Skip to main content

The Seven Deadly Sins


The Seven Deadly Sins

 If you don’t know what the seven deadly sins are then here is the list . . .

Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Sloth
Envy
Wrath
Pride

Turn on the TV.  Watch just about any movie. Pay attention to your own life and you will see Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Wrath and Pride. It can sometimes be difficult to talk about sin in general and it can get a little more complex within a Church setting. Within the Church some have abused others by using the word sin to heap on shame, fear and guilt. The word has even been used to threaten and manipulate people within the Church. Adding to these complexities there is often a silent assumption that when the word sin is used, in Church or elsewhere, everybody has the same understanding as to what that word means. Thus the word sin has been abused by some and is probably confusing for others. So does that mean that we should just throw the word out?  No

Yet we need to recognize that talking about sin is difficult for various reasons. Not difficult because it is uncomfortable, awkward or socially taboo. It’s just difficult because life is complex and people come to the word sin with different kinds of baggage and traditions. Over the next few weeks I will post on each of the seven deadly sins. Does this mean that the next seven posts will be torture? Well that is a possibility. However, might I suggest that you could use these next seven posts as an opportunity to take a take a step towards honesty about your own actions, behaviors, and habits.

In Matthew 7:3-5 Jesus says: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Jesus says first take the plank out of you own eye and then you will see clearly to take speck out the sawdust of your brother’s eyes. We Christians typically excel at looking for specks of sawdust in other people’s eyes. We like to look into the lives of others and suggest that the problem is with them all the while we need to remove the plank of wood sticking out of our own eye.

Consider the next few posts as an invitation to do a spiritual self examination. This is an opportunity to take the plank out of your own eye so that you might see clearly. If one or all of these posts makes you uncomfortable then pay attention to that because that might be a sign of something you need deal with.

I will not bore you with how we got these seven deadly sins. However, these seven deadly sins used to be called capital vices. The word capital comes from a Latin root word that means chief or head. A capital vice is the chief vice or lead vice. Thomas Aquinas was a Christian theologian who lived around the 1200s. He writes that a vice is a habit that inclines one to sin.[1] A helpful way of thinking about these seven deadly sins is in the sense of habits. They are habits that are in our daily lives and incline us to various sins.

For example one of the Ten Commandments is to not commit adultery. How does one do that? I suppose you could simply answer that you don’t commit adultery and therefore I have kept the commandment. But let’s say you do commit adultery. Where did that begin? How did you get to that particular place where you committed adultery? By examining the seven deadly sins perhaps we might better recognize the habits that we have formed in our daily lives that bend us towards sin. These capital vices are habits that we carry around with us and we should take them seriously.

Your sin, weaknesses, habits and vices, are not really overcome. You don’t wake up one day and you are like “I am victorious over lust!” It is rather that sin is transformed. You bring your habits, vices, sins, weaknesses and failures to God and God meets you there. In fact it is in your sins – those cracks in your life – that the light of God is let in. God does not say get rid of your sin first and then we can talk. It is the opposite. You bring your sins with you. These seven deadly sins or vices and habits offer an invitation. The invitation is to bring your vices to God and allow him to transform your life. This is where folks who have ever been to or through a 12 step program have an advantage. When you go to the meeting you stand and say “My name is ____________ and I am an alcoholic.” Even if you have been sober for years and years there is a recognition that you still carry the wounds, weaknesses and failures with you. Thus by looking at the seven deadly sins you expose the vices, habits and sin in your life which allows an opportunity for God to transform your life.


[1] A capital vice is that which has an exceedingly desirable end so that in his desire for it, a man goes on to the commission of many sins, all of which are said to originate in that vice as their chief source. - Summa Theologiae, II-II, 153, 4

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thoughts on The Widening of God's Mercy by Hays and Hays

When I heard about the book by Hays and Hays titled The Widening of God Mercy I was intrigued. I had read Richard Hays' book The Moral Vision of the New Testament in seminary, especially the chapter on homosexuality. I ended up adopting much, if not all, of Hays' position on homosexuality and often used his reasoning while serving as a church minister.  I have read other things that Richard Hays has written such as Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness and found it beneficial to my understanding of Jesus and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. When it was suggested that Richard Hays might have changed his mind about what he wrote in  The Moral Vision of the New Testament  on homosexuality, I wanted to find out for myself.  My Context I spent over ten years doing youth ministry in the local church. I now know many adults who used to be teenagers in my youth group. Some of those adults are gay or lesbian. That means unbeknownst ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Power of Touch

Some folks like to hug, and others would rather eat glass than get a hug. Okay, maybe not eat glass but they aren’t into hugs. You know who you are! Wherever you might be on the hug me or don’t hug me spectrum our human bodies were designed for human contact to thrive.1,2 Physical touch like a hug or holding a person’s hand can reduce pain, lower cortisol levels, boost immune responses, and foster empathy. Physical touch can also have a positive impact on our emotional health as well. It is a powerful moment when you feel down, outcast, and excluded and someone acknowledges your humanity with a handshake, hug, or hand placed on your shoulder. The point is there is power in human touch that goes beyond what our eyes can see. Frederick Buechner in his book  Whistling in the Dark talks about the power of human touch when he writes:  I hear your words. I see your face. I smell the rain in your hair, the coffee on your breath. I am inside me experiencing you as you are inside you ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chaplains can do more than pray

Chaplains have been instrumental in helping companies navigate various changes and challenges by providing emotional, mental, and spiritual support to employees. Here are some examples: Crisis Management and Emotional Support: Chaplains provide critical support during crises, such as dealing with the aftermath of accidents or deaths. For instance, a chaplain was able to care for employees at a truck stop following a shooting incident, offering much-needed emotional support and maintaining contact with the affected manager. They also help employees cope with personal crises, such as marriage and parenting issues, financial challenges, and mental health concerns like stress and anxiety. This support allows employees to remain focused and productive at work. Improving Workplace Culture and Morale: Chaplains contribute to a positive workplace culture by showing that employee well-being is a priority. This can lead to lower turnover rates, increased job satisfaction, and higher productivit...
Post a Comment
Read more