SEVEN DEADLY SINS - IITB 12.02

 

Chapter 12.2

Seven Deadly Sins

1 anger 2  envy 3 gluttony 4 greed 5 lust 6  pride 7 slothfulness Plus spinoffs;

adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, lies,

contentions, jealousies, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, murders,

drunkenness, wicked plots and plans, mischief and evil, false witnesses,  

sowing discord, and revelries.

 

 

 

Depending on where you are in your relationship with God, it makes a difference

on whether this list is considered as normal accepted behavior or “Seven Deadly Sins”.

 

First Word

     The FIRST LIST that the Lord specifically HATES is found in the Book of Proverbs stating SEVEN THINGS that are an abomination to Him.[1]  A proud or haughty look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans and plot, Feet that are swift to run into mischief and evil, A deceitful false witness that utters lies, he that sows and spreads discord among the brethren.

     The SECOND LIST is found in the book of Galatians and includes more of the traditional sins, but with a substantially longer list which includes; Immorality, Impurity, Sensuality, Idolatry, Sorcery, Enmities, Strife, Jealousy, Outbursts of Anger, Disputes, Dissensions, Factions, Envying, Drunkenness and Carousing.  Since the Apostle Paul goes on to say that the persons who practice these sins "shall not inherit the Kingdom of God", they are usually listed as (possible) MORTAL sins rather than just major vices.

     The THIRD LIST is the traditional list that is considered the “CAPITAL” or head of all the other sins handed down through the centuries which is what we will study here; Anger, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride and Slothfulness; they are actually the worship of one’s SELF which is IDOLATRY. 

 

These seven sins are the ORIGIN of all the other sins and ALL are in rebellion against God.

 

Sin Defined

     Scripture comes straight to the point: Sin is Lawlessness in Word, Thought and Deed.[2]  It’s REBELLION against God; DEFIANCE of His holy Lordship and rule; it’s a VIOLATION of what God demands; it is deliberate wrongdoing.  Sin is knowing what you should do and not doing it.[3]

     God is not mocked; whatever a man sows; that he shall also reap.[4]  He will reap more than he sows and for longer than he sows.  

 

The word sin” is an archers term literally meaning To miss the Mark” as missing the mark on the target.  We are urged to press forward to the Mark of God’s high calling for the PRIZE of Jesus Christ.[5]

 

#1 Anger THE SUDDEN SIN

     Anger, Wrath or Rage is a SUDDEN SIN that speaks in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS to the listener. It is an inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred. In its purest form it is violence, self-destructiveness, and hate that may fuel and provoke feuds that can go on for centuries and persist long after the person who did another a grievous wrong is dead. These feelings can manifest in different ways including impatience, revenge, and self-destructive behavior such as drug abuse or suicide.

     Anger indicates that a person’s basic boundaries have been violated.  It’s an emotional response related to one's psychological interpretation of having been threatened.    It involves a strong emotional and uncomfortable reaction or response to a PERCEIVED harm that is considered deliberate or of unfair treatment or provocation by others.

     It is displayed as a correction of wrong behavior by others and a promotion of social justice.  It is when a person makes the conscious decision to take action to immediately stop the threatening behavior of an outside force.  Sometimes anger is released through retaliation, similar to a pressure cooker that cooks until it explodes.

     Physical and Mental Consequences; Anger causes increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and increased levels of adrenaline. It impairs one's ability to process information and to exert cognitive control over their own behavior. An angry person may lose their objectivity, empathy, prudence or thoughtfulness and may cause harm to others. Un-resolved anger turns inward and becomes Depression.

     Changed Countenance:  It can be observed in facial, body language, physiological responses, and at times in public acts of aggression, sometimes making loud sounds, attempting to look physically larger, staring and baring or clinching of one’s teeth.

     Manipulation Strategy: Displays of anger are a result of "what has happened to them personally," the angry person can exhibit Tantrum Behavior that is used as a manipulation strategy for social influence in order to get what they want.

