Deadly Sins Lev 24:10-16 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
While the laws of man have certainly changed over time, God’s attitude toward sins that are now legal has not changed. We are going to study deadly sins today just as a reminder of what God thinks about sins that are not only legal but now commonplace. We are studying these deadly sins so that when you consider committing one or more of them, you won’t make your decision solely based upon its societal acceptance or its legality.
You need to take God’s view into consideration because ultimately you will face him at a judgment. You will give account of your sin before him. Thus, you may decide, after hearing God’s side, not to commit the sin. And though you often see that the Lord provides forgiveness in the New Testament, his forgiveness and forbearance are the result of what Jesus did at Calvary and not the result of his changed attitude. See Rev 21:8; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21.
Some of the deadly sins are these:
Blasphemy – Lev 24:10-16 – blaspheming the name of the Lord was a capital crime with immediate execution in the Old Testament. Taking the name of the Lord in vain is commonplace in Hollywood, among soldiers, in sports, in business, in comedy, in literature and so forth. Though Paul caused Christians to blaspheme before he was saved and the Lord spared him, he never once committed this sin or caused others to do so after he was saved. So, quit cussing!
Adultery – Lev 20:10 – adultery was a capital crime with immediate execution in the Old Testament. Though the Lord forgave the woman taken in adultery in Jn 8, he told her to go and sin no more. The young man fornicating with his father’s wife in 1 Cor 5 was removed from the congregation. He was not forgiven and received in again until he repented and quit this sin. So, do not even think about committing this sin. But if you already have, then thank God that you were spared and then cut it out!!
Homosexuality – Lev 20:13; Rom 1:26-28, 32; and bestiality Lev 20:15-16 – these were capital crimes in the Old Testament. Romans 1 is clear in the New Testament that those who commit such sins are worthy of death. Again, forgiveness for this sin is available in the New Testament [1 Cor 6:9-11], but the Lord does not approve of or condone this sin. If you are involved in it, stop it; if you aren’t involved in it, then don’t get started!!
Pre-marital sex – Deut 22:13-21 – in this case, the man marries a woman whom he believes to be a virgin. After they are married, he realizes that she was not a virgin. When the evidence is presented to the men of her city she is stoned. Of course, in the New Testament there is forgiveness for this sin. But that is because of Christ’s propitiation. The Lord neither condones nor approves of this sin. Many commit it today thinking that it is either okay with God or that since he is going to forgive them they’ll just commit it anyway. Don’t do this and if you already have, stop!!
Drunkenness and Gluttony – Deut 21:18-21 – this fellow’s trouble was mixed with stubbornness and rebellion. He didn’t live past his teen years. 1 Cor 6:9-11 shows us that many in Corinth were forgiven and cleansed from this sin. But they quit and that’s the key. If you are stubborn, yield. If you are rebellious, obey. If you are drinking, stop. If you are a glutton, learn to control your appetite!!
Witchcraft – Ex 22:18; Lev 20:27 – witches in the Old Testament were to be stoned. The Lord and the disciples cast these devils out of people in the New Testament. Someone in the New Testament who recognized the involvement of evil spirits in another person’s life would be foolish to think that God was fine with them being demon possessed.
Conclusion: There are people and even professing Christians involved with these sins today and just because they haven’t fallen over dead doesn’t mean that God has changed his mind about their sin. If anything, his forbearance is a testimony to the power of the shed blood of Jesus and the Lord’s willingness to extend mercy to them. Repent of your sin. And if you haven’t gotten into one of these things, don’t!!