Romans 14:23b For whatever is not from faith is sin.
Let’s see this verse of scripture in other versions. NIV says; And everything that does not come from faith is sin. ESV says; For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. BSB says; And everything that is not from faith is sin. BLB says; Anything that is not of faith is sin. HCSB says; And everything that is not from a conviction is sin. GNT says; And anything that is not based on faith is sin. WNT says; for all conduct not based on faith is sinful.
The bottom line here is that anything done outside of faith is sin. How do I know if something is sin? When the element of faith is missing. What is faith? Acting on what God has said or living according to His will/purpose. This means something could even be good. However, if that’s not what God wants you to do at that time, you are acting out of faith. This makes it sin, even though it seems like a good initiative. Don’t just think of sin as bad things. Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us. There is sin but there are also weights. The weights may not be bad in that sense but they draw us back because that’s not God’s will at that time.
Usually when we mention sin, people are initially thinking of heavy things. These include adultery, murder, and other grand gestures of evil you can think about. Once faith isn’t involved, it becomes sin. In other words, every sin we commit stems from a lack of faith in God’s ability to stay true to His Word. For instance, when told to avoid premarital sex, I ask how I can know if the person I want to marry is potent or fertile. I also ask how God expects me to deal with sexual urges. I will ask this question because I don’t think God was wise enough to have considered that. I don’t believe He can help me with any struggle that comes along the way.
Look at these two scriptures and let’s dissect something here;
2 Corinthians 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Spirit of faith versus spirit of fear are mentioned. So we have received the spirit of faith and as a result we do not have the spirit of fear. Both are in antipathy/contrary to each other. If every sin comes from a lack of faith and the spirit of faith opposes the spirit of fear, then fear gives rise to sin because lack of faith also gives rise to sin. We can come up with this:
Fear = lack of faith = Sin.
Anytime we are afraid and not sure of the future, we come up with excuses to do wrong.
Why are church musicians lately complaining about payment? It is simple. People do not know God and this lack of knowledge leads to lack of trust in this God. Then the lack of trust which is also a lack of faith makes them offended and they may decide to leave the church where God plants them. The fear is that if I don’t get paid for my musical gift, how would I pay my bills and have money to take care of my family in the future. They don’t trust that the God they are serving rewards. They may know it in theory but there’s no conviction to support it.
So what do we need to do? We need to deal with fear. There is a fear of the unknown when we lack clarity on God’s will for our lives. When we see the bigger picture, we remain steadfast in the face of opposition and stand with God.
David said in Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. What gives rise to faith that dispels this fear is the knowledge of the Word. Now, this is not just about memorizing and quoting scriptures. He says “hidden in my heart” NOT “on my lips” OR “in my head”. When it’s in the heart it has moved from being just a head knowledge to a conviction. Remember anything done not from conviction is sin. When we know God, we have a solid conviction for the things we do. Our motives are pure and we are qualified to receive the reward of faith – the good report – spoken about in Hebrews 11:2.
The Word In Clarity 