Now, I want to ask a second question, we'll see how far we get. What sin is the most serious? We know what sin is, it is any violation of the law of God and we're never going to be sensitive to sin unless we are constantly made sensitive to the law of God and you do that through the teaching of the Word because the culture is just drowning people, including Christian people, in this new morality and this new psychological explanation for iniquity and this new garbage about self-esteem and the need to build your ego. We know what sin is only as we are exposed to the Word of God and I think it has to happen all the time. This is not a time for short sermons that are interesting, this is a time for long sermons that are demanding. Keeping a pure life is very very challenging in this time. And we need to hear the Word of God.
But let's go a little deeper. What is the most serious sin? What sin is most serious? And I'll tell you what the answer is, the medieval theologians had it right, it's the sins of the mind. It's the sins of the mind. Jesus said it, it's out of the heart that the mouth speaks. It's what's in the man's heart that comes out that is so defiling. And the real challenge in our lives, beloved, is to keep a pure mind. And that is very challenging. And I believe the only way that's going to happen is to be continually brought, as it were, to the feet of the Word of God and to have it convictingly proclaimed. Actually the Seven Deadly Sins of medieval theology were not behaviors at all, they were sins in the mind, all of them. And no sin is more destructive to the conscience than the sin that takes place in the arena of the mind. Sins in the mind assault the conscience like no other sins because, listen to me, the conscience is the only deterrent.
A Christian friend can be a deterrent to a sin of the tongue, can't he? You're going to watch you say if you're around another Christian, is that not true? A Christian friend, a husband, a wife, a child is going to be a deterrent to sins of action. But the only deterrent that you have in your entire life to sins of the mind is your...what?...your conscience. And you need to feed the Word of God constantly into your mind so that your conscience really operates with full power. Your conscience needs to be able to be so sensitive to the sins of your mind so that you can enjoy the kind of thing that Paul enjoyed when he said our proud confidence is this, the testimony of a good conscience. You've got to deal with the sins of the mind. Only you and only God know about them. First Corinthians 2:11says, "Who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?" Who knows? Nobody knows, just you in your own spirit. Many people who won't do evil deeds are nevertheless boldly evil in their thoughts. They won't act evil things because there is peer pressure and there are compelling reasons not to but they are very involved in evil in their minds. A man who, for example, abstains from fornication for fear of getting caught might convince himself that it's all right to indulge in his own mind in salacious fantasies because he thinks no one will ever discover such a private sin. The fact of the matter is the sin he deliberately entertains in his mind may be a thousand times more evil than anything he would ever think of doing before others. And Scripture says his guilt is the same before God as if he acted it out. That's why his conscience is so demanding, so relentless.
You see, to indulge in sins of thought, to indulge in those kinds of things is to molest your conscience directly. And that's to just have unending guilt and the absence of joy. Those who thoughts are impure cannot have pure consciences. The guilt is inherent in the evil thought. When the thoughts are defiled the conscience immediately is defiled and the conscience screams. To the pure, said Paul to Titus in chapter 1 verse 15, "All things are pure but to those who are defiled nothing is pure but both their mind and their conscience are defiled." When the mind is defiled the conscience is defiled. Nothing damages the conscience more than the habit of indulging in evil thoughts. Unfortunately once it's begun the practice becomes all too easy. And by the way, this is sin that doesn't need any opportunity. Have you noticed that? It doesn't require anybody or anything or any particular place. Sins of the mind can happen any time, anywhere, under any circumstance and that is why when you begin to cultivate sins of the mind you are putting yourself in an absolutely terrorizing situation because you can't escape it. There are some sins you can flee, not the sins of the mind.
So, it is destructive beyond anything else. You think that it's okay because it's not on the outside and everybody thinks all is well. And the truth of the matter is it is worse on the inside because it is undetected by others and therefore breeding habitual iniquity by engaging the mind and the emotions and the desire and the memory and the imagination, thought sins. You will turn your soul toward sinful habits that kind of follow a flow. Sow a thought reap an act, sow an act reap a habit, sow a habit reap a character, sow a character reap a destiny.
You can find the rest of this here: Keeping a Pure Mind.
These may also help: Examine Yourself /
Are You a False Convert? | Weekly Wisdom /http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-qna/BQ072913/how-to-take-up-your-cross / Titus 2:12 Commentary
No comments or likes necessary. I'm not judging anyone, I just thought this might help.
