Paul puts the catalogue of sins before our eyes as an explanation of the Ten Commandments, not that we may talk about the terms in a positive way, as philosophers, or measure others and condemn them by these measures, but to recognize ourselves with fear, and see all the possibilities of sin in us. He, who lives without the Creator, is filled with wrongdoing and injustice, for the spirit of the evil one brings various fruits in those who are void of the Holy Spirit. Man lives either in Christ, or in the evil one. There is no neutral zone.
The Lord Jesus and his apostle Paul classify adultery as the first sin. Adultery dissolves the bond of pure love, wipes out the trust in the faithfulness of the other partner, and opens wide the door to atheism and unbelief. Sinful lust dominates all those who did not deny themselves in the power of God; the majority of people are adulterers whether in thought, word, or deed. They are unclean and corrupt. Do you know yourself? Your conscience speaks to you clearly. So, do not deny your past, but confess what you did!
Did you know that man without God is not righteous, but wicked? Why do educators speak about humanity, education, and social service, if humanity in itself is wicked and corrupt? We don’t need reformation or cultivation, but new creation, and renewal of minds and hearts.
He who does not know God loves money, and builds his life on this mortal god. His love of money grows as much as his money itself grows. It leads him away from the hope of the Christian to the pride and pomp of life, and to the dominion of evil and hateful passions.
All those ruled by a depraved mind are filled with malice, trickery, vengeance, hypocrisy, lying, deceit, and craftiness. A malicious man devises wickedness against his enemies as well as his neighbors. He pretends to have affection for them, but his heart is a nest of vipers.
Usually, the motive of a malicious man is envy and jealousy of others. He does not rejoice at the blessings of others, because he wants to be more prosperous and successful than they are. Furthermore, he wants to be richer, more beautiful, smarter, and more honored than anyone else. Stinginess and envy are the origin of most of the evil deeds. Advertisements now employ the passions of envy and covetousness in people to promote new products at any cost.
Such destructive passions do not only divert the mind from that which is good, but also open the door to murder, hatred, rude slander and defamation. Keep in your mind that Jesus taught us that the mere thinking of rejecting, despising, or hating others is in itself a sin similar to that of murder, for our intent is to destroy others. We are all killers and sons of killers in the eyes of God.
This destroying spirit quickly appears in our words and actions when we make divisions and parties in our societies and families, while the Holy Spirit prompts us to peace and mediation between the parties in dispute, that we may be peacemakers. Are you a reason for disorder and division among the sons of disobedience? Do you put fuel on the fire? Or do you bring forgiveness and reconciliation, and prefer to put an end to the enmity, even if you have to sacrifice yourself to do it?
Deceit is a characteristic of the devil, which is not found at all in our Lord. Whoever executes his plans through tricks, and ensnares simple people with kind words is a son of the evil one. The fruits of the Divine Spirit are truthfulness, frankness, and straightforwardness. But lying and its branches are very evil.
Other fruits of hell are tale bearing, and defamation of our fellowman in order to highlight our names. Our lips are filled with poison, and our feet are first to corrupt others. We are prepared to deny our closest relatives in order to save ourselves and bring ourselves into prominence.
All those who commit these sins, whether willfully or inattentively, hate God, for whoever loves his Lord, loves people as well. But when you speak with people impolitely, and despise them and condemn them, then the spirit, which speaks from you with these iniquities, is you. When you hate somebody, you hate God, for God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and forgives, blesses, and loves even the unlovable, in harmony with the source of love.
As the devil is proud in the innermost recesses of his heart, so are all the wicked. They know, in their hearts, all their sins, malice, and shortcomings, and because of this knowledge, they seek to cover their corrupting souls. They become arrogant, and exaggerated, and they strut and boast like the peacock thinking they make themselves illustrious, when really they make themselves ridiculous. Such as these are cruel to the poor and barbarous to all who lie at their mercy. They serve their own lusts, and are filled with malice and artifice. They appear as good, gifted, and important, but when they are alone, they hear God condemning them with one word: “reprobate”.
In their uncovering of the others’ weaknesses, and their employment of their kindness, they greatly heighten their guilt; and their evil spirit appears in their families in the form of disobedience. They do not regard their parents as their guardians according to the law of God, but rudely claim money, independence, and rights, without being prepared for service, sacrifice, love, and work. In this manner, they tread on the love given to them by life, and despise the ignorance of their uneducated parents. They do not know that sin is the highest folly, while the fear of God is the highest wisdom. All those who do not submit to the Spirit of God do not understand anything properly, but see all things wrongly. They have lost the standard for themselves and for the whole society.
In this condition, they do not find the ability to be faithful in themselves, and therefore become unreliable. All those who are not committed to God cannot cooperate with men. The faithfulness of God makes a man faithful, but he who lives without his Lord remains lost, straying, and poor.
Our God is love, mercy, and pity. Woe to those who leave the source of all good, for their heart becomes as hard as stone. They love themselves, and hate others. Look at yourself! Do you love your enemies? Do you feel pity for the poor? Jesus felt for his scattered people, and suffered from their sins. Do you condemn your people, or do you love them? Are you void of mercy and compassion, or did the Spirit of God renew you that you might stand before him as a priest to represent the sinful?
Our sins are more numerous than the sand of the seashore. Know God, and then you know yourself. Whoever separates himself from the characteristics of his Divine source deserves death and condemnation. All men are sinful from their childhood. You must die to your transgressions and sins today. The holiness of God requires your destruction. You have no right to survive. All the rights of men are lying. We only have the right to die to our sins. You wander in your town as someone sentenced to death, not by men, but by God. So, when will you change your mind, and repent totally and sincerely?
If you do not repent completely, your sin reaches a point where you receive a vicarious satisfaction in the sinful deeds of others. You do not only sin with pleasure, but also delight in those who commit sin; and hence encourage them in it, excite them to it, and seduce them from the ways of innocence, extending to them the infection of your own sins. This is the grievous aggravation of the offence. Is it not enough that you yourself are evil? Is it necessary for you to corrupt your society? Look at yourself! Are you pleased with your sins? Are you satisfied with the hardheartedness of others? Do you not shed tears, in sincere repentance, for yourself and your people? Did the Spirit of God bring you to a true repentance, or are you still haughty?