TOD 04.07.08

Is there such a thing as unintentional sin? You might initially say not, because sin is such a serious thing that it seems to require premeditation. Besides, we know that knowing something is wrong and still doing it is much worse than just doing the wrong thing. So it seems strange to use one label for things of such different degree. But this is precisely what Jesus taught.

Lust doesn’t seem like adultery, but it is. Coveting doesn’t seem like theft, but it is. Hatred doesn’t seem like murder, but it is. And the most common kind of idolatry, though He didn’t give the example, is inadvertent. It’s allowing yourself to act as if you are worshipping something other than God with your time, talent, and treasure. Perhaps the biggest problem people in this generation have is not that they sin. It’s that they don’t even know they do.

And how can someone recognize his need for a Savior to cure him of an illness that everyone around him claims he doesn’t even have? And even if he is persuaded to take the medicine, how much love can be expected from him who thinks he is only forgiven for little?