What Are the Worst Sins?
Just what are the worst sins a Christian can commit? Would you say it would be to call someone a liar? Maybe it is for a married person to commit adultery. Or, what about deceiving others? Could it be that the worst of all is to murder someone?
We know that all sin is an offense against God. All sin cost God the life of His Son Jesus to provide redemption for a people who could not help themselves. Sin is unquestionably the great reproach against God.
List of Sins
But why are there lists of sins in the Bible? Are some worse than others? Are they listed so that we can be more aware of them in our lives? Could you list all the sins in the Bible and then rank them according to what you think are the worst ones, or maybe make a Top Ten list of sins? Of course you could do that.
What I find interesting is the groupings of sin problems in the Scriptures. Here are a few that stand out to me:
- James 3:16-“For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” Notice that every evil thing is listed with self. Where you find self-seeking, you find every evil thing! That is something that you must avoid!
- Colossians 3:8-“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.” Did you recognize that where you find anger and rage you usually find cursing?
- 1 Peter 4:15-“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.” This caught my attention when I read that a busybody is placed in a list with murderers and thieves!
Busybody
Do you know anyone you would classify as a busybody? The dictionary describes a busybody as a person who is a “meddling or prying person.” These people want to know everything about everybody. They are not content with only knowing a few details of a given situation. They prod and pry until they get all the juicy details. When someone knows more than they do about a situation, they feel left out and insulted.
So, why it so important to see this truth from 1 Peter 4:15? Since a busybody is listed with such strong sins as the ultimate destruction of a person who is murdered, there must be great destruction that comes to the one involved in the lifestyle of a busybody. The sinful life of a busybody is so selfish and desirous of all the details that it elevates them in their mind to be all knowing, an attribute reserved only for God. This sin becomes personal idolatry in wanting to be admired for all the knowledge a person has about a story, a person, a crisis, or anything at all!
In such a media oriented world where the latest news comes to us in a few seconds, the desire to know it all can become a disorienting factor that moves us away from a personal walk with God. Never forget the words of Jesus when Simon Peter asked about what John was doing. Jesus said, “ If I want him to stay (survive, live) until I come, what is that to you? [What concern is it of yours?] You follow Me!“ (John 21:22, Amplified)
Be careful that you keep your focus on Christ and avoid the need to take care of everyone else’s business.
Remember, you are just a repentant prayer away from being back in fellowship with God. What great news!