Back To Home Page To Archives - Spring of Life - H. Roger Bothwell The Worst Sin There are many kinds of sins. There are sins of commission. These are the ones that exhibit external behavior others can see. There are sins of omission. These are the sins of not doing the good that needs to be done. Others can see these because they see us doing nothing. While these sins make the world a worst place, in themselves they are not the worst. Sins of commission and omission are the fruit of the worst sins. The worst sins can't be seen. They are the sins of the heart. It is there that evil lurks and brews its toxic fumes. I have a preacher friend who tells me murder is the worst sin listed in the Ten Commandments. I tell the worst sin in the Decalogue is number ten because it is the sin of the heart. Desiring things that are not ours to have fuels our selfishness and stimulates seductive plans to acquire by any means what the heart wants. However let's expand our minds past the list of ten. The really worst sin is being. In I Corinthians 15 Paul tells us "flesh and blood" cannot inherit the kingdom. Our id drives us to concentrate on acquiring that which our appetites crave. Our ego contrives to satisfy our id. This kind of creature cannot enter God's kingdom without infecting it. But not to worry. Paul goes on to say, "this corruption will put on incorruption." Being saved is not merely forgiving external acts. It is a transformation clear down to the core of our beings. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." II Corinthians 5:17 I'm Roger Bothwell and my address is roger.bothwell@verizon.net or 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453. Thank you for your support of our faith ministry. Past devotionals can be accessed at Archives