A sin of commission refers to a sin that involves actively doing something wrong or immoral according to biblical principles. It is a sin that is deliberately and intentionally committed with full knowledge that the act is sinful. Some key things to understand about sins of commission:
It is doing what is prohibited
A sin of commission involves doing what God’s Word prohibits. There are many actions that Scripture clearly identifies as sinful and believers are commanded to avoid. For example, God’s law forbids murder, stealing, adultery, idolatry, and bearing false witness (Exodus 20:13-16). When a person willfully engages in these acts, knowing they violate God’s commands, it is a sin of commission.
It is disobedience against God
At the heart of a sin of commission is disobedience to God’s revealed will. God has expressed His righteous standards for human conduct in the Bible. When we go against these standards in our actions, it is an act of rebellion and unfaithfulness towards God. It is a refusal to submit ourselves to His lordship. In sinning, we are essentially elevating our own desires above obedience to God. This dishonors Him as we disregard His authority.
It often leads to harm
While sin promises satisfaction, it often leads to great harm. When we engage in what God has forbidden, there are usually negative consequences both for ourselves and for others. For example, adultery may destroy a marriage and family. False testimony can lead to injustice. Stealing deprives others of their property. While sin promises freedom, it actually leads to spiritual bondage and loss of blessing when we go against God’s wise laws.
Examples of sins of commission
There are many examples of sins of commission described in the Bible:
– Theft – Taking something that does not belong to you (Exodus 20:15)
– Murder – Unlawfully taking someone’s life (Exodus 20:13)
– Adultery – Having sexual relations outside of marriage (Exodus 20:14)
– Lying – Speaking falsehood and untruth (Proverbs 12:22)
– Covetousness – Desiring things that belong to others (Luke 12:15)
– Drunkenness – Consuming intoxicating substances irresponsibly (Ephesians 5:18)
– Sorcery – Practicing magic arts and witchcraft (Galatians 5:20)
– Hatred – Nursing ill-will and desiring harm on others (1 John 3:15)
– Gluttony – Habitual overindulgence in food and drink (Proverbs 23:20-21)
It requires repentance
When we sin against God through acts of commission, it creates a breach in our relationship with Him that needs to be dealt with. Thankfully, Scripture promises that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). True repentance involves being grieved over our sin, asking God for forgiveness, and turning away from it by the empowering grace of Christ.
While believers may fall into sin, they will be led by the Spirit to recognize their disobedience, repent, and get back on the path of following Jesus in obedience. Unbelievers, however, remain under condemnation until they repent and put their faith in Christ (Mark 1:15).
It brings judgment
The Bible warns repeatedly that unrepentant sin and disobedience stores up God’s wrath which will be revealed on the day of judgment (Romans 2:5). No one who practices such defiant sin against God’s commands will enter His kingdom, as Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21 and Ephesians 5:5.
Without holiness no one will see God, as Hebrews 12:14 declares. Those who walk in darkness and sin have no fellowship with God (1 John 1:6). But those who continually confess and turn from sin will know His cleansing love.
It shows disregard for Christ’s sacrifice
When Christians deliberately engage in sinful acts, it shows we are not taking seriously the high cost Christ paid to free us from sin’s bondage. Jesus gave His life on the cross to atone for our sins, setting us free from guilt and judgment. Defiantly clinging to sin is a tragic act of ingratitude, after such merciful redemption was purchased for us. It is a heartbreaking trampling underfoot of the Son of God and profaning of His sacrifice for us (Hebrews 10:29).
Examples of sins of commission in Scripture
The Bible contains many examples of sins of commission carried out by various characters:
– Cain murdering his brother Abel in jealousy (Genesis 4:8)
– Judah soliciting prostitution from his widowed daughter-in-law Tamar, thinking she was a shrine prostitute (Genesis 38:15-16)
– The sons of Eli the priest engaging in sexual immorality with women at the tabernacle entrance (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22)
– David committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 11:1-27)
– Solomon turning away from God to worship false idols due to his many foreign wives (1 Kings 11:1-13)
– Achan keeping devoted items for himself, violating God’s command (Joshua 7:20-26)
– Ananias and Sapphira lying to the apostles about money they falsely claimed to give (Acts 5:1-11)
It leads to harm and ruin
The Bible shows how these defiant acts of commission led to enormous harm and ruin in people’s lives. David’s adultery produced lifelong family turmoil and discord. Achan’s secret sin led to military defeat and death for him and his family. Ananias and Sapphira faced immediate judgment.
These examples serve as sobering warnings about the destruction that comes from willful disobedience. They remind us to guard our hearts, resist temptation, obey God’s Word, and rely on the Spirit to walk uprightly. The wages of unchecked sin is death, but God’s gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23).
It requires God’s discipline
Because of His love, God disciplines those He calls His children when they engage in open sin (Hebrews 12:6). His discipline is intended to bring us to repentance and train us in righteousness (Hebrews 12:11). Though painful, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace in those who are trained by it. God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:10).
Examples of God disciplining sin include Him striking Uzzah dead when he wrongly touched the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:7), judging David’s adultery with Bathsheba through the death of their first child (2 Samuel 12:13-18), and inflicting sickness and death on the immoral believers in Corinth who abused the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:29-32).
Forgiveness is available
Though defiant acts of sin are grievous, Scripture offers hope of full forgiveness to all who sincerely repent and turn to Christ. Jesus bore the wrath of God for sins of commission at the cross, granting forgiveness to all who believe in Him (Colossians 2:13-14). No matter how long someone has walked in sin and darkness, God promises that if they confess their sins, He will be faithful and just to forgive them and cleanse them from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Paul declares the glorious truth that where sin increased, God’s grace increased all the more (Romans 5:20). Redemption is readily available to all who turn from sin and turn to the Savior in faith.
Believers can have victory over sin
Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, believers need no longer be enslaved to sin. His Spirit empowers us to say no to sin and pursue obedience to God (Romans 6:12-14). While Christians may struggle with sin and fail at times, as they grow in grace they will manifest increasing victory through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. As God’s Word renews our minds and we present ourselves to Him as instruments of righteousness, the acts of sin we once practiced will diminish.
As believers rely on the Spirit’s help, they can experience freedom from sins that so easily entangle and find grace to walk uprightly in obedience to God’s commands. The pursuit of holiness then becomes a joy as we experience the blessings of obeying God in all things. Our lives will manifest the fruit of the Spirit rather than the acts of the flesh as we walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-24).
Conclusion
While all Christians stumble in sin at times, defiantly practicing what God has forbidden is extremely dangerous for one’s spiritual health. Sins of commission have very serious consequences in our relationship with God and others. Thankfully, God stands ready to forgive all who humbly confess their sins and commit to forsake them by His grace and strength. As believers walk in the light of Christ, in honest admission of sin and dependence on the Spirit’s power, they will see increasing victory over the sinful acts of commission that once enslaved their lives.