cognitive factor,
which “focuses on the metal processing of information, including the
specific functions of reasoning, problem solving, and memory,” it shows
us that “…the mental plans and thoughts…” “…guide and cause behavior.”
And it is my personal belief that what “…guides and causes our behaviour,”
is basically those, things or people, that influences us.
We can become
influenced by many things and even in many ways, but what matters the
most is the truth.
Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
2nd
Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) “Be diligent to present yourself approved to
God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth.”
What 2nd
Timothy 2:15 is asking of us is to “study” and to rightfully divide the
word of truth which basically is saying to let scripture interpret
scriptures. And, when we let scripture becomes its own interpreter
So, if we let scripture
becomes it’s own interpreter, what then would be the greatest sin? It
would seem to be that the greatest sin, according to scriptures would
have to be “unbelief” for as John 16 proclaims”
John 16:8-9 (NKJV) “And
when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: 9 “of sin, because they do not
believe in Me;”
So, as we can tell by
the scripture alone it would then be declared that the worse sin would
be none others then “unbelief” wouldn’t you agree?
1st Cor.
1:18, 25 (NKJV) “For the message of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power
of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
Just by reading Numbers
14, we are able to read that Joshua and Jephunneb, who spied out the
land, were encouraging the people to trust in God for if God said He
would do something then He would do it but the people, who Joshua and
Jephunneb spoke to, felt betrayed by God and felt better off back in
bondage in Egypt for it was their they have felt more at peace since
their whole life was spent back there. But, when it comes to true
freedom, sort of like those in Iran who are no longer under the control
of Sadam, they cry out wishing to have the life of bondage instead of
freedom which we can see the doubt within the people because they are
leaning upon their own understandings which Proverbs 3:5-6 asks of us
not to do:
Proverbs 3:4-5 (NKJV)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your
own understanding; 6 In all your ways
acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
Although unbelief would
seem to be the greatest sin, which all humanity has fallen into at
birth, because of the adamic fall:
Romans 5:12 (NKJV)
“…just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through
sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
I, myself, in my own
personal conviction would have to say that there is no such thing as one
sin being greater then the other because when we read the letters of
Christ and even Paul they proclaim:
Matt. 5:27-28 (NKJV)
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not
commit adultery.’ 28 “But I say to you that whoever looks at a
woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his
heart.”
Romans 7:7-12 (NKJV)
“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the
contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I
would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall
not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment,
produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin
was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the
commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the
commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11
For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it
killed me. 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment
holy and just and good.”
Rom 3:23 (NKJV)
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
and by reading what
they are proclaiming we can then see that we have all come short of the
glory of God; although we have come short we do have hope because as
(Gal. 3:24) and (Rom 6:23) proclaims:
Galatians 3:24 (NKJV)
“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might
be justified by faith.”
Rom 6:23 (NKJV)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.”
we can then come to the conclusion that for those
of us whom the Holy Spirit draws we have hope in Christ and today that
hope can be a reality for you all.
