MENTAL ATTITUDE SINS
Prov. 24:9
Morning Meditation 5/21/17
Verse 9 says, “The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.”
Mental attitude sins are definitely sins identified by the Bible. These sins must be dealt with through confession to God who knows all. God is willing to forgive those who take responsibility and deal with them His way which is described in 1 John 1:9.
THE MENTAL ATTITUDE OF FOOLISHNESS
The wise man says “The thought of foolishness is sin.” The word “thought” translates “zimmah” and means, “plan, device, wickedness, evil plan, mischievous purpose, not chaste, incest, licentiousness, adultery, idolatry, harlotry.” This is rather a long definition but this is how Strong defines it. These are things that go on in the mind before an act is committed.
The word “foolishness” translates the Hebrew “'ivveleth” and means, “to be foolish” and is used, “of one who despises wisdom, of one who mocks when guilty, of one who is quarrelsome, of one who is licentious.” The mind is the staging area where things are sorted out and stored for immediate or future use. When the Wisdom of God comes on the stage for one to consider, and he despises it, he is considered a fool. Any of the things that one considers in his mind that are described in this definition are called sin. This is a mental attitude sin.
Let’s take the word “quarrelsome” from this definition and ask, “Is there a sin in the New Testament that would confirm this to be a sin for the Christian?” Gal. 5:19-20 says, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance . . .”
Let’s look at the word “variance.” The word “variance” translates “eris” and means, “contention, strife, wrangling.” This is a mental attitude sin that comes out of the old sin nature and expresses itself in constant strife or bickering. Just so we understand that this is a SIN OF THE FLESH that Paul is warning Christians against, see verse 16 on how to avoid yielding to this list of sins, and verse 17 to see the strife that is NORMAL between the Spirit and the flesh. Do you know anyone who has a constant problem with being argumentative? This is a mental attitude sin and it comes out of the Old Sin nature. It is more dominant in some than others. But all of us have the potential to be slow to accept things that go contrary to how we think especially when it comes to change. The surrendered Christian will spend the rest of his/her life making changes. This is a process that comes through growth in grace. If we are an argumentative type person, we need to see where this is coming from and yield to the Holy Spirit and keep that attitude under the blood of Christ. If we don’t, this sin will hinder our walk just as surely as any one of the OTHER SINS IN PAUL’S LIST. Some of us don’t have a problem at all with “adultery.” But it is easy to overlook that it is in the SAME LIST of sins with “variance.” This is one of those mental attitude sins that we will allow ourselves liberty with if we do not watch it.
THE MENTAL ATTITUDE SIN OF LUST
Jesus says in Matthew 5:28, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
The word “looketh” is in the present tense and refers to continuous action. He is not speaking of a glance. The words “to lust” translate “epithumeo” and means, “to turn upon a thing, to have a desire for, long for, to lust after, covet.” It is used, “of those who seek things forbidden.” The words “hath committed adultery” translate “moicheuo” and means, “to commit adultery with, have unlawful intercourse.” It is an aorist tense verb and means that it has already taken place at a point of time. The sin of adultery of which Jesus speaks here is history. Then Jesus tells us WHERE this takes place, i.e., “already in his heart.” The word “already” is a separate word and confirms the use of the aorist tense. Let me state again. Jesus says this sin has already taken place. What do you do about it? Two things:
1.You confess that this is a sin and obtain God’s forgiveness; 1 John 1:9. You say, “preacher, you use 1 John 1:9 a lot.” Don’t worry, you won’t wear it out! The problem is getting people to use it.
2.You face the fact that you have an Old Sin Nature that is incurably sensual and avoid things that provoke it to lust. Philippians 3:3 says, “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” Romans 13:14 says, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
Lust does not wait to become an act before it is a sin. It is a sin if it never becomes an act. This is what Jesus is saying. A holy person deals with sin in its conception. That is the difference. One cannot change his nature. Jesus does not change the nature. The New Birth takes place on YOU not on the flesh. You are taken out of the flesh and created a new man in Christ (Eph. 4:24) and are no longer seen by God as “in the flesh” but “in the Spirit” (Rom. 8:9). Lust is a mental attitude sin and must be dealt with as such.
THE MENTAL ATTITUDE SIN OF DENIAL
This is the sin of calling evil good. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” God is talking to His people here. They had the Word of God. They knew what God said about good and evil. Ezekiel 12:2 says, “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.” When a person is in rebellion against divine authority (rejection of the Word of God) they find new definitions to the terms the Bible uses. Therefore, they claim to believe in God and His Word just like anyone else. But they commit sins that the Bible calls an abomination and challenge anyone who calls attention to the fact. Adultery is not adultery. Homosexuality is not an abomination to God or described in Romans 1, it is an ALTERNATE LIFE STILE. Solomon writes about such in Prov. 30:20: “Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.”
Denial of the FACTS does not change THE FACTS. Denial is simply trying to hide behind a pack of lies. Jer. 23:24 says, “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.”
Solomon gave us God’s Word in Eccl. 11:9: “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.” Then again in Eccl. 8:11: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
DENIAL is a mental attitude sin. Man is denying God as Creator. Man is denying the Bible as God’s Word. Rebellious man denies anything that makes him responsible. Even in professed Christianity. There are those who try to take the authority out of the word “hell” and either teach annihilation or make it mean the grave. They take the virgin birth and make it mean something thing that is not even close to what God’s Word says it is. I believe we are coming the place where God is saying to this generation as in 1 Corinthians 14:38: “But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” Revelation 22:11: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”
There is coming a time and it will be soon that things will be frozen in place. Opportunities will be gone and man will stand before God to give an account and remain eternally either under the judgment of God or enter into God’s eternal kingdom to be with Him forever.
Mental attitudes sins plague the Church. There are many others that could be mentioned. But this is enough to help us see that the place to stay right with God is within. We must realize that these sins are sins that must be dealt with just as the outward ones. For one to be holy, it must be inward first. David said in Psa. 51:6: “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.” And then He prayed in verse 10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
