The Seven Deadly Sins

The seven deadly sins are the behaviors or feelings that inspire further sin.
They are: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth.
The seven deadly sins are a rejection of God, His love, mercy and truth.
It manifests in corruption and dysfunction that makes the individual less spiritual.
Self-serving interest devoted to sin, severs the boundaries of the God-given conscience to what is right and what is wrong.

God's Laws of Life

Sin is an offense against the Holiness of God.
It is an offense against reason, logic and right conscience.
God's Laws of life are moral laws for a servant of God to measure life through spiritual assets.
Spiritual assets open the spiritual paths to love for God, for our neighbor and the bonds of the close-knit family,
Jesus Christ says, "This is the way to a meaningful, just and wholesome existence."
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
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.”

Secularism

The seven deadly sins in life are filled with corruption, temptation and evil.
Secularism and godlessness has distorted what is good and wholesome through atheism, anti-clericalism, the removal of religious symbols from public institutions and religious instruction from the classroom that nurture spiritual development.
Society thrives on wholesome families.
Children "brought up" on Christian values and virtues are blessed with the moral and ethical values to follow throughout life.
Godlessness creates “spiritually poor” societies through values that become expressions of personal taste or secular conditioning.
As a philosophy, it is derived from a secular world of power, status, money, material things and sensual pleasures.
The root of all evil can be traced to an "excessive attachment to material wealth" that comes from the writings of the Apostle Paul.
Its shortened version means “Money is the root of all evil.”
A well-ordered society results from a culture that seeks:
The Gift of Faith
Faith is trust rooted in an unshakeable belief in God that comes from the writings of the Prophets and Apostles in the Bible.
Faith in God endures, even in times of adversity with a spiritual energy that overflows in an indescribable, peace of mind.
With faith in God, we see and hear things that the “eye has not seen, nor ear heard”
(1 Corinthians 2:9)

The Fear of God

A heathen mind, devoid of spirituality, does not have the Fear of God.
Every time we choose an action, we also choose its consequences.
When one abandons their God-given conscience - they abandon the Fear of God!
The Fear of God reminds us that:
*All actions have repercussions
*We are accountable to Someone.
That Someone is God!
Sooner or later, the atheist, like the Prodigal Son in the Parable of Jesus, finds that a world without God is unsustainable.
Secular culture can never create a happy home, a wholesome family or a responsible society.
The Fear of God strengthens moral responsibilities to do what is wholesome and right.
Jesus Christ compares those who live only for worldly, selfish interests to "salt which has lost its savor."
This salt is no longer good for anything.

The Seven Deadly Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride
Pride is the opposite of humility.
Humility is guided by a God-given conscience that is committed to morality.
God's Grace gives them patience, peace of mind and gentleness that overcomes the superficial values of worldliness.
It was Pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.
- St. Augustine
While not all pride is negative, its evil vice of exceedingly high, self-regard leads a self-serving ego.
This kind of pride is based on self-centeredness that can be destructive in a relationship.

Greed

The Seven Deadly Sins: Greed
Greed is a self-seeking behavior to cheat, steal, defraud or exploit the vulnerable.
The Midas Touch
The story of King Midas in Greek mythology is about avarice (extreme greed) and its consequence.
Legend says that he became the wealthiest man of his time when he gained the "Midas Touch" that turned everything into gold when he was rewarded by the god, Dionysus for his kind treatment of Silenus.
His wish for wealth however, turned into a curse because it lead him to become a slave to his desires.
When Midas consoled his daughter, Marigold, by giving her a hug who did not like the flowers in the rose garden losing their fragrance as they were now gold, he turned her also, to gold, and was unable to turn her back.
When his food became gold, he realized his error and prayed to Dionysus, begging to be delivered from starvation.
Dionysus consented, telling Midas to wash in the river Pactolus.
Then, whatever he put into the water would be reversed of the touch.

Lust

The Seven Deadly Sins: Lust
The Italian poet, writer and philosopher, Dante (1265 – 14 September 1321) defined lust as "the disordered love for individuals."
There is a difference between love and lust.
Love involves a deep emotional bond and a sincere interest in the well-being of the other person.
Lust is a corrupt version of love that can turn into an addiction.

Envy

The Seven Deadly Sins: Envy
The Evangelical dictionary states, "envy is the sin of jealousy over the blessings and achievements of others.”
In the Old Testament, envy was the motivation behind Cain murdering his brother Abel.
Envy creates the "keeping up with the Joneses" syndrome.
The phrase, “keeping up with the Joneses,” is the phenomenon of those who seek social standing and prestige through worldly values, to satisfy their self-centered ego.

Gluttony

The Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony
Excess gluttony impairs health physically and mentally because of over-indulgence in material delights such as food, drink and material possessions rather than ideas, values, learning, spiritual enlightenment or culture.
*Food
Overeating causes the stomach to expand which pushes against the organs, it creates excess body-fat, tiredness, tight fitting clothes and a high risk of disease.
An energetic, well-conditioned mind and body, provides that good-to-be alive feeling.
*Alcohol
Alcohol dulls the brain, affects actions and the ability to stay in control.
*“Ideas are the root of creation,” noted the French writer Ernest Dimnet.
They lead to innovation (the introduction of something new).
Think of Socrates, Aristotle, Copernicus, Newton, Galileo and Einstein.
*Values govern what is important in life.
They guide our thoughts, words and actions.
They help the individual, family and a good, functioning society to thrive, with direction and purpose
*Learning
Knowledge maximizes your potential.
The right knowledge, gives you the confidence to make decisions based on what is right for you, help you to avoid mistakes and gain new ideas.
*Spiritual Enlightenment
When our "heart spiritually awakens" our lives have meaning, a purpose and an eternal destiny.
Our relationships take on a greater meaning.
Our experiences of faith, love, hope and peace of mind transcend limitations to find the light of hope.
*Culture
Cultural assets define the past and shape identity through values and beliefs we hold dear.
Close-knit families and communities create a sense of belonging.
Cultural celebrations add to the vibrant rhythm of life throughout the year.

Wrath

The Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath
Wrath is anger, rage or hatred that seeks revenge through through destructive behaviors.
The opposite of wrath is patience which is one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.
Noah and seven family members saw the Great Flood (Genesis 7 1) as a sign of the Wrath of God.
“A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
-Proverbs 15:1

Sloth

The Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth
In Ecclesiastes 10:18 (King James version): “By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.”
Unrealized dreams, untapped potential and wasted opportunities ultimately lead to nowhere.
To put off until tomorrow creates the vices of apathy, indifference and an aversion to work.
Sloth creates a lethargy of inertia with regard to one's own growth and vitality.
The most effective cure begins by what we do, how we think and act in the present.

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