     The Bible teaches to Forgive and forget;[6] to turn the other cheek, to harness the passion of anger for good.[7]   Do good to your enemy; it will be like heaping hot coals on their head.[8]

     Righteous indignation was displayed by Jesus Christ as He chased the merchants out of the Temple; they had turned the House of Prayer into a den of thieves.[9]  

Harness and focus your ZEAL for the things of God.

 

#2 Envy UNSPOKEN DISSATISFACTION

     Envy disparages everything:  its unspoken competition, Jealousy.   It spoils the pleasure of others and Hates everything.  Some are so consumed with ENVY that they are unconscious and totally unaware of it, this is a huge sin leading to anger and is teruly a condition to be pitied.

     Envy is characterized by an insatiable desire similar to jealousy; Envy and Jealousy both feel discontent towards someone's traits, status, abilities, or rewards.  The difference is the envious also desire the entity and covet it.  This runs parallel to the Ten Commandments, specifically, "Don’t be envious of anything that belongs to your neighbor or their status."

     Cain vs: Abel was the first Prototype of envy found in the first book of the Bible when Cain was envious of God’s approval of Abel’s offering.[10]  Abel had a relationship with God while Cain was just going through the motions;[11] this envy led Cain to murder his brother Abel. [12]

     Jacob (Israel) is another example of Envy, when he gave a COAT OF MANY COLORS to his 1st born son of Rachel the sister of Leigh who Jacob was tricked into marring.[13]   Joseph‘s brothers from Leigh and her maid were envious of Joseph’s special coat and plotted to kill him.[14]   Just for the record; Leah had 6 sons, Zilpah her maid, 2 sons.  Rachel 2 sons; Bilhah her maid, 2 sons for a grand total of 12 sons and there was also one daughter by Leah.

     Peggy and Polly were TWINS that I grew up with at church and Peggy was by far the most popular, but as time moved on, Polly’s happy and positive personality drew people to her and Peggy with ENVY withdrew into sarcasm and negativism pushing herself far into the background.  With arms folded, she seemed mad all the time and it slowly CHANGED HER WHOLE FACE.  They were no longer twins. 

     This was sad as she seemed so unaware of how her reactions were being received as people distanced themselves from her.

The Book: Envy is like a cancer that eats you up from the inside out,[15] ENVY ROTS THE BONES.[16]

 

#3 Gluttony THE SIN OF PLEASURE

     Chocolate is naughty, but it’s nice:  Bacon is your friend; the more the better, eat your desert FIRST just in case the RAPTURE comes before you have finished eating.

     GLUTTONY:  The excessive indulgence of food and drink; a longing and thinking of food.  It comes from the Latin meaning the “over indulgence” and “over consumption” of anything to the point of waste.

     Food was the Heart of Jewish observance, it begin with a feast TO SHOW WEALTH and the more you had to eat was symbolic of YOUR PROSPERITY; you should eat as much as possible in case of a bad day, even though that day probably never comes.  Vomiteriums were available in order to get rid of your food so you could go back quickly and GRAZE some more.

     The Epicureans Belief System, their world view was an ethic of individual pleasure as the sole or chief good in life and advocated living in such a way as to derive the greatest amount of pleasure possible during one's lifetime.

     QUAIL HUNT: Greedy cravings revile the Lord:[17] when the Israelites gorged themselves with Quail, God slew the FATTEST of them while the food was still in their mouth;[18] God says if you are given to gluttony, you should just cut your own throat.[19] Gluttony can be interpreted as selfishness; essentially it places concern with one's own interests above the well-being or interests of others.  It is considered a sin when the excessive desire for food causes it to be withheld from the needy.

     We see it in the warning from Paul about taking “communion” or THE LORD’S SUPPER which was for the rich and poor alike.  The rich were pushing ahead eating and getting drunk leaving the poor with little food to be able to even participate.  He said if they were that hungry to eat and home first and then come participate.[20]

The Sin of Gluttony is considered EVIDENCE of lack of control in other areas of your life.

