What is a sin of commission?

Answer

There are two basic ways we sin: either by omission or commission. Sins of omission are those in which we knew we should have done something good but refused. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17). A sin of commission is a sin we take action to commit, whether in thought, word, or deed. A sin of commission can be intentional or unintentional. Foreknowledge is not the issue. If you visit another country in which traffic drives in the left lane, and you drive in the right lane, you are still breaking the law whether you know it or not. The Old Testament Law prescribed special sacrifices for sins that were unintentional but were nevertheless sins (Numbers 15:22-24;cf: Hebrews 9:7).

Humanity’s first sin was a sin of commission. God forbade the eating of a certain fruit (Genesis 2:16-17). Adam and Eve knew God’s command and disobeyed anyway. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6). They took action to commit a sinful act. When King David committed adultery and then had Uriah killed to cover it up, both were sins of commission (2 Samuel 11). The Bible does not hide the often sordid details of the lives of people He loved and used anyway. Its pages are peppered with sins of commission by great leaders such as Abraham. “And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of”Gerar sent, and took Sarah.” (Genesis 20:2), Moses (Exodus 2:11-12), David “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.” (2 Samuel 12:13), Solomon “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.” (Nehemiah 13:26), Peter (Matthew 26:74-75), and Paul “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it.” (Galatians 1:13).

We are all guilty of sins of commission. We all commit intentional sin by acting in ways God has forbidden. We also commit unintentional sin in our ignorance of God’s standards (Acts 3:17; 1 Peter 1:14; Leviticus 4:13-14). Our sin nature keeps us from fellowship with God. We may be able to limit the number of sins we openly commit, but we cannot cleanse our hearts. Jesus said that “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:18-19).

That’s why we need Jesus. We canWe must not allow ourselves to continue sinning, as it hinders our ability to connect with a holy God. Only when we accept Christ’s death and resurrection as our substitute can our sins be forgiven (Colossians 2:14; Romans 6:6). In 2 Corinthians 5:21, it is stated, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Jesus bore all our sins, both those we committed and those we omitted, and paid the debt we owe to God.

Psalm 51 records the prayer David penned after facing his own grave sin. Despite the severe consequences (2 Samuel 12:14-15), David knew how to repent. He trusted in God’s mercy enough to plead, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:10-12). David sets an example for us on how to address our sins. When we acknowledge our wrongdoing before God, we can seek His forgiveness and cleansing. By relying on the power of Jesus’ sacrificial blood, we can be cleansed of our sins. God assures us of restoration to fellowship and empowers us to live in a manner that pleases Him: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).