How can thoughts be sins?

Answer 1

There are sins of "thought, word and deed". Anger can be one that is "thought" - and - St. Paul tells us to "not let the sun go down on your anger". It turns inward...and it causes spiritual damage.

Thoughts, if dwelt upon, can become sins of word and deed.

Answer 2

Answer

First, I'll start with a few scenerios.

Your mother tells you to clean your room. You grit your teeth and say "Yes Mom." However you think "I can't believe she is making me do this. She needs to clean her own room. What a hypocrite."

Ok that is a sin. Why?

1) God knows everything you are thinking at all times.

2) Everything that is not in perfect accordance of God's law (the 10 commandments) is a sin.

3) One of the commandments says that you shall honor your father and your mother. By holding contempt in your heart toward your mother, you are breaking the law.

4) The bible says every hidden thing will be revealed on the last day. That includes our thought life. That day will be like a big screen TV in which all your thoughts are played to all of your family, friends, and the angels in dolby surround sound. God will see that rebellion of your heart and you will be seen as to have broken God's law.

5) Outward sin usually begins with the thought life and the state of the heart. No murderer just went out one day and committed murder without having thought about it, many times for long periods of time.

Answer 3

I've never really believed that.

I believe that thoughts can lead to sins, so if you can avoid the thought you will have a better chance of avoiding the sin, but as long as you avoid the action you should be ok.

If thoughts were sins, well, I've been doing some thinking . . .

Answer 4

Every action first starts within the mind. This internet we're on, first started out as an idea in someone's mind. God's thoughts are without sin. He is holy. Therefore, our thoughts will never be pure without Him. I could say with my mouth, and even with actions (i.e. doing special things for you), that I love you, but if in my mind I say I hate you, the hate I have for you will eventually show in my actions. God sees those things that are going on in our hearts. He wants to stop that sin at the source. If you want to kill off a certain kind of plant, you must destroy the seed. With God as our help, the seed of sinful thoughts can be overcome. God bless you in Jesus' name.

Answer 5

thoughts are the incense of the soul. Those that are bad and are entertained make the sin stronger in a person. Those that are suppressed make the sin weaker. Thoughts come from the heart of a person.

Answer 6

Thoughts can be sinful without being sins....for example, comtemplating murder is a sinful thought but no sin is committed.

The only time a thought can be a sin is when the thought is the essence of the sin...for example, coveting, jealousy, idolatry are all thoughts that constitute sin.

Answer 7

A wrong thought, itself, is not sin. It becomes sin when we give attention to the wrong thought, begin to give it life, and act on the wrong thought which leads to wrong actions. The action is the sin. "You cannot stop birds from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from making a nest in you hair".

Answer 8

I believe that thoughts are only sin if you dwell on them or they consume you.

If you fill yourself with good thoughts and your time with purposeful living, there is much less room left for thoughts of things like having an affair with a co-worker, or vengance on a nasty neighbor.

Fleeting thoughts cross all of our minds. What we do with them is our responsibility. Don't let the thought consume you or lead to damaging actions.

Answer 9

According to which doctrine? How can you control your thoughts, anyway? If i say don't think of a pink elephant or you'll go to hell, I bet you can't help but think of that pink elephant!

Actions make you sin or not....not thoughts. Nevertheless, one should make an effort to correct their sinful thoughts so as not to act upon them.

Good question

Answer 10

God looks at the heart. God knows your thoughts and if you entertain sinful thoughts, it's a sin. God tells us to keep our thoughts pure in His Word, to avoid sinful actions. God knows our motives which lead to behaviors. The enemy attacks us thru our thoughts (one of the many cunning devices satan uses to lure us into sinning against God)