One’s Own Criterion Is a Sin before God
by
PAUL C. JONG
To fail to live by His will is a sin before God. It is the same as not believing in His Word. God said that it was a sin to live as the Pharisees, who rejected God’s commandments and put more importance on their own traditional teachings. Jesus considered the
Pharisees to be hypocrites.
“Which God do you believe in? Do you really revere and exalt Me? You boast about My name, but do you really honor Me?” People only look at outer appearances and disregard His Word. The most serious sin is to disregard His Word. Are you aware of this? The lawless deeds that originated from our weaknesses are mere iniquities. The mistakes we make and the wrongs we commit due to our imperfections are not fundamental sins, but faults. God distinguishes sins from iniquities. Those who disregard His Word are sinners, even if they have no faults. They are great sinners before God. That is why Jesus scolded the Pharisees. In the Pentateuch, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, there are commandments that tell us what to do and what not to do. They are the Word of God, His commandments. We may not be able to keep them 100%, but we should recognize them as His commandments. He has given them to us from the beginning and we must accept them as God’s Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then He said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” He created everything. Afterwards, He established the Law. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and He is the Word” (John 1:1, 14). How, then, does God show Himself to us? He shows Himself through His commandments because God is the Word and the Spirit. Therefore, what do we call the Bible? We callit the word of God. It is said here, “For laying aside the
commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men.” There are 613 articles in His Law. Do this but don’t do that, honor your parents...etc. In Leviticus, it states how men and women should act and what to do when a domestic animal falls into a ditch.... There are 613 such articles in His Law. Since they are not the words of humans, we should think about them again and again. Though we are unable to keep all of His Law, we should at least acknowledge them and obey God. Is there a single passage in God’s Word that is not right? The Pharisees laid aside the commandments of God and held the traditions of men over His commandments. The words of their elders carried more weight than the words of God. When Jesus was on earth, this was what He witnessed, and what pained Him the most was that people ignored God’s Word. God has given the 613 articles of the Law to make us realize our sins and to show that He is the Truth,
our holy God. Since we are all sinners before Him, we should live by faith and believe in Jesus, who was sent to us from God because of His love for us. People who lay aside His Word and do not believe in it are sinners. Those who are unable to keep His Word are also sinners, but laying aside His Word is a more serious sin. Those who commit such a severe
sin will end up in hell. Not believing in His Word is the gravest sin before Him.
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