Sin is an act or state of disobedience towards God.
36
votes
4answers
2k views
Why do some Christians believe it is moral to be a homosexual?
(Note: I know this may start a firestorm, so I will be careful here.)
I believe that the Bible states that homosexuality is immoral.
I also believe that it does NOT condemn them to hell (a sin is ...
30
votes
9answers
4k views
Is masturbation a sin?
There's definitely two sides to this coin, some people say that masturbation is not a sin that leads to death, others say that it's a sin because Jesus commands us to deny the desires of our flesh.
...
29
votes
12answers
1k views
How to answer “Why do evil and suffering exist?”
I believe that evil exists because God gave us free will. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Because of this The Fall of man happened and drew us away from God. Suffering exists not only because God can ...
27
votes
14answers
2k views
How can one overcome lustful desires?
Eighty Three percent of college students and fifty five percent of pastors are said to be addicted to pornography. (link) Even the most Godly men, like David (OT) has been trapped by these desires.
...
22
votes
5answers
2k views
Does God create some people Heterosexual and others Homosexual?
It is quite common for people who identify themselves as homosexual to say that God created them this way. Some way even go so far as to say it was a misfortune that they were born into:
...
22
votes
5answers
954 views
What does the bible say about homosexuality?
I was recently listening to a podcast and the preacher said that he has looked through the entire bible and could not find anywhere where it says that homosexuality was a sin.
Where does the bible ...
21
votes
7answers
1k views
Sex outside of marriage is a sin. But what about “less than sex”?
Inspired by Is masturbation a sin?
This is a tough subject that I've grappled with my whole life. It's clear in God's word that sex outside of marriage (adultery) is a sin.
But, what is acceptable ...
20
votes
5answers
226 views
What was it about the death of Jesus that allows God to forgive us?
I've heard many people state that it was the punishment inflicted by the Romans that allows God to forgive us. This just doesn't make any sense to me. How can a man suffer for a short while here on ...
18
votes
3answers
3k views
Is incest a sin?
If we all descended from one man and one woman then it's quite apparent that a third generation was not possible without the sexual union of close relatives.
Does the Bible (or other Christian ...
17
votes
3answers
662 views
Should we honor our parents even if it leads us to sin?
In What does the Bible say about "bad" words? a comment was made that "I cuss in all the (two) languages I speak fluently. It's just my upbringing, and we should honor our parents, right?"
...
16
votes
4answers
714 views
How ambitious should a Christian be?
According to Luke 16:13 (ESV):
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
Why isn't the cross considered an idol?
Exodus 20:1-15 ESV
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods ...
15
votes
4answers
209 views
Do not Judge others, or do we Judge others?
I hear so much about "Do not judge others, lest you be judged." I know that there's more scripture out there that gives us a better insight into our responsibilities.
Can you please answer this ...
15
votes
5answers
436 views
Under what conditions can a “good” or “charitable” act actually be sin?
In spite of a prevalent cultural attitude towards sin that excuses misbehavior if a person had "good intentions", most Christian traditions do not seem to include the persons feelings in the matter ...
15
votes
1answer
202 views
In Theistic Evolution, when did the alleged evolutionary animal/ape/man become accountable for his sins?
One answer to this previous question asks,
One of the problems I have with theistic evolution is: when did this alleged evolutinary animal/ape/man become accountable for his sins? [sic]
It would ...
14
votes
3answers
537 views
Why is it a sin to eat an apple?
Eating a fruit* is not even a real wicked deed like killing somebody or something. Why did this whole sin thing get started with something so innocuous that by today's standard it wouldn't even be ...
14
votes
4answers
481 views
Is it possible for a human to stop sinning? (Is X a sinner?) [closed]
It's a familiar tale.
The Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. They asked if she should be stoned. Jesus (after a bit) said "Let him that is without sin among you first cast the ...
13
votes
8answers
397 views
Would it have been possible for Jesus to sin?
I think most, if not all of us, agree that Jesus did not sin. However, the devil tempted Jesus, at least in the wilderness, prior to Jesus' public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11). Does this mean it would ...
13
votes
10answers
375 views
What is the essence of sin?
There are bound to be lots of questions like "Is X or Y a sin?". However, what is sin at its root and where in the Bible do we get our understanding of it?
13
votes
4answers
366 views
Why are certain non-harmful behaviors considered sins?
I would like to hear your response on this. In general, there exist a set of behaviors that Christians consider sinful, though these behaviors may not be observed to harm anybody (even the person ...
13
votes
3answers
493 views
If the Holy Spirit is God, and God can not be in the presence of sin, then how can the Holy Spirit dwell in me a sinner?
If we believe in the Trinity, in essense that the Holy Spirit is God, and we believe that God can not be in the presence of sin, then how can the Holy Spirit dwell within me a sinner?
13
votes
3answers
207 views
How should a christian evaluate whether a particular action a sin or not?
Since they are directly addressed in the ten commandments, most people agree that committing adultery or murder is sin; yet this world is a complicated place full of things that are not so clearly ...
12
votes
6answers
3k views
Does the Bible condemn white lies?
Orthodox views on it state that any sort of lie is a sin by itself. More liberal Christians will say that it doesn't really mean that much provided it doesn't hurt anybody. But more importantly than ...
12
votes
3answers
482 views
Do Catholics view atheism as a sin?
Are there any passages in the Holy Bible or any Catholic doctrine saying that it is a sin to be an atheist?
Please, don't refer to me any Biblical assertion where it is stated that you should follow ...
12
votes
4answers
300 views
Why is Adam considered the original sinner?
In the Biblical account, Eve is the first to eat the forbidden fruit. Yet still the blame gets put on Adam and later on in the Bible it states that sin entered the world through one man.
Why is Adam ...
