Sins Of Omission Series

We are tempted to do evil, but seldom think of the reality that we

are also tempted to not do good. It is possible to be doing nothing

wrong, and still be living in sin, because of what we are not doing.

This is the surprising truth that James hits us with in 4:17 where he

says, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't

do it, sins." Doing nothing can be a worse sin than doing something

that is bad. This is because the omission of good is the commission of

evil. This text puts an end to any idea of sinless perfection, for it is

not likely that anyone can live sinless for very long in the light of this

verse. We can avoid doing any evil, but this will not render us sinless,

for their is good we ought to do that we are not doing, and this too is

sin. This text puts us all in the category of sinners. A Sunday School

teacher asked her class, "Does anyone here know what we mean by

sins of omission?" A small girl replied: "Aren't those the sins we

should have committed, but didn't?" Lets clarify this issue so nobody

has that kind of understanding.

It is a sin to lie, but it is also a sin not to tell the truth when you

should. It is a sin to steal from another, but it is also a sin not to give

to another when it is in your power to do so for their good. Prov. 3:27

says, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in

your power to act." If you can do good and don't, it is a sin. It is a sin

to commit adultery, but it is also a sin to not meet the sexual needs of

your mate which can lead to adultery. In other words, the sin of

omission can be the major cause for the sin of commission. Because

you did not see that a man had food and shelter for his family, he had

to rob and steal for these provisions. The doing of nothing on your

part was a major cause for the doing of evil on his part. Both are a

part of the sin problem. It is not just the one guilty of breaking a law,

but those guilty of not meeting a need that leads to that sinful action

who are a part of the total picture of evil. Matthew Henry wrote, "

Omissions are sins which will be brought into judgment, as well as

commissions. He that does not the good he knows should be done, as

well as he who does the evil he knows should not be done, will be

condemned."

Margaret E. Sangster wrote,

It isn't the thing you do dear,

It's the thing you leave undone

That gives you a bit of a heartache

At setting of the sun.

The tender word forgotten,

The letter you did not write,

The flowers you did not send, dear,

Are your haunting ghosts at night.

The stone you might have lifted

Out of a brother's way;

The bit of heartsome counsel

You were hurried too much to say;

The loving touch of the hand, dear,

The gentle, winning tone

Which you had no time nor thought for

With troubles of your own.

Those little acts of kindness

So easily out of mind,

Those chances to be angels

Which we poor mortals find,

They come in night and silence,

Each sad, reproachful wraith,

When hope is faint and flagging,

And a chill has fallen on faith.

For life is all to short, dear,

And sorrow is all too great,

To suffer our slow compassion

That tarries until too late;

And it isn't the thing you do, dear,

It's the thing you leave undone

Which gives you heartache

At the setting of the sun.

In 1744 Louis XV of France was sick and all the nation was

weeping and in prayer for his recovery. The people lived in hope that

the young king would bring happier days to them, for they had lived

under the heel of a cruel tyrant. In 1774 after 30 years of his reign he

was again lying ill, but there were no tears and no prayers for his

recovery, because he had done nothing for the people to fulfill their

hopes. Doing nothing good makes you an evil king, even if you do

nothing bad. The Golden Rule is, "Do unto others as you would have

them do unto you." It is active and not passive. It is not enough to not

do wrong. You must do right to be right with God. James is the

practical book, and he makes it clear that not doing good works is to