Written by Dana-Marie Ramjit, Ph.D. 10 Min Read
An exploration of the Bible’s perspective of sin using three salient traits outlined in Ezekiel 16:49.
Introduction
One of the most controversial issues of modern society must be what sin is. Even in Christianity, scholars disagree on what sin is and what it’s not. We all have ideas about what we think is right and wrong and this can swing based on cultural backgrounds, morals, and values. What a mess! We all can’t be right. So, as we ask for most divisive issues, how can we know the truth and what do we do with it? The Bible spends much of its discourse on the topic of sin. Sin was the object that propelled the crucifixion of Jesus Christ; the center-point of the Gospel. This discussion defines sin with the prophet Ezekiel’s words: arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned. (Ezekiel 16:49). The prophet Ezekiel suggests that sin is set off by a breakdown of faith when pride, luxury, and indifference combine to annihilate the human soul.
Arrogant
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6). We don’t need to be Christians to hate pride, boastfulness, and arrogance. God hates pride because it brings disgrace. Arrogance or pride stems from the abuse of God’s plentiful provisions. The first sin recorded in the history of the world was a sin of pride. God placed Adam and Eve in a fruitful garden where He made them rulers over every plant and animal on the face of the earth. However, God gave them one command: not to eat from a particular tree. They disobeyed, destroyed themselves, and introduced sin to the world. God’s perfect world became imperfect, and He punished them.
The Bible says in Galatians 6:3, “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Adam and Eve disregarded their Creator and abused His provisions. Their inflated opinions of themselves provoked them to reject God’s authority to uncover their potential. Their story is a sad but shining illustration of our freedom to live, but captivity to consequences; not just a Christian principle but a rule of life most people will settle on. To assume absolute responsibility for our lives is a form of egotism that eliminates trust, respect, and honor for God.
How else does pride and arrogance manifest itself? The Bible says, “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” (Psalm 10:4). Atheism and agnosticism have become increasingly popular in our present climate. In a world where the LGBTQI movement is gaining momentum and becoming an instrument of socialization through families, schools, and even some religious organizations, people have become baffled. Who says what’s wrong these days? We do! Society teaches our young people that there are no right and wrong standards, but the individual deciphers truth from error – what I call a “feel good” philosophy – do what makes you feel good, and if you feel good about it, it’s not wrong. Here’s the Bible’s position on this attitude of life, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.” (Psalm 14:1).
To live as there is no God is one of the most outstanding representations of pride and arrogance we can find. It reflects a mindset of self-sufficiency and promotes the individual to an all-knowledgeable and all-powerful state, where survival is for the fittest. This is a botched ideology because we are weak, imperfect beings, as Shakespeare noted, “no perfection is so absolute, That some impurity doth not pollute.” By contrast, the Gospel preaches full dependence on God, “cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes his flesh his strength.” (Jeremiah 17:5). As an alternative, God says, “I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). What a fantastic deal! Our experience of love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control is not motivated by ourselves, but the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Bible tells us, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.” (John 6:63). The outer self may waste away, but the spirit is renewed daily by its Giver (2 Corinthians 4:16). The irony is this: most of us will agree that we are more than our bodies, yet deny the existence of God, the Spirit Who breathes life into the body.
Saint Augustine said, “it was pride that changed angels into devils.” C.S. Lewis considered pride “the complete anti-God state of mind.” When pride dominates the soul, it cruises the highway of sin. Pride and arrogance contrast with the very nature of God, and when souls do not embrace the essence of their Designer, they offend Him.
Overfed
“Overfed” conveys the idea of luxury, wealth, and an excessive lifestyle in which nothing is inaccessible. We must understand the difference between having riches and being overfed. Wealth is a blessing from God, ” it is He who gives you power to get wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:18). However, when we abuse the blessing by misusing it, we sin. The Bible says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven (Matthew 19:24). Why do you think? When we have all that we need, and much more, we lose our discipline, self-control, and focus. We get carried away by this world’s materialism and the futuristic lifestyle that fits with the affluent and renowned. In this setting, people lose their dignity and honor and become guilty of reprehensible conduct like adultery, idolatry, greed, suicide, and even murder. There are countless examples of celebrities, actors, actresses, musicians, athletes, and political figures, whose high lifestyles broke their sway and led to their demise. The sin of being overfed jeopardizes the immortality of the soul.
