Brimstone: The Art And Act Of Holy NonjudgmentSample

Omission and Commission

Consider God’s voice to us at the end of the New Testament in Revelation 3:16 regarding the sin of apathy: “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” If there are any words that could be paired like peanut butter and jelly and used to describe the church in America, I think most of us would agree apathetic and lukewarm probably fit.

Do you see the self-righteousness? We think because we don’t swear, watch R-rated movies, or eat without praying, we are better than those who do. Or because our sexual sins are with the opposite sex or they’re in our minds while we watch porn, it’s not as bad as sexual sins with the same sex. Well, sin is simply missing the mark of God’s perfection, so it includes not just doing things we shouldn’t (aka sins of commission) but also not doing all sorts of things Jesus asks us to do (aka sins of omission). Fine, you don’t smoke or chew or date girls who do, but how are you doing on loving your neighbor as much as yourself? You don’t cheat on your taxes, but are you regularly helping orphans and widows in their distress? You don’t want R-rated movies, but do you give generously and sacrificially to things that matter to God? All the things we do that we are not supposed to do are sins—and all the things we don’t do that we should do are also sins. It’s all missing the mark.

To help you assess your own level of self-righteousness, make a list of sins you commit regularly and then list sins you omit regularly. (I’ve done this myself—and my level of self-righteousness is higher than I’d like to admit.) For most people who take this seriously, the sins of omission are far more extensive than those committed, but it all counts as not measuring up to the way of Jesus.