12
votes
5answers
966 views
Under what conditions does the Bible support divorce?
It seems that Jesus talks out against divorce. But in other places, divorce is allowed. How does this all play out and where does the bible really stand on this? Is it a sin or is it just part of ...
12
votes
4answers
470 views
Since God provided for the forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament, why do we need Jesus?
I thought of this when I was researching this question.
Leviticus 4 goes into great detail about the sacrifice that must be made in order for a sin to be forgiven. However, we see here that God ...
12
votes
2answers
258 views
What is the significance of the three distinct aspects of the temptation of Eve in the garden?
Genesis 3 indicates that there were three distinct aspects of the temptation of Eve:
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was
a delight to the eyes, and that the ...
12
votes
3answers
726 views
Is rock music sinful / immoral?
It has been suggested to me that some Christians believe that rock music is inherently immoral, and as a result they believe that Christians would do well to avoid the entire genre.
For example, ...
11
votes
3answers
207 views
Was Enoch sinless?
I find this wording interesting in Genesis 5:24 (NIV) (my emphasis)
Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
To me, this means God took Enoch to heaven. ...
11
votes
4answers
649 views
When people sin against us but don't repent, should we forgive and forget?
Someone sins against us, e.g. says something unkind. They are completely unrepentant. That might be because they don't think it is a sin or they don't care (yes, I'm deliberately mentioning two ...
11
votes
2answers
154 views
Is it right for a church to be wealthy?
Jesus preached that the faithful should give up their wealth and worldly possessions and spend a humble existence in servitude of God. A church must have a certain amount of wealth in order to ...
11
votes
4answers
1k views
Are we born sinners? [closed]
We can be quite certain that God didn't originally create us as sinners. Rather Adam and Eve chose sin in the Fall.
The doctrine of original sin is widely held in Christian churches, but those ...
11
votes
1answer
524 views
Is there a Biblical Ban on Gambling?
Most churches and many Christians I know are strongly against gambling, but I can't recall any passage in the Bible that declares that we shouldn't gamble. Does such a passage exist?
To clarify ...
11
votes
3answers
442 views
Why did Adam claim he was “naked” before God when he and Eve had clothed themselves with fig leaves?
After sinning, Adam and Eve "sewed fig leaves together" and made clothing for themselves. However, when God comes into the garden and calls to Adam, Adam responds by claiming that he was afraid and ...
10
votes
3answers
5k views
Can one sin be worse than another sin, or are all sins equal?
Since all evil acts come down to disobedience against god, are all evil acts equivalent? Is no sin worse than any other sin? If one sin is worse than another sin does that imply that one act can be ...
10
votes
1answer
186 views
What's the difference between judging God and questioning God?
In my answer to Can man judge whether God is fair?, I gave an example of the prophet Habakkuk questioning God in a judgmental way. God dealt with Habakkuk patiently, answering his questions.
On the ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
What does the Bible say about sex before marriage / premarital sex?
The title pretty much asks the question, but let's set the stage like this:
Two people meet in High School, have sex, then eventually get married.
What does the bible say about sex prior to ...
10
votes
3answers
242 views
Are natural disasters the result of evil being allowed into our world?
I remember reading somewhere that the reason there are natural disasters on this earth is because of the evil which was allowed into it when Adam and Eve sinned. I have not been able to find this ...
10
votes
1answer
256 views
What was the point of the laws written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia?
In Acts 15, a letter was written to the beliving Gentiles. I can understand why they have to abstain from sexual immorality. However, I was wondering
What's the point of the law which state that ...
9
votes
7answers
625 views
Is it a sin to allow oneself to become fat in the absence of medical conditions?
I know a lot of people will find this question strange but I've been wondering ..
I know that the Bible says our body is the temple of The Lord, and therefore we should treat it as such.
If we ...
9
votes
4answers
731 views
Is it a sin to get a tattoo?
It says in Leviticus 19:28 (NIV)
28 “‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on
yourselves. I am the LORD.
Does that mean it's a sin to get a tattoo? Where do mainline ...
9
votes
3answers
178 views
What is the practical application of the story of the woman caught in adultery?
John 8:2-11 tells us the story of the woman caught in adultery:
2At dawn [Jesus] appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The ...
9
votes
2answers
279 views
Does the Protestant Bible mention Satan punishing non-believers after death?
I have always heard people say that when you die and haven't accepted Christ and go to hell, that you're going to be punished by Satan, and we have this great plethora of contemporary culture showing ...
9
votes
2answers
461 views
How is sinning judged after accepting Christ?
How is sinning judged after accepting Christ?
Are there classifications?
Are we clear of every sin?
What about repetitive sin of the same type?
(All assumed after accepting Christ.)
9
votes
3answers
443 views
How could God be around Satan?
One of the explanations when I was first coming to understand why Jesus' sacrifice was necessary was something along the lines of: Sin separates us from God. God can not be around sinners, so with ...
9
votes
1answer
84 views
What was the purpose to animal sacrifices?
I've never completely understood the purpose as to why God required that the Israelite's should kill an animal in order for God to forgive them.
9
votes
4answers
183 views
How are Christians free from sin?
The gist of Romans 6 is that as Christians, we are dead to sin, and thus free from it. We are no longer slaves to sin, but are slaves to God and righteousness.
Romans 6:16-18 (ESV)
16 Do ...
8
votes
8answers
542 views
Is Mary's virginity evidence that sex is always sinful?
It seems that sex is always a sin, as evidenced by the fact that Jesus had to be born of a virgin and not by traditional conception in order to be sinless. Is this true?
Any viewpoint is welcome.
8
votes
2answers
825 views
Why do some Christians think it's not a sin to charge interest?
This article presents the view that Christians should not charge interest on loans. As evidence, it cites Nehemiah 5:9-10:
9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the ...
