Estimated reading time: 4 minute(s)
I was thinking again this morning on a topic that I had previously discussed with a friend of mine. We were debating what exactly “Thou Shalt Not Covet…” means.
My friend, you see, has been accused of every thing under the sun in the sin category, because he has involved his heart deeply with a married lady who is actively working to change her marital status (and who has also involved her heart deeply with my friend). So, some (including me) have wondered if my friend (we shall call him Icharus, cause that’s just a cool name…) was crossing the boundaries of coveting… because the scripture specifically refers to “your neighbor’s wife”.
The conversation then proceeded to try and define the word “covet”. Many people contend that the verse is much like command 7 (I think it’s 7…) just sorta reinforcing the adultery thing… but I don’t think so. And Icharus felt that the thrust of the scripture dealt with the force with which you desire something… like, there are levels of desire, and at a certain point you cross over into coveting. And he also mentioned the “possessive” nature of the word covet… more than desiring, it is the desire to possess or control.
I, on the other hand (wait… how many hands did I already mention? AHH!! I’m a mutant!!!) 🙂 I thought that the gist of the whole thing was really our desire for more. The sin of the 10th commandment is not lust or greed (necessarily) … really, it’s ungratefulness, dissatisfaction, discontent… and the desire for what we do not have. Even the whole “waiting upon the Lord” thing… just waiting for God to take care of us, instead of doing things our way… God reminds us in lots of places to be thankful, grateful and to wait on Him… and the opposite of that would be sin.
OK, so that was a really big set up for what I was thinking about this morning. 🙂
I just recalled all of those things, and thought how silly it is that we try and define and qualify and figure out lines for what sin is and when we actually are sinning. I completely understand why we do. I do it. It is much nicer to think that though we KNOW we are sinners, that we may get reallllllly close to the line, but we never really cross it.
But it’s still silly.
Jesus talked about anger being the sin of murder and lust being the sin of adultery, not to mock and laugh and belittle and put more chains on us… he wanted us to see that sin is not about the lines we cross… it’s a way of thinking… more than that, it’s who we are and inescapable. The law was designed to point out that we are sinners (and does a FINE job of that, I think…) not to be debated to the most miniscule detail so that we can flirt with the line and “not sin”.
The line is in our heart. When we try to define the line, we are most likely sinning. Just trying to make ourselves feel better about it. When we say that coveting is more about the possessiveness of the word, not really about the desiring… we’re just adding to scripture to help ourselves or our friends.
Sin is sin. We need to call it what it is, and know that Jesus has defeated it forever. It’s not a bad thing to be a sinner…. only because that is precisely who Jesus came looking for and gave up his own life for! I am glad to be counted among the sinners because…
God made him who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that we might be come his righteousness.
Whooohooooo!
🙂
No matter what we call it, or how we define it… if God says it’s sin… it’s sin. 🙂 The best thing for our hearts is to stand with God on it and ask for his help on it… and keep pressin on. His grace is amazing. There is a line of one of my songs that is so true in my life
“I’m livin’ every day because of grace.”
Today I just remembered that, and I thank him for that. Thank you God for your grace, and your truth. Help me to honor both with my life.
(FOOTNOTE: I do not condone Icharus’ behavior, by the way… nor do I condone the behavior of his accusers. We are to deal gently with brothers and sisters whom we see trapped in a sin so that we can restore him or her. (Gal 6:1) Accusing of sin is not all that helpful, debating sin is not either… we are all in this together – all of us are sinners, no matter how much redefining we may try to do – and finger-pointing and accusation will not help the Kingdom or people who need to know about the Kingdom.)