Tag Archives: Sins of Omission and Commission

Sins of Omission

Ash Wednesday

February 26, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-17

For I know my transgressions,
   and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
   and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
   and blameless when you pass judgement.
Indeed, I was born guilty,
   a sinner when my mother conceived me. –Psalm 51:3-5

Do we know our transgressions? The above scripture is attributed to David after his affair with Bathsheba.  We all can recall something we have done that made us miss the mark God set for us. Most of us probably were aware that the actions we were drawn too would separate us from God before we committed it. I think each time we deal with any of the temptations of life it paves the way for us to slip further down the rabbit hole of more and more temptations which eventually do not seem like temptations at all. These are our sins of commission which usually catch up with us and we must face the consequences of those actions. I see God’s rules as being designed to help us avoid such mistakes.

I fear though that many of us who follow the laws of government and Bible and seek to avoid the traps of temptation fail at recognizing our sins of omission. In Matthew 25, Jesus does not assert that we will be judge by doing the things we know we should not do. Jesus tells us we will be judged primarily by not doing the things we should do. Feed the hungry, clothe the poor, etc. In other words, love one another.

Today as we begin the journey of Lent, we must also begin a time of self-evaluation and yes we need to curb our sins of commission but more importantly we need to get on with the business of being Christ’s disciples in the world today loving the world to wholeness.

Prayer: Lord, guide us as we pursue recognition of our transgressions. Forgive us and show us the better way of love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Forgiveness of Sins

Eastertide
April 5, 2018

Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:1-2:2

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. –1 John 1:5-10

Most of us probably have a list of behaviors that we classify as sins; most of which we probably never do. Other people commit them. We are not commanded to confess the sins we believe others are doing. And I doubt if many of us consider our acts of omission as sins. Before we can confess our sins we must identify them. Jesus provided a list of sins that we probably need to add to ours since I doubt most of us have them on our list:

  • Not feeding the hungry
  • Not providing water for the thirsty
  • Not welcoming the stranger
  • Not clothing the naked
  • Not caring for the sick
  • Not restoring the prisoner to wholeness*

While I do believe donating to the church or other charities is necessary and a good thing to consolidate our help and make it go a little further, these are all calls to personal action. I am not sure we are required to do all of them at once. Some have committed their lives to bring water to the people of the Congo, others have dedicated themselves to resettling refugees, and many work on restorative justice, all being Christ’s hands and feet and heart to a broken world.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to see our own sins of both omission and commission. As we name them before you forgive us. Turn us toward seeing opportunities to be our part of your Body at work toward fulfilling your vision of our world. Amen.

*See Matthew 25:31-46

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.