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I wish that I could truly say that I perpetually hate sin in every form. However, I would be lying to make such a claim. If stated honestly, I find that the sins that I hate all the time are sins that I have no disposition to commit!

Sins that are a temptation to me are not truly hated all the time; sometimes they seem an attractive shortcut to pleasure and feelings of well being. Among such sins are unwarranted anger, the withholding of good from those that I find unsavory, and frequently knowing what is good and simply refusing to take that path. I find that I can justify these sins in my mind. I can justify them, for one reason, because of who they hurt or who is wronged by them. I can tell myself that they are “victimless crimes.” Today's devotional will show that there is no such thing as “victimless crimes [sins].”

It is commonly thought that David penned the fifty-first Psalm after being confronted concerning his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and then murdering her husband, Uriah (see 2 Samuel 11 & 12 for a full account of this heinous chapter in David's life). Whether this is the case or not, the point extracted from this Psalm of Penitence remains the same. Consider the first four verses: “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight — That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.” (Psalm 51.1-4).

In one respect, it could not be denied that David had sinned against many other people in his affair with Bathsheba and in having Uriah killed. However, there is another sense (and obviously the sense in which David was speaking) that his sin was “Against God and God alone!” I am fully convinced that until we can understand this principle, we cannot truly understand the depths of evil that are involved with all wilful sin. It is the failure to understand this principle that leads to the concept of big sins and little sins!

First, all sin involves God! Note a passage from Leviticus which shows this to be the case. “If a person sins and commits a trespass against the LORD by lying to his neighbor...” (Leviticus 6.2). You are encouraged to read the entire passage, but it is clear that even a little sin like lying to one's neighbor is a sin against God. And in fact, the forgiveness that must be obtained on order to be guiltless is God's forgiveness. From a purely human viewpoint, an entity apart from the wronged person, CANNOT forgive a trespass. If I fail to treat you humanely, a third party has no authority to pronounce me guiltless; it is your affair to settle and yours alone. However, from a spiritual viewpoint, it is God who has been wronged! God was the lawmaker who decreed that we are to treat one another with human dignity and it is His law that is broken when we fail to do so.

James clearly stated this principle: “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder.'” (James 2.8-11). God is ultimately the offended party when we sin! This principle puts sin in God's perspective and takes it out of the realm of human judgement! (series continued).

Questions:

1. Which sins does God hate? Do human beings have the same view of sin that God does? Why or why not?

2. In what way was David's sin with Bathsheba a sin that was against God and God alone (Hint: Who made the law, “Do not commit adultery”?)

3. When we show partiality, why is that a sin? Who declared it to be wrong?

4. As long as sin is seen from a human perspective, what effect will it have on our attitude toward it?

"Inspiration For You" from Randy Mitchell

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