Are there Really Good Guys and Bad Guys?

The Bible explains that we have all been created in God's image, but that His image in us has been damaged by sin. This seems evident when we look at the world around us. Some, however, find it offensive to hear that they are sinners.

The Half-Trained Dog

How often do we settle for just 'good enough'? It's easy to become complacent, especially with regard to specific sins that may be difficult to overcome. Following Jesus closely doesn't leave room for us to settle for less than His best... we need to train ourselves to be godly.

The Scapegoat Ritual and Its Ancient Near Eastern Parallels

In Leviticus 16 we read of the scapegoat ritual, where the sins of the people are transferred onto an animal and it is sent away. The biblical ritual has parallels in ancient Eblaite, Hittite, Ugaritic, and Neo-Assyrian rituals and include bulls, mice, frogs, and more.

Should we Hate the Sin but Love the Sinner?

These words aren't found in the Bible, but that doesn't mean they're not biblical. They are, of course. However: that doesn't mean they're always useful.

Steve Green – Guard Your Heart

I get a fair amount of email from GodWords readers (thank you!), and questions about avoiding temptation come up frequently. This song has helped me keep a wise perspective on such things, and I've been singing it to my son at night for over a decade. All temptations offer a trade: momentary pleasure for long-term suffering.

I have homosexual feelings. Is that a sin?

Anonymous GodWords Reader asked: "Is it a sin for me to be attracted to the same sex even though I never act upon it?" Thanks for asking, anonymous GodWords reader! I'm going to give a short answer, and then a pretty long answer.

The Seven Deadly Sins

According to the Roman Catholic church, there are two types of sins:

Venial sins, which are relatively minor, and Capital (or Mortal) sins, which put one in danger of eternal damnation. The traditionally-held Seven Deadly Sins are, in order of seriousness:

7 More Deadly Sins

The Roman Catholic church apparently considers this to be an unofficial list of "capital" or "mortal" sins...that is, one cannot commit this kind of sin without being in danger of hell.

Tobacco, alcohol, drugs in popular music

It's been said that the heart of rock 'n roll is rebellion. At times, that's true...it depends on the song, doesn't it? I suppose some would respond that if it's not rebellious, it's not rock 'n roll.

Should Christians Separate from the World?

One of the identifying marks of a particular brand of Pentecostalism is a list of do's and don'ts known as "Standards". Note the capital S. This list of restrictions includes things like long hair for men, women in pants, adult beverages, cosmetics, wedding bands, movies, and so on.

Does Sin Separate Us From God?

Yes, it's true: the sins of the entire world are missing...at least as far as God is concerned, anyway. Many people think that God keeps close track of everyone's sins (the better to condemn you with, my dear) but nothing could be further from the truth.

Is Christianity about Being Good?

There are a lot of common misconceptions about Christianity, and probably the most common is that Christianity is about being good. Of course, the "commonness" of an idea has nothing to do with its accuracy. Christianity isn't about being good. Not even close.

Articles about Sin