Seven Deadly "Spins"
According to Wikipedia, the standard list of "the seven deadly sins" includes pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. One cannot find this list in any of the passages that lists sins in the Bible. One finds seven listed in Proverbs 6:16-19, but they are "a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren." A quick comparison of the two lists reveals that they have few sins in common. The list of the seven deadly sins was composed by Tertullian (A.D. 155-220). There had been previous efforts, but Tertullian's classifications gained prominence. His list does not include a lying tongue or a false witness, hands that shed innocent blood, feet that run to evil, hearts that devise evil plans, or those who sow discord among brethren. On the other hand, those mentioned in Proverbs only name pride.
The fact is that the Bible contains many lists of sins (Rom. 1:28-32; 1 Cor. 5:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 4:25-31; Col. 3:5-9; 2 Tim. 3:1-7; Rev. 21:8). Those are seven New Testament passages containing deadly sins. Any sin is deadly that we refuse to repent of (1 John 5:16). In 2021, we covered the seven sins of Proverbs 6:16-19, but this year we are going after seven deadly "spins" in our One Day Lectureship. The reason for this choice is to, in part, point out that our society has tried to justify the sins they choose to commit by calling them something else. The word, homosexual, for example, brings to mind something that is sinful and blatantly against the will of God (see Rom. 1:21-28). Someone decided it should be called something less offensive; so, a word meaning exuberantly happy (namely, gay) was redefined to lessen the starkness of the sin.
And doesn't friends with benefits sound better than the harsh term, fornicators, which the Scriptures also condemn (Heb. 13:4)? Pornography carries with it negative connotations, but, hey, if we call it art, it sounds legitimate, doesn't it? Someone desiring to be the opposite sex from the way God created that individual is now referred to as transgenderism. People who drink alcoholic beverages are just socializing, right? And doesn't euthanasia sound much better than killing or murdering someone? Whoever came up with pro-choice instead of pro-abortion (the putting to death of an innocent child) ought to receive overtime pay—to deceive so many people.
Spin is not a new concept; Isaiah wrote of it more than 2,700 years ago: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20). People hate admitting that they are sinning; they don't commit adultery; they just have affairs. The Bible, however, calls sin SIN! Plan to be with us on October 14th for a comparison of the truth found in the Scriptures and the spins devised to cover them up.