 

#4 Greed - NEVER SATISFIED SIN

     Monopoly:  I first learned of Greed while playing Monopoly, I would buy up all the properties I could and put hotels on them so I could make more money from the rentals and bankrupt the other players who landed on my properties.  Oddly enough, I would often borrow so much money from the bank that I would be the one that would go bankrupt. 

 

Earning more money raises the expectations of what you need.

     I don’t get NO satisfaction:  when does wanting something turn into greed?   I’ll tell you; it’s when you have a very excessive desire and pursuit of material possessions.  Greed exist when you don’t need it, but you would like to have it; when you are wanting more, regardless of what you already have.  It can be defined by TWO different characteristics;

1)   Never satisfied with what you have,

2)   The need to keep hold of what you’ve already got.

Greed exist when you know that there is an injustice going on, but you carry on the injustice so that it does not affect your personal lifestyle. 

Greed spins off Hoarding, Trickery, Manipulation, Theft and Violence.

     The “TRUE STORY of the Rich man and the beggar Lazarus is a great example of Greed; when giving is so hard to do.  The rich man’s attention was on his earthly life and not on the divine.  He could not even give the crumbs from his table to the beggar Lazarus.[21]  Our Excuse; I don’t give to poor people, because it encourages them to NOT get a Job.  Greed like Death is never satisfied.[22]

     When does the desire to acquire become bad?  It’s when you have to have the latest device or a particular brand or some “Bling” that’s showy, so that everyone will know that “YOU HAVE ARRIVED”.

 

The LOVE of money is the root of all evil [23]and DEBT is the punishment for the sin of GREED.

 

#5 Lust MOST POPULAR SIN

     Lust is the Most Popular Sin:  lust is selfishness; an intense desire for money, food, fame, power or sex.  Lust or lechery is an intense desire or drive; SEX is not Love, it’s a function for the pleasure of the body. It deviates into affections for Prostitution, Pornography, Fetish’s; leather, pain, Homosexuality and Lesbianism which the world identifies as just another lifestyle.  A lifestyle that God calls AN ABOMINATION that He groups with the sin of witchcraft.[24]

     The lust of the Flesh is at war with the Spirit, and the Spirit is at war with the flesh.[25]  It starts with your eyes and fires up your imagination,[26] WHICH SPINS OFF 17 MORE SINS;[27] Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, Lewdness,  Idolatry, Sorcery, Hatred, Contentions, Jealousies, Outbursts of Wrath, Selfish Ambitions, Dissensions, Heresies, Envy, Murders, Drunkenness, and Revelries

     God makes it pretty plain about how He feels about the sin of LUST and the cost; He says “DO NOT BE DECEIVED”; the unrighteous; the fornicators, adulterers, the effeminate, and Homosexuals,

 

SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.[28]

 

     BUT WAIT; you are not yet DIED AND FRIED, you can still humble yourself; pray and seek God’s face and TURN from your wicked lifestyle and receive forgiveness.[29]  

 

Did you see it?  Your Life is Choice driven; you do not have to stay where you are!

  

It’s in the Book

#6 Pride ORIGINAL SIN

     Wikipedia:  Pride, is considered the original and the most serious of the SEVEN deadly sins, and is the SOURCE of all the others. It is identified as; believing that oneself is essentially better than others; Pride fails to acknowledge the accomplishments of others and exhibits excessive admiration of the personal self; Pride is a boaster.

     Fat Cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for; they scoff and speak evil; wear pride like a jeweled necklace, clothing themselves with cruelty, seeking to crush others.[30]

     Pride is the love of one’s self; perverted into contempt for others; it’s the overwhelming excessive confidence in one’s self.  It is Self-Love, Pride comes just before the fall, before destruction and before disgrace.[31] I see elected officials who swing their weight around, thinking more highly of themselves than they ought to; then they are caught in their deceit.  They SPIN LIES and WEAVE ILLUSIONS and put up SMOKE SCREENS as they tumble from power to disgrace.

