Am I Really A Sinner?

TL; DR: Yes, You’re A Sinner; The List Of Sins God Despises Is Unavoidable

But Fear Not – God Will Forgive You

Perhaps you fall into this category: “I don’t really think of myself as a sinner.  I’m generally a good person, I’m generally helpful with others, I generally do the right thing and I generally tell the truth.  Also, I haven’t stolen anything nor killed anyone lately.”  That statement likely describes most people, Christian and non-Christian alike.  For sure, that’s all good but there’s much more to consider.

When we think about sin, we most likely begin with the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 within the Bible.  Those commandments from God are excellent, of course – afterall, most are at the core of civil society – but those are just the first set of sins defined by God.  The Bible has a great deal more to say about behavior that God loves and behavior that God despises.

What about the seven deadly sins: lust, sloth, greed, gluttony, wrath, envy, and pride?  Is that the list of sins we need to avoid?  Yes and no. Most of those are also sinful but there are problems.  First, that list was defined by a Christian monk in the 4th century AD and later codified within Roman Catholic Church doctrine by Pope Gregory I in the 6th century.  Second, the list was defined as a set of sins that could not be forgiven.

At issue here is the notion of “seven deadly sins” as being more Catholic tradition than biblical doctrine.  Nowhere are they called out specifically in the Bible nor are they defined as unforgivable or even the total list of sins.  In fact, it’s arguable whether sloth and gluttony are specifically sinful.

What Does The Bible Really Say About Sin?

The most fundamental commandments regarding sin come directly from the mouth of Jesus Christ.  In Mark 7, right after Jesus chastises some Pharisees regarding their excessive traditions and unjust hypocracy, he begins to teach the rest of the crowd around him:

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” (Mark 7:15-16)

He goes on to declare all foods as clean – a revolutionary statement against the Jewish food laws of the time – but more importantly, he continues:

And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23 with a similar set in Matthew 15:18-19)

Note the alignment with some of the Ten Commandments and seven deadly sins but there’s more: evil thoughts, wickedness and foolishness.  Also note envy, deceit, pride, sensuality, and coveting.  Are any of us truly free from all those sins of the heart?

Paul adds more sins of the heart in his letter to the Galatian church as he describes what it is like to live a life of sin “in the flesh” and not a life through the Holy Spirit:

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  (Galatians 5:19-21)

Emnity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions and divisions.  Are any of us free from some or all of those sins?

A Side Note On Idolatry

Consider the wider implication of “idolatry”.  What do you worship in your life?  It’s not so much about bowing down to a piece of carved wood or stone.  It’s more about what you love more than God or what you spend more time thinking about, dreaming about, cherishing, and worshipping.  Is it your net worth, social status, physical appearance, social media likes/followers, political power, job title, relationships, children, social cause, adoration from others?  From these examples, consider whether you love and treasure anything or anyone in your life more than God.  And be honest with yourself.

More Sins From The Bible

Paul documents more sins in some of his other letters.  For instance, in Romans 1:29-32, Paul adds malice/maliciousness, gossiping, haughtiness, insolence, boastful, inventors of evil, heartlessness, ruthlessness, faithlessness, disobedience to parents, and haters of God.  In Colossians 3, Paul adds evil desire and obscene talk.  In 2 Timothy 3, he adds those who are lovers of self, lovers of money, abusive, ungrateful, unappeasable, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, and reckless.  And in 1 Timothy 1, he adds lying, perjury, slavery and men who practice homosexuality.

Perhaps now you can see that, because of our sinful nature, we are unable to avoid one or many of these sins in our lives.  It’s likely none of us can go through a day, a week or perhaps a month without committing at least one sin.  Compound that across every day, week and month of our adult lives and you should surely realize that we are all sinners.

Our Sin Separates Us From God

The notion of our sinful nature pervades the Old Testament as well.  Much of the discussion in those books has to do with how ancient Israel atoned for sin and how they angered God by worshipping false idols.  All that starts in the Garden of Eden with the original sin perpetrated by Adam and Eve.  But it is essential to realize that the definition of sin throughout the Old Testament is consistent with the wisdom from Jesus and Paul above.  The wisdom books of Psalms and Proverbs say much about this underlying theme.

For instance, the entirety of Proverbs 6 echos many of the same sentiments.  Verses 16-19 can be viewed as a summary of the whole chapter:

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.  (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Elsewhere in Proverbs, the overarching point is even more clear.  23 times in that book the authors include a sentence analogous to “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.” (Proverbs 15:9)

Futhermore, the whole of the Old Testament makes it clear that sin creates a separation from God preventing us from enjoying a full relationship with Him.  Isaiah 59 says:

Behold, the Lord‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.  (Isaiah 59:1-2)

This perspective is also echoed throughout the New Testament.  For example, John writes:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

For more clarity on sin creating separation from God, listen to this 5 minute video featuring some very direct insights from R. C. Sproul, one of the great theologians of recent times.  Sproul makes it clear that God truly detests the wicked.

The Path To Redemption With God Is Clear

Fortunately, God is both merciful and gracious.  He sacrificed His son to save us from our sins.  Belief in Jesus Christ as our savior from sin is all that’s needed for redemption and for establishing a close relationship with God.  For more on establishing a close relationship with God, check out the page on Developing A Close Relationship With God or follow the arrow below.

Still, you may wonder whether you’re worthy of redemption with God.  Perhaps you think your past sins are too great for forgiveness.  Is it possible you think your sins are too great for God, the creator of the universe and the creator of life, to forgive?  Like He’s never seen someone like you before?  Doubtful.

The New Testament makes it very clear that your sin is not too great for God.  Consider these verses:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sin which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  (Ephesians 2:1-9)

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  (Hebrews 4:16)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Those are just a few of many places within the New Testament where the Bible makes it clear that belief in Christ for salvation from sin is sufficient for our redemption and for drawing closer to God.

So, despite all your sins, are you worthy of God’s forgiveness through belief in Jesus Christ for salvation?  Yes, absolutely.

Listen to this 4 minute video from the John Ankerberg Show.  Here John discusses the impacts of too much sin on salvation with renowned biblical scholar Dr. Gary Habermas.