Seven deadly sins, also called seven capital sins or seven cardinal sins, in Roman Catholic theology, the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas, they are (1) vainglory, or pride, (2) greed, or covetousness, (3) lust, or inordinate or illicit sexual desire, (4) envy, (5) gluttony, which is usually understood to include drunkenness, (6) wrath, or anger, and (7) sloth. Each of these can be overcome with the seven corresponding virtues of (1) humility, (2) charity, (3) chastity, (4) gratitude, (5) temperance, (6) patience, and (7) diligence. (source Encyclopedia Britannica)

We have heard this from various sources. Literature and movies and television have made money in the application of this line of thinking. What I don’t find is any scriptural support for this assertion.

The problem with list is the assignment of priorities as if one sin is greater or more deadly than another. These were commonly called the seven deadly sins as if the others would not lead to spiritual death. All sins are deadly sins because all of them can lead to spiritual death.

The second issue is that sin can be overcome by human effort. This idea contradicts the need for a supernatural God intervening for us by His death on the cross. There is no way man can avoid spiritual death. Man is born spiritually dead.

John 3:5 English Standard Version (ESV) Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

John 6:63 English Standard Version (ESV) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

We cannot help ourselves. God has to intervene on our behalf.

Isaiah 53:6 English Standard Version (ESV) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;

Yesterday we talked about love and finding our place in the body of Christ. How each of us got there is by different experiences. What do we know about love? We only know what we experience and are taught. Being a baby is easy, nothing is expected of us accept to receive love. As we grow our understanding of love differs based on our understanding of what love is and how it is expressed.

Being raised in a family that has difficulties expressing love can be confusing. If all we experience about love is receiving, what can we know about giving love? Our misunderstandings lead to disappointing others who have a different concept for the meaning of love. We all have a concept of how we would like to receive love but those expressions can be misleading.

Galatians 5:17 English Standard Version (ESV) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

If all we experience is receiving then there is a real danger of allowing the desires of the flesh to define our love needs. We commonly define desires of the flesh to be lust because it is the easiest to understand. Those are not the only desires of the flesh. We might even compare those desires to what is commonly called the seven deadly sins.

We shall delineate upon those in greater detail tomorrow. What we need to concentrate upon this moment if the misconception of love needs. Love does not need.

1 Corinthians 13:5b English Standard Version (ESV) It (love) does not insist on its own way;

Love does not go astray, we do.