Can you think a sin?

Let’s see what Jesus says about sin in the mind. In Matthew 5:21, our Lord says, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” I don’t believe He’s actually calling someone like this a murderer; rather, He’s discussing the significance of thinking angry thoughts.

Now jump down to verses 27 and 28. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Here the Lord is telling us that sin is not always an action; it can be an attitude. It can be a thought.

On another occasion, Jesus explained, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:21–23). Our minds are where all sin begins.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spent a lot more time talking about the attitude of pride and arrogance and sinful thoughts than the actual deeds, because every sinful deed originates with a thought in the mind. So if we’re going to squelch sin in our lives, we need to begin by asking the Lord to bring our minds and our thoughts into captivity to His Holy Spirit.

Key Bible Texts

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: (Matthew 5:21 KJV)