The famous Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull is quoted as saying, “Inside of me are two dogs. One is mean and evil, and the other is good. They fight all the time. When asked which one wins, I answer the one I feed the most.”
It was that same kind of inward struggle that led to what Christians today call the seven deadly sins. Early Christians found they wrestled with attitudes and longings that had to be brought under control if they were to be the kind of followers of Christ they were called to be and wanted to be.
It is the same kind of struggle Christians today face in determining whether they will embrace the practices and pleasures of modern society or whether they will prioritize biblical standards of personal conduct.
Historically, the list of deadly sins was longer than the current seven. But in the sixth century church leaders debated, combined and reworked the list to the seven deadly sins listed today — pride, greed, lust, envy, wrath, gluttony and sloth.
These seven deadly sins became teaching guides around which the church taught the principles of Christian living in an era before the printing press made the Scriptures available to everyone.
Selfishness vs. selflessness
Interestingly, each of the deadly sins is the negative outcome of a battle between selfishness and selflessness. Will the follower of Christ “feed” the selfish spirit of indulgence or the selfless spirit of service? This is a key question of life. For the early Jewish scholars it was “the” question. Rebellion against God was characterized by selfishness, surrender to God by service.
Pride was defined by St. Augustine as “love of one’s own excellence.” A more common definition is an exalted view of one’s value, status or accomplishments. The writer of Proverbs quotes God saying, “I hate pride and arrogance” (Prov. 8:13). In Proverbs 11:2 the writer adds, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Pride prevents service while humility permits service.
Greed is characterized by unneeded excess. It is defined as an insatiable longing usually for wealth, status, power or food. Hebrews 13:5 urges, “Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have.” The attitude described in Hebrews allows one to invest in others through charity and other means. Greed on the other hand focuses on storing up treasures for one’s own pleasure.
Lust is about sexuality. It is also about things like money and power. It is an intense craving for something to fulfill an emotion. Lust is set against need. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “Flee also youthful lust; but follow righteousness, faith, love [and] peace” (2 Tim. 2:22).
Lust is all consuming. Self-control of one’s passions allows for focus on things such as righteousness, faith, love and peace.
Envy is the desire for something another has or the wish that the other did not have it. Envy is destructive. Proverbs 14:30 says, “envy is rottenness in the bones.” It is the opposite of kindness, which is listed as one of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22). Envy wants to supersede others. Kindness wants to help others.
Over indulgence vs. self control
Gluttony is over indulgence. It is over consumption of food or drink. Gluttony is about self, about the moment.
Gluttony takes. It cannot hear the counsel of 1 Corinthians 6:12 not to be mastered by anything. Philippians 3:19 says of the glutton, “their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.” Proverbs 23:2 adds their conduct is like putting a knife to their throat.
In place of gluttony, temperance and self-control can make one fit and able to serve others.
Wrath is defined as an expression of intense hostile emotions. It is anger unloosed. Both the Old and New Testament warn against wrath and anger. Psalm 37:8 instructs, “Refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” James 1:20 adds, “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Patience can mitigate wrath. Romans 12:19 adds, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”
Lack of exertion vs. diligence
Sloth applies to more than physical laziness. It applies to both the mental and spiritual elements of life as well. Sloth is a habitual disinclination toward exertion of any kind. Solomon’s counsel to “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise” (Prov. 6:6) is lost on the slothful.
According to the Bible, God does not invite us to a life of ease but urges us to be diligent in our service to Him and to others in His name.
It is impossible to review the seven deadly sins without noticing how they are interconnected. Gluttony involves greed and lust. Pride and wrath go hand in hand. All seem to center on the basic tension between selfishness and selflessness.
It is no wonder early Christians wrestled with these issues or church leaders found the list an effective outline to teach about Christian discipleship. To use the analogy offered by Chief Sitting Bull, the question really is which of the spirits (dogs) will we feed — selfishness or selflessness?
One writer said feeding the selfish spirit is like trying to feed a hungry ghost. The more you feed it, the more it demands. It can never be satisfied and the process of feeding it will ultimately consume the one trying to satisfy its demands.
The tension between selfishness and selflessness is an appropriate issue to raise as we enter the Advent season looking toward Christmas and the celebration of the coming of the Christ Child. In Jesus, God acted in selfless, self-giving love to rescue us from perishing.
How do we respond to what God has done for us? That is a question worth pondering as the Advent season begins.
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