The term "capital" does not refer to the seriousness of these sins but to the fact that many times they lead us to commit others. The Bible does not give a list of capital sins, although it does speak of these seven and encourages us to overcome them. Let's see a brief definition of each one.
- Pride or arrogance: undue esteem and love for oneself.
- Envy, jealousy: disordered desire to possess what others have.
- Greed: excessive desire to obtain material goods and riches being willing to use, if necessary, illicit means to obtain them.
- Ira: feeling of great anger that leads us to behave cruelly and violently.
- Lust: unbridled desire for carnal pleasures that leads to sexual immorality.
- Gluttony: gluttony, uncontrolled appetite for food and drink.
- Laziness: unbalanced hobby at rest and leisure. He neglects his duties to God, to himself and to society.
What the Bible says about them and how to beat them
Pride
The Bible makes it clear that God does not like pride and warns us that its fruit is destruction. «Pride is followed by destruction; to arrogance, failure "(Proverbs 16:18). It destroys friendships, families and destroys our dependence on God.
Our attitude should be one of humility, of appreciation to those around us. Romans 12: 3 exhorts us: "Let no one have a higher self-concept than he should have, but rather think of himself sparingly."
The Lord is exalted, but he takes into account the humble and looks afar off at the proud.
(Psalm 138: 6)
Envy, jealousy
Envy brings dissension and discord. "For where there are jealousies and rivalries, there is also confusion and all kinds of evil deeds" (James 3:16). Many times we are tempted by envy to see others succeed or be recognized and feel ignored. There begins to plant the seed of envy and jealousy. We need to be alert and firm in the Lord so as not to give in or fall into his trap.
At another time we were also fools and disobedients. We were straying and were slaves of all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy. We were detestable and we hated each other. But, when the goodness and love of God our Savior was manifested, he saved us, not by our own works of righteousness, but by his mercy.
(Titus 3: 3-5)*
Avarice
God provides us with everything we need, we must be satisfied with his provision. Greed grows when we take God out of the throne of our heart and place the dissatisfaction and the desire to have more. Matthew 6:24 says, "No one can serve two masters, for he will despise one and love the other, or will love one and despise the other. You can not serve God and wealth at the same time. " To get rid of greed we need to decide who will be the owner of our heart.
We overcome greed with gratitude for God's provision. "Be free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, because God has said:" I will never leave you; I will never leave you "(Hebrews 13: 5). We must trust that God's provision is and always will be enough, to be content and to be grateful.
So, if we have clothes and food, let's content ourselves with that. Those who want to enrich themselves fall into temptation and become slaves of their many desires. These foolish and harmful desires plunge people into ruin and destruction. Because the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. By coveting it, some have deviated from the faith and caused a lot of trouble.
(1 Timothy 6: 8-10)
Ira
The Bible does not forbid us to get angry. Anger is a good emotion in circumstances such as injustice, abuse or oppression urging us to contribute to prevent that situation from continuing.
What the Bible does forbid is to let anger turn into destructive and irrational anger. In Ephesians 4: 26-27 we read: "If they get angry, do not sin. Do not allow anger to last until sunset, nor give room to the devil. " We see that there is a level of anger, anger, which is sinful and we should not allow it to dominate us because it opens a door to the influence of the devil.
My dear brothers, keep this in mind: Everyone should be ready to listen, and be slow to speak and to get angry; for human anger does not produce the righteous life that God wants (James 1: 19-20).
Lust
When Jesus enters our hearts he transforms the way we see everything, including our body. We realize that our body belongs to God because he created us. His purpose for us is to glorify him in all our actions, words and thoughts.
All areas of our life must show that Jesus is our Lord. We need to submit to him the sexual area. When we are of God we treat our body and that of others with respect, we do not allow ourselves to be controlled by improper thoughts that do not glorify God. We reject what displeases God and let the Holy Spirit direct us and teach us to appreciate and respect our body and that of those around us.
Flee from sexual immorality. All the other sins that a person commits are outside of his body; but he who commits sexual immoralities sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you and whom you have received from God? You are not your own owners; They were bought for a price. Therefore, honor your body to God.
(1 Corinthians 6: 18-20)
Gluttony
This is another sin that damages our body. Some think that in order to show their value they should eat abundantly in exclusive restaurants and drink expensive drinks. Others try to satisfy their emotional needs or repair the damage they have caused to their loved ones through food and alcoholic beverages. None of this pleases God.
My son, pay attention and be wise; keep your heart on the right path. Do not join with those who drink a lot of wine, nor with those who get fed up with meat, because drunkards and gluttons, because of their indolence, end up ragged and in poverty.
(Proverbs 23: 19-21)
Sloth
The lazy person moves away from others physically and emotionally because he only wants his own rest and well-being. Proverbs 6: 9-11 describes it this way: "Lazy, how much longer will you lie still? When you wake up from your sleep? A short sleep, a brief nap, a little rest, crossed arms ... and you will be assaulted by poverty as a bandit, and scarcity as an armed man! "
God has given us all abilities, gifts that we must use to work, sustain ourselves and our families and contribute to society. God puts wishes in our hearts and gives us the tools to fulfill them. We must be diligent in discovering and using those skills that he has given us. It is a way to show gratitude and appreciation to God for his design in us.
Never stop being diligent; rather, serve the Lord with the fervor that the Spirit gives.
(Romans 12:11)
The victory over sin
Sin separates us from God and prevents his purposes from being fulfilled in us. We all have fights. Whether with one of these seven sins or any other, we often battle against our sinful nature. But God has given us the tools to overcome sin. We can approach God in prayer, with humble attitude and repentance. God never rejects a heart that recognizes that it has failed. Psalm 51:17 says "You, O God, do not despise a broken and repentant heart."
And so it is. When we come in humility before him, God receives us, forgives us and restores us. He fills us with his Holy Spirit and helps us to live in holiness showing his love, reflecting the victory over our sins and the joy of being guided by him.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature, with its passions and desires. If the Spirit gives us life, let us walk guided by the Spirit.
(Galatians 5: 24-25)
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