"But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23)

Anything not of faith is sin. According to Romans 14:23 sin is the default condition of not being in faith. And to many, the statement, "Whatever is not from faith is sin" may seem harsh. But let's ask ourselves this question. What is not of faith?

Anything that God says in His Word that you do not agree with is anti-faith. In other words, if God says something and you disagree, it is a sin. When God says that He heals, if your religion believes He doesn't and you agree with your religion, then it's sin. If His Word commands you to forgive and you say that you can't do it, then you are in sin.

If God's Word commands you to love your neighbor, but instead you gossip and spread rumors, that's sin. Sin is any action that is contrary to faith. Sometimes I think it's a little soft when we say, "I'm not in faith concerning that."

Recently, a man and his wife in my church contacted me for counseling concerning their finances. They knew that I had financial interests in several banking organizations and had been successful in the business world and they felt that I would be able to give them good advice. Instead of giving them specific financial advice, I gave them the Word.

I told them about Isaiah 48:17 and how God would teach them to profit. I told them about Matthew 6:33, about how if they would seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness then God would add to them. I shared other verses and promises and then I said, "You must stand on God's Word in faith."

The gentleman looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, I just don't have faith for finances." Without knowing it, he was actually saying, "I am in sin concerning my finances."

So the conclusion is this. God responds to faith. He does not positively respond to sin. Faith is the key but sin is the rust that will keep the lock from opening. Anything that is not of faith is sin.

Devotion 0377