What are the seven deadly sins?
Scripture has no list called "the seven deadly sins." That phrase comes from church catechisms, and J. N. Darby noted the catechisms did not agree on what belonged on it. The Bible's own seven are in Proverbs 6:16–19: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots evil, feet that run to evil, a false witness, and one who sows discord.
Where the phrase "seven deadly sins" comes from
Darby pointed to the catechisms themselves to show that the authority behind the list is fallible.
J. N. DarbyHow fallible the Roman rule you may suppose, when I tell you that, in the four standard catechisms published by the authority of different Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland, there are not the same lists of the seven deadly sins; but this is by the way.
The seven things the Lord hates in Proverbs 6:16–19
Proverbs 6:16–19 reads:
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. (ESV)
William Kelly weighs these seven sins against the lesser fault of being idle.
William KellyBeing idle is bad and unwise, but it is far worse to be active in evil, because that does endless harm to others. The Holy Spirit first draws a portrait of the dangerous man in verses 12 to 15. Then, in verses 16 to 19, He presents the evils themselves rather than the person — except at the close — as things Jehovah strongly hates.
Is the list of seven complete?
L. M. Grant says the seven are not the whole of what God hates, and warns against treating the mildest-sounding items lightly.
L. M. GrantThough this is not a complete list of all those things the Lord hates, yet it is evident that many other evils stem from these... Six things are first mentioned, but added, "Yes, seven," as though the seventh is an afterthought, or intended to have special attention drawn to it. People may think of a proud look as of little importance, but even this is abomination to the Lord. "A lying tongue" almost always shows hypocrisy — a desire to misrepresent the facts, usually for some personal advantage. This is so common that people think lightly of it, but not God!
Why is pride first on the list?
Samuel Ridout traces pride, the first of the seven, back to the fall of Satan.
Samuel RidoutPride is the first enemy, and it is the blackness of double iniquity; it is the most intense kind of wickedness; it is that by which Satan fell... So when the Church of Christ, or an individual Christian, lifts himself up, and is satisfied with himself and filled with pride, you have there that most intense form of wickedness, because it is independence of God, it is the exaltation of self, and therefore the very opposite of Christ.
Why does God hate sowing discord?
J. T. Mawson traces God's hatred of division back to the death of Jesus.
J. T. MawsonDivisions among the children of God are not of God, but are of the flesh and the devil, and they please a scoffing world well. "One who sows discord among brothers" is one of the seven abominations in God's sight, He hates him (Prov. 6:19), and no wonder, since Jesus died to make them one, and bring them into harmony with God.
L. M. Grant names where sowing discord usually begins.
L. M. GrantSowing discord can be done in various ways, and it often begins with talebearing, which is far worse than people generally think. A tale like that can easily be exaggerated so badly that it causes results likely never to be reversed.
Are some sins deadlier than others?
Darby measured sin against holiness rather than against a running total.
J. N. DarbyA man has committed, say, ten sins — he hopes to go to heaven; if he has committed eleven, he thinks that is not too much; if a hundred, he still hopes — he has no thought of holiness. One sin shuts out from God, but the door is not shut to any, if they own their sins.
Summary
- Not in Scripture — the traditional "seven deadly sins" comes from catechisms. Darby noted that four authorised catechisms carried different lists.
- The real seven — Proverbs 6:16–19 names haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots evil, feet that run to evil, a false witness, and one who sows discord.
- Root — Ridout calls pride the first enemy and the sin by which Satan fell: independence of God, and so the very opposite of Christ.
- Reach — Mawson notes the list ends with sowing discord, which God hates because Jesus died to make His people one; Grant says it usually starts as talebearing.
- Remedy — Darby's point closes it: one sin shuts a person out from God, yet the door is shut to no one who owns his sins.