     Pride is considered the deadliest of all the sins and leads directly to damnation as shown in the example of the story of Lucifer, also known as Satan, who displayed pride within himself as he boasted his desire to compete with God; this caused his fall from Heaven.[32] 

     Eve’s Pride: In my BS, I wonder if Eve didn’t think a lot of her own self; possibly thinking in her IMAGINATION[33] that she could know as much as God, the EYE CANDY,[34] was PLEASING TO THE EYE and DESIRABLE FOR GAINING WISDOM, so Eve made a Free Will life decision to eat the forbidden fruit. Pride is the opposite of Humility, is what we think “GOD centered” or “ME centered”?                  Do we hold ourselves out of Proper Position toward God?

 

 

#7 Slothfulness - THE DO NOTHING SIN

     Sloth has been defined as a failure to do things that one should do.   While slothfulness is sometimes defined as PHYSICAL LAZINESS,[35] it’s the SPIRITUAL LAZINESS that is emphasized.  In the Christian faith, the sloth fails to utilize their gifts and talents, and for the most part rejects the grace and spiritual matters of God.

     Slothfulness is a Sin that requires you to just DO NOTHING AT ALL;  it’s a Lack of zeal, an Inability to get going, just browsing or hanging around doing mostly nothing.  From the bar to the bed, then back to the bar.[36]  Evil thrives when slothful men fail to act; this is the sin that fertilizes all the other sins. Sodom was characterized by Pride, Gluttony and slothfulness as well as other detestable sins, and GOD wiped them all out.[37]

Did you see it?

 

FAILING TO DEVELOP YOURSELF SPIRITUALLY IS THE SIN OF SLOTHFULNESS.

 

The Take Away

     THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS; Anger, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride and Slothfulness is actually the worship or IDOLATRY of one’s SELF.  They are the ORIGIN of all the other sins and are in rebellion against God. 

 

The Seven Holy Virtues are the counterparts of The Seven Deadly Sins.

PATIENCE; Anger,

KINDNESS; Envy,

TEMPERANCE; Gluttony,

CHARITY; Greed,

CHASTITY; Lust,

HUMILITY; Pride,

DILIGENCE; Slothfulness.

Humility seems to be the NEUTRALIZER for the Seven Deadly Sins; scripture encourages us to look at the life of Moses as an example of humility as God said he was more humble than any other man.[38]  God teaches His ways to the Humble and blesses them.  SELAH

     Believers are called to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to display the FRUIT of the Spirit.  Although there are some NINE CHARACTERISTICS listed for the Christian’s life, they all compose just ONE FRUIT; Love Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.[39]

 

The SPIRIT FILLED Christian will display ALL the characteristics, not just one or two.

 

 

I confessed to my Mentor Dr. John Harvey, that I just didn’t feel like I was Spirit Filled.  He said why do you think it’s a feeling? It’s not;

Being filled with the Spirit is not what you FEEL, it’s what you DO.

 

 

 



 

[1] Proverbs 6:16-19 – Seven things the Lord hates

[2] 1 John 3:4 – SIN IS LAWLESSNESS.

[3] James 4:17 – Sin is when you know to do good; and don’t

[4] Galatians 6:7-8 – GOD IS NOT MOCKED; you will reap what you sow

[5] Philippians 3:14 – PRESS TOWARD THE MARK FOR THE PRIZE of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus

 

 

[6] Matthew 6:14 – Forgive others their trespasses, and God will forgive you yours. -- Matthew 18:21-22 – FORGIVE SEVENTY-SEVEN TIMES, so many times that you lose count

[7] Luke 6:29 – If someone slaps you on ONE CHEEK, TURN TO THEM the OTHER CHEEK

[8] Proverbs 25:21-22 – Harness your passion for GOOD; IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, GIVE HIM BREAD TO EAT; in this way YOU WILL HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON HIS HEAD,

[9] John 2:14-16 – Have Righteous indignation about misuse of God’s Word   -- John 2:17 – Have a Zeal for the things of God

[10] Genesis 4:4-5 – God looked with favor over Abel and his offering but with Cain and his offering he did not -- Genesis 4:7 SIN LIES AT YOUR DOOR so don’t be envious of others or. SIN will overtake you

[11] Hebrews 11:4 – Abel had FAITH in God, and Cain just went through the motions

[12] Genesis 4:8 – CAIN attacked his brother ABEL and KILLED HIM.

