“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17 NKJV
There are sins of omission and commission. The sin of omission is one of the greatest sins. Think of it this way. If we are doing what we ought to do, then we won’t have time to do what we shouldn’t do. The command to PRAY is something many believers omit in their lives, but don’t consider it to be a sin. Yet, the Bible tells us differently. Jesus commanded His disciples to pray.
- Luke 21:36 New King James Version – Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
- James 4:17 New King James Version – Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
It is a GREATER sin to fail to do what you should do. The fool says in his heart, there is no God.
The bigger fool is the man who believes in God, but doesn’t live like he believes in God. The sin of omission is a deceiving sin. It is hard to see. Consider the Account of the Good Samaritan. The religious leaders didn’t show mercy, while someone they considered to be a sinner was actually the better person.
- Luke 10:30-37 New King James Version – 30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
CONSIDER THE PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE. Jesus cursed that fig tree because it was not bearing fruit AND IT HAD LEAVES ON IT. Figs with leaves normally have ripe fruit. So the fig tree looked the part but wasn’t producing.
- Matthew 21:18-19 New King James Version – 18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.
What do we have to do to be lost? NOTHING. Being lost is a sin of omission. We are born into sin. Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are lost if we do not ask Jesus into our lives as Lord and Savior.
- John 3:16-18 New King James Version – 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
The sin of omission is also not helping people when we have the opportunity to do so. DON’T AVOID PEOPLE so you don’t feel obligated to HELP THEM. EVERYONE CAN DO SOMETHING. Kindness makes a difference. Sometimes people who commit a lot of obvious sins can show more kindness than believers who seem to live a morally good life!
God will often ask us to do something that won’t make sense. But listen to the Holy Spirit and obey even if it doesn’t make sense.