Here are links to other threads I've posted: http://christianchat.com/christian-young-adults-forum/91627-helping-out.html
http://christianchat.com/christian-young-adults-forum/92101-helping-out-2-a.html
But let's go a little deeper. What is the most serious sin? What sin is most serious? And I'll tell you what the answer is, the medieval theologians had it right, it's the sins of the mind. It's the sins of the mind. Jesus said it, it's out of the heart that the mouth speaks. It's what's in the man's heart that comes out that is so defiling. And the real challenge in our lives, beloved, is to keep a pure mind. And that is very challenging. And I believe the only way that's going to happen is to be continually brought, as it were, to the feet of the Word of God and to have it convictingly proclaimed. Actually the Seven Deadly Sins of medieval theology were not behaviors at all, they were sins in the mind, all of them. And no sin is more destructive to the conscience than the sin that takes place in the arena of the mind. Sins in the mind assault the conscience like no other sins because, listen to me, the conscience is the only deterrent.
A Christian friend can be a deterrent to a sin of the tongue, can't he? You're going to watch you say if you're around another Christian, is that not true? A Christian friend, a husband, a wife, a child is going to be a deterrent to sins of action. But the only deterrent that you have in your entire life to sins of the mind is your...what?...your conscience. And you need to feed the Word of God constantly into your mind so that your conscience really operates with full power. Your conscience needs to be able to be so sensitive to the sins of your mind so that you can enjoy the kind of thing that Paul enjoyed when he said our proud confidence is this, the testimony of a good conscience. You've got to deal with the sins of the mind. Only you and only God know about them. First Corinthians 2:11says, "Who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?" Who knows? Nobody knows, just you in your own spirit. Many people who won't do evil deeds are nevertheless boldly evil in their thoughts. They won't act evil things because there is peer pressure and there are compelling reasons not to but they are very involved in evil in their minds. A man who, for example, abstains from fornication for fear of getting caught might convince himself that it's all right to indulge in his own mind in salacious fantasies because he thinks no one will ever discover such a private sin. The fact of the matter is the sin he deliberately entertains in his mind may be a thousand times more evil than anything he would ever think of doing before others. And Scripture says his guilt is the same before God as if he acted it out. That's why his conscience is so demanding, so relentless.
You see, to indulge in sins of thought, to indulge in those kinds of things is to molest your conscience directly. And that's to just have unending guilt and the absence of joy. Those who thoughts are impure cannot have pure consciences. The guilt is inherent in the evil thought. When the thoughts are defiled the conscience immediately is defiled and the conscience screams. To the pure, said Paul to Titus in chapter 1 verse 15, "All things are pure but to those who are defiled nothing is pure but both their mind and their conscience are defiled." When the mind is defiled the conscience is defiled. Nothing damages the conscience more than the habit of indulging in evil thoughts. Unfortunately once it's begun the practice becomes all too easy. And by the way, this is sin that doesn't need any opportunity. Have you noticed that? It doesn't require anybody or anything or any particular place. Sins of the mind can happen any time, anywhere, under any circumstance and that is why when you begin to cultivate sins of the mind you are putting yourself in an absolutely terrorizing situation because you can't escape it. There are some sins you can flee, not the sins of the mind.
So, it is destructive beyond anything else. You think that it's okay because it's not on the outside and everybody thinks all is well. And the truth of the matter is it is worse on the inside because it is undetected by others and therefore breeding habitual iniquity by engaging the mind and the emotions and the desire and the memory and the imagination, thought sins. You will turn your soul toward sinful habits that kind of follow a flow. Sow a thought reap an act, sow an act reap a habit, sow a habit reap a character, sow a character reap a destiny.
You can find the rest of this here: Keeping a Pure Mind.
These may also help: Examine Yourself /
Are You a False Convert? | Weekly Wisdom /http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-qna/BQ072913/how-to-take-up-your-cross / Titus 2:12 Commentary
No comments or likes necessary. I'm not judging anyone, I just thought this might help.
Here are links to other threads I've posted: http://christianchat.com/christian-young-adults-forum/91627-helping-out.html
http://christianchat.com/christian-young-adults-forum/92101-helping-out-2-a.html