Day 7/25 – Defining Sin

Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Defining Sin
Day Two Hundred Six

“Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17

You need the Bible in order to define sin. Only the Judea-Christian religion deals with sin in terms of how you treat your fellow man. Ancient Greece saw sin as an intellectual shortcoming. Hindu thought sees evil as a necessary condition for the existence of virtue. Other religions discuss how man can propitiate an angry god, but the Bible is unique in defining sin in terms of how people behave towards others. The philosopher has difficulty defining sin, for who should determine the standard by which behavior is judged? It is like trying to determine philosophically the principles of beauty and then telling people what they must admire and dislike.

One of the attestations that the Bible is the inspired Word of God is that it affirms the conscience. You cannot adopt a theory of moral obligation that forbids recognizing as sin what the conscience condemns. You may disagree with what the Bible says, but you don’t find it violating your conscience. People who obey Scripture may be considered quaint, out of touch with reality, and maybe even intolerant, but never wrong. Religions that disagree with the claims of Christ don’t fault His standard of right and wrong.

When you step outside of Scripture for your definition of sin, you will find yourself competing with others over who gets to decide right and wrong. You will add disagreement and hostility to an area in which you should find commonality. Let the offense be the gospel, not your extra-biblical definition of sin.

———/://///

Psalm 37-39 Acts 26 (New King James Version)

Psalm 37-39
The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked
A Psalm of David.
37
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5
Commit[a] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9
For evildoers shall be [b]cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
10
For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11
But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12
The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13
The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
14
The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15
Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
16
A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.
18
The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20
But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
21
The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22
For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be [c]cut off.
23
The steps of a good man are [d]ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
25
I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26
He is [e]ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
27
Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28
For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29
The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
30
The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31
The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall [f]slide.
32
The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33
The Lord will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34
Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35
I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36
Yet [g]he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
37
Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38
But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40
And the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.
Prayer in Time of Chastening
A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.
38
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
2
For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.
3
There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
4
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5
My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.
6
I am [h]troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
7
For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8
I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.
9
Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10
My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.
11
My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
12
Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.
13
But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
14
Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.
15
For [i]in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will [j]hear, O Lord my God.
16
For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”
17
For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18
For I will declare my iniquity;
I will be in [k]anguish over my sin.
19
But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
20
Those also who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.
21
Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, be not far from me!
22
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
Prayer for Wisdom and Forgiveness
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39
I said, “I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.”
2
I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred up.
3
My heart was hot within me;
While I was [l]musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4
“Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
5
Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah
6
Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they [m]busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
7
“And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
8
Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
9
I was mute, I did not open my mouth,
Because it was You who did it.
10
Remove Your plague from me;
I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
11
When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
You make his beauty melt away like a moth;
Surely every man is vapor. Selah
12
“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13
Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
Before I go away and am no more.”
Footnotes:
• Psalm 37:5 Lit. Roll off onto
• Psalm 37:9 destroyed
• Psalm 37:22 destroyed
• Psalm 37:23 established
• Psalm 37:26 Lit. all the day
• Psalm 37:31 slip
• Psalm 37:36 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Syr., Vg. I passed by
• Psalm 38:6 Lit. bent down
• Psalm 38:15 I wait for You, O Lord
• Psalm 38:15 answer
• Psalm 38:18 anxiety
• Psalm 39:3 meditating
• Psalm 39:6 make an uproar for nothing

Acts 26
Paul’s Early Life
26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”
So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: 2 “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, 3 especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. 5 They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. 7 To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 8 Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?
9 “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things [a]contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
Paul Recounts His Conversion
12 “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will [b]deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I [c]now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified[d] by faith in Me.’
Paul’s Post-Conversion Life
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. 21 For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— 23 that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
Agrippa Parries Paul’s Challenge
24 Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”
25 But he said, “I am not [e]mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. 26 For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
29 And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”
30 When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; 31 and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.”
32 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
Footnotes:
• Acts 26:9 against
• Acts 26:17 rescue
• Acts 26:17 NU, M omit now
• Acts 26:18 set apart
• Acts 26:25 out of my mind