The Sin Of Omission

Now, you say, “What are you talking about?” Well, John chapter 3 verse 18: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). You see, a man doesn’t go to hell today because he lies and steals and cheats and commits adultery, those sins have been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. The sin that condemns a man today, the sin that that causes a man to go to hell today is not the sin of commission; it is the sin of omission. The Bible says, “He that believes is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed.” Now, that tells me that no matter how outwardly righteous you may be today if you’ve not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are lost because of what you fail to do.

Years ago, I knew about a tract. On one side of the tract, it said, “What must I do to be saved?” And, underneath it said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” On the backside of the tract, it said, “What must I do to be lost?” And, underneath that there was nothing, just nothing. That’s exactly right. What must a man do to be lost? Do you have to burn down a church? Do you have to blaspheme God? Do you have to tear up a Bible? Do you have to do some heinous sin? No! Listen to the Scripture again, “He that believeth on Him,”—on Jesus—“is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” I’m talking about the destructiveness of this sin. It’s the reason men are lost. It’s the reason that so many of us have minds that are messed up. It’s the reason that so many are doing, what I call stinking thinking. It is because of the sin of omission.

You see, when God made your mind, God made your mind where it must think something. Have you ever been awake at night and couldn’t go to sleep, and try to put your mind in neutral? That’s the most difficult thing. You say, “Well, I won’t think of anything so I’ll go to sleep.” And, you’re thinking of not thinking of anything. I mean, it’s a, it’s a vicious trap, because God has made your mind where your mind must think something. I heard about a little boy in school, and a teacher asked him, “How do you spell vacuum?” “Well,” he said, “I’m not sure I can spell it, but I’ve got it in my head.” Now, dear friend, there is no vacuum in your head, you are going to be thinking something. And, if you are not thinking what is right, you are going to be thinking what is wrong. You see, the Bible says, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

How do you keep from thinking wrong thoughts? By thinking right thoughts. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Your mind is like a garden. Now, if you’ve ever planted a garden, I’ve only planted one in my life, and it didn’t work out and for this very reason. When you plant a garden, that’s not enough. It may be absolutely beautiful. You have got to weed the garden. You have got to weed the garden. If you don’t weed the garden, I mean, you don’t have to go out there and plant weeds in the garden. The weeds, I don’t know where they come from, they’re like fungus among us. They just they just come. The seeds, the spores are in the air and the weeds are going to be there. And, my dear friend, I’m going to tell you if you don’t keep the garden of your mind, your mind will become a garden of weeds. It is not the sin of commission, going to see X-rated movies so much, as it is the sin of omission, failing to saturate yourself with the Word of God. That’s the reason it is so imperative that you have a quiet time with God every day. It’s so imperative that you load up on the Word of God so that you can meditate on the Word of God.