[13] Genesis 37:3 – Jacob showed favoritism and gave Joseph a coat of many colors

[14] Genesis 37:19-20 – Let’s kill Joseph and cast him into some pit

[15] Exodus 20:17 – Don’t be envious; DON'T SET YOUR HEART ON ANYTHING THAT IS YOUR NEIGHBOR'S

[16] Proverbs 14:30 – Envy rots the bones

[17] Psalms 10:3 – GREEDY CRAVINGS REVILES THE LORD.

[18] Psalms 78:30-31 – God slew the FATTEST of them WHILE THE FOOD WAS STILL IN THEIR MOUTHS,

[19] Proverbs 23:2 – PUT A KNIFE TO YOUR THROAT IF YOU ARE GIVEN TO GLUTTONY

[20] 1 Corinthians 11:34LORD’S SUPPER; If you’re hungry you should just eat at home -- 1 Corinthians 11:20-21 – LORD'S SUPPER; don’t forget why you are partaking

[21] Luke 16:19-26 – The Rich man was GREEDY, the Poor man begged for the crumbs from his table

[22] Habakkuk 2:5 - The Greedy are like death; it’s never satisfied

[23] 1 Timothy 6:10 – THE LOVE OF MONEY IS A ROOT OF ALL KINDS OF EVIL

[24] Galatians 5:19-21 – Sexual immorality is grouped with the sins of WITCHCRAFT; an abomination to God and they WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD

[25] Galatians 5:17-18 - The FLESH LUSTS and WARS against the SPIRIT -- 1 John 2:16 – Lust of eyes; NOT from God, IT’S FROM SATAN.

[26] Proverbs 6:25 – Lust starts with the IMAGINATION of the eyes -- Proverbs 15:26 - Lustful thoughts are an abomination to God -- Matthew 5:28 – With the lust of the eyes you have already committed adultery

[27] Galatians 5:19-21 – Lust spends off 17 more sins adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries

[28] 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – The Unrighteous WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

[29] 2 Chronicles 7:14 - Humble yourself and Pray; Turn from your wicked ways and receive Forgiveness

[30] Psalms 73:6-8 - FAT CATS have everything; they wear PRIDE like a jeweled necklace, SCOFFING and SPEAKING ONLY EVIL, SEEKING to CRUSH OTHERS

[31] Proverbs 16:18 – Pride comes and then the fall -- Proverbs 11:2 – When Pride comes, disgrace follows

[32] Ezekiel 28:12-15 – Satan was given Free Will to choose good or evil and his choice give birth to PRIDE in him -- Ezekiel 28:17 – Satan’s PRIDE corrupted his wisdom

[33] Jeremiah 18:12 – The heart is full of EVIL IMAGINATIONS

[34] Genesis 3:6 – Eve’s EYE CANDY was PLEASING TO THE EYE and DESIRABLE FOR GAINING WISDOM and PRIDE guided her FREE WILL decision to eat the forbidden fruit.

[35] Proverbs 19:15 – Laziness makes you go hungry -- Ecclesiastes 10:18 – Laziness make your house fall down

[36] Proverbs 10:4 – A sloth makes himself poor

[37] Ezekiel 16:49-50 – Sodom’s Sins were PRIDE, GLUTTONY and SLOTHFULNESS, SO I WIPED HER OUT

 

[38] Numbers 12:3 - Moses was more humble than anyone else  -- Matthew 5:5 - God blesses those who are humble

[39] Galatians 5:22-23 – Be filled with the FRUIT of the Spirit; there are nine characteristics that make up the one fruit:

LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, and SELF-CONTROL

 

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