When Jesus walked amongst the living on Earth, his life was free of sin and provided a living example of how to live life in God’s image. As Jesus died for our sins so that we may be closer to God, it is the Christian duty to honor his sacrifice by listening to his teachings on sin.
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Jesus regularly called attention to the ways sin corrupts our hearts and lead us astray from a righteous path. Every sin has its roots embedded in our very nature as humans, yet by following His guidance we may walk in His footsteps on a Godly path to salvation. To help you along that path, here are ten sins Jesus preached about in his teachings.
Selfishness
To live selfishly is to live for oneself above others. Yet it is easy to see how Jesus preached selflessness, not selfishness, through both his words and actions. According to Matthew (20:28), He was brought unto the earth to live in service to his flock, not to himself be served.
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You don't need to be intentionally selfish to fall prey to such a sin. As the story of Lazarus and the wealthy man (Luke 16:19-31) shows us, it is important to consider how you might use your privilege or wealth in service of those in need, lest you only ever serve yourself and suffer the wealthy man’s fate.
Pride
In Luke 20:45-47, Jesus describes the teachers of the law, who wear luxurious clothing and hold themselves in higher regard than any other man, preferring instead to bathe in their own self-proclaimed glory. Such pride, Jesus continues, will be met with a punishment most severe. To pursue greatness in God’s name with the gifts he granted you may be righteous, but to view oneself as greater than even the most downtrodden is a road to perdition.
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So it was in Luke 18:9-14, where the humble tax collector professes his sinful nature that is common among all man and is looked upon with Godly mercy, while the Pharisee could only see his own inflated greatness and was judged accordingly.
Unfaithfulness
The Holy Spirit is alive in the body and spirit of every man, but it is faith that acts as kindle to fuel its holy fire. Without faith, the Holy Spirit is stifled, and the work of God on Earth is impeded. Lacking faith is so contrary to the grace of God that when Jesus visited his hometown, only to be met by disbelief, he was compelled not to perform any miracles (Matthew 13:53-58).
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Jesus did not take kindly to those who would ask for proof of His holiness. When asked by the Pharisees and Sadducees to provide proof he is the Son of God, he rebuked them for their brazen request, saying “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 16:4).
Hypocrisy
While to be an unbeliever is to be without faith, to be a hypocrite is to preach and pretend to be faithful and just, while failing to do so in truth. Jesus was quick to call out hypocrisy in his teachings, particularly that of the religious and civic leaders who betrayed the responsibilities of their station and those who seek public attention for their acts of faith (Matthew 6:1-8).
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In Mark 7:13-39, He condemns the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of law by unleashing the Seven Woes, repeating “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!” In one example (Mark 7:16) He says “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.” Here, Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of those who support the church publicly, while betraying its very sanctity in their actions.
Greed
Greed is the sin through which we become consumed by the pursuit of wealth and earthly material gain. As humans, it is in our nature to be continually tempted by earthly pleasures and material gain. Yet in contrast to selfishness, which is just as natural but is not always something we consciously pursue, greed is an active pursuit that comes at the direct expense of one’s connection to God. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus states clearly that “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
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Just as God provides us new mercies for each day, so did Jesus preach that all material needs will be provided in turn, and we should not worry about such needs. Jesus did not condemn wealth itself. Yet wealth without the sharing of its bounty is joyless, and to pursue wealth as its own end is a path deeply laden with sin. Rather we should follow the lead of the widow in Mark 12:41-44, who though poor gave everything she possessed and was honored by Jesus.
Unforgiveness
One of the most core virtues of Christianity is forgiveness. Jesus himself exemplified this virtue even as he made the greatest sacrifice. As told by Luke (23:34), while he was dying on the cross “Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
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It’s not our place to cast judgment against those who may have sinned against us, but to forgive. In fact, it is by forgiving that we ourselves can be forgiven for our sins. Yet if we ourselves fail to forgive then we will be denied forgiveness by the Heavenly Father.
Hatred
Hatred and anger are sins so devious that they underly a number of both lesser and greater sins. The only answer is to do as Jesus instructed his disciples at the last supper: “Love one another” (John 13:34).
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To become consumed by hatred and lash out in anger is to commit an act akin to murder, according to Jesus in Matthew 5:21-26. Instead, we are called to love and pray for our enemies, and in doing so become closer to God.
Disobedience
To disobey is to know what is right, and to consciously do otherwise. As Jesus explains in the parable of the wise and foolish builders, “But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete” (Luke 6:49).
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When you disobey His teachings, you act as the foolish building, impeding the flow of God’s grace and mercy into your life and opening the floodgates of sin. It is better to be the wise builder, with a foundation of faith in Jesus that can weather any storm.
Judging Others
Perhaps one of the most well-known tenants of Jesus’ teachings comes from Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” In the full verse, Jesus preaches that Judgement is reserved for the Divine Father and is a sacred thing that is not to be profaned by our own rendering. To judge others is to lack faith in God’s own judgment, or to have the pride to think you could know better.
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Either way, judging others can only bring more distance between you and God. Instead, we are called to follow in the path of Jesus, for those we feel compelled to judge may well be those who are in greatest need of God’s light, as when Jesus ate dinner with the sinners in Luke 5:27-31.
Impurity
At the heart of Jesus’ teachings is the purity of one’s soul, a spiritual purity that is unburdened by sins of the flesh and heart that our human nature draws us towards. Jesus was clear in differentiating spiritual purity from physical cleanliness. In Mark 7:14-16, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and teachers of the law when they question why Jesus let his disciples eat with their hands, which they considered impure.
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Instead, Jesus preached that “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them” (Mark 7:15). Following the teachings of Jesus, open your heart regularly to God, and you will find God’s purifying light within you always.
