Leviticus 5

“When someone sins in any of these ways: If he has seen, heard, or known about something he has witnessed, and did not respond to a public call to testify, he is responsible for his sins.” Leviticus 5:1 (HCSB)

A Sunday school teacher asked her class, “Does anyone here know what we mean by sins of ‘omission’?”

A young girl replied, “Aren’t those the sins we should have committed but didn’t?”

Not exactly. We often think of “sin” as something bad that we do. Because we are committing an act of sin, that is called “sin of commission.” Today’s passage tells us that “sin” extends to a broader context. What it means to “sin” also includes the act of “not doing.” I know that sounds like an oxymoron: the ACT of NOT DOING, but the things we omit but should have done are called “sins of OMISSION.”

Sins of omission are generally more difficult for a second party to notice, for they take humility and disclosure on the sinner’s behalf. They run deep into the hidden INNER character of a person, whereas sins of commission affect the OUTER, the reputation.

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus addressed both the outer and inner man. He chose Murder, Adultery, Divorce, Oaths, Vengeance, and Loving our enemies as His topics.

Make no doubt about it: God is greatly concerned with our outward acts of sin!

“He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished!” Exodus 34:7b (NASB)

“The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty…” Numbers 14:18 (NKJV)

But we are fooling ourselves when we limit our sin to things we “do.” Our thoughts, attitudes, and acts of omission also testify to our guilt.

It helps to remember that your reputation (what you do) is based on the part of you that people can see. Your character (your inner self) is the part of you that only God sees.