It is tempting to create an idyllic existence because we think it gives us comfort, but at that moment, we must remind ourselves of the Bible’s sagacity, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). This concept appears to be credible, given the cycle of life itself: birth, living, death, repeat. Regardless of your religious background, we can all agree on one truth: death comes many times too soon, uninvited, and changes us forever. Riches do not profit us on our deathbed, but righteousness can (Proverbs 11:4).
The argument made here is not against the rich but against a tendency to lose sight of God because of prosperity. The Bible says, “if riches increase, set not your heart on them” (Psalm 62:10). Affluent people must desist from a haughty inclination and an anchoring of hope in the ephemeral nature of riches. Instead, the Christian ideal is confidence in a Higher Power; solid, immovable, and secure, Jesus Christ, God Himself. God gives the rich an obligation to do good and be generous (1 Timothy 6:17-18). Riches and righteousness should be the goal.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all.” God speaks specifically against the danger of being overfed: looming misery, rottenness, and the corrosion of material possessions, which eats the flesh like fire (James 5:1-3). A poor man who walks in integrity is better than a rich man who is crooked in all his ways (Proverbs 28:6).
Unconcerned
Apathy and idleness make up the third trait of sinfulness. To be so secure in possessions and status that we become lazy and nonchalant weakens the spirit and renders people wasteful. When people are unoccupied – without work or duty, they become sinful and wicked. God created us with a purpose, intended since the creation of man. The Lord placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to work and keep it (Genesis 2:15). A life outside of God’s intended purpose is sinful.
Overabundance triggers people to become unworried. Jesus says, “Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.” (Revelation 2:2-3). An expert gains expertise through knowledge but maintains it with practice. It is not enough to know the Lord; we must grow in the Lord. Christians cannot profess to love the Lord and obey His commands if they rely solely on their knowledge of Him; even the demons know Him and recognize His voice. We should build ourselves up with prayer, by residing in the love of God, seeking His mercy, showing mercy to others, saving others by snatching them out of Satan’s grip, and by hating sin (Jude 1:20-23).
To be aware of what’s happening around us means to look at the nations of the world and see the evil unfolding in high offices. Observe policies that stand against God’s Divine Order for life and subtle philosophies that contradict the Bible in movies, music, fashion, and education. Look at the suffering taking place around you and act. How can we say that we have the love of God if our neighbors or friends are in need, and we close our hearts to them? (1 John 3:17). To be genuinely concerned about others is to do good when it is in our power to do it (Proverbs 3:17).
God’s people should stand up, strengthen their hands, stabilize their shaky knees, and be strong in case they fall into His wrath (Isaiah 35:3; 51:17). The Bible says that unconcerned people are in a drunken stupor; no real knowledge of Who He is and what He can do. He is coming soon with recompense, to repay everyone for what they did (Revelation 22:12). It is time to get concerned.
Conclusion
The subject of sin is no free discourse, but we have clear guidance from God’s Word on how to live holy lives before Him. It is time for us to stop legalizing Christianity by neglecting core values inherent in the teachings of Christ but highlighting the trivial concerns of life. Christianity is not about alcohol, tattoos, piercings, ripped jeans, or shag haircuts. Christianity is about the transformation of the heart, mind, and spirit, and disconnection from all things that undermine a relationship with Jesus Christ and one’s eternal joy. Sin displeases God, but it does not influence Who He is. A dash of sin affects the human spirit and eventually leads to its destruction. To see sin as arrogance, overabundance, and apathy is to grasp the real meaning of wickedness and disobedience to God. Jesus said to the prostitute “neither do I condemn you…go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). There is forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ but for an unrepentant heart, God’s fury awaits. The heart that felt the grace of Christ would intuitively hate sin
