Sinning Because of Negligence

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13.

Two things are mentioned here which differ in essence as well as in content. They are as different as day and night. The one concerns committing conscious sin, the other has to do with hating and putting to death the deeds of the body. The reward for the first is death; the reward for the latter is eternal life. However, between getting victory over conscious sin and putting to death the deeds of the body, there can also come forth deeds that are committed because of negligence or because of carelessness. Such deeds can be avoided by watching and praying; they do not have to come forth.

In the old covenant they had laws and commandments to deal with situations like this. “If a person sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity.” Leviticus 5:17. Then a guilt offering had to be brought so the person concerned could receive forgiveness. He was guilty before the Lord. These deeds were not “manifest sin,” because they were done through negligence; i.e., the person was not tempted to do them. Nevertheless, there was no excuse for them. The person transgressed a commandment he was not aware of, but he could have been aware of it through zeal and godly fear. He could have avoided committing this deed which was committed through negligence, if he had been watchful.

One example of negligence is speaking too long, because one knows beforehand that it is wrong. The person is zealous and fervent in spirit, but he is taken captive by his natural tendencies. He did not know until afterwards that he had taken up time at the others’ ex­pense. It could have been avoided by taking heed to himself and to the doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16); therefore, such actions require forgive­ness. Through negligence a person can also speak words that have the effect of breaking down instead of building up. These are examples where someone can believe—with a good conscience—that he is only committing deeds of the body. However, by living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit, such deeds can be avoided.

Seeing that the old covenant dealt so strictly with the question of guilt in relation to works which a person committed, not knowing they were wrong, we know that the new covenant is no less strict. Whatever someone does because of negligence—something that could have been avoided through the fear of God—is a finer degree of liv­ing according to the flesh. Here the spirit of judgment and burning is required over one’s own “I” in order to continue to make progress.

When a fervent brother who is really on fire gives a quickening and edifying testimony, but afterwards finds something to judge in himself; it was a deed of the body. The intention was to do it per­fectly, but he was taken captive by the other law in his members. Romans 7:23. He does not need forgiveness, because he has not trans­gressed a law he could have known beforehand.

Through faithfulness and devotion to God, it is possible to live in such a way that one no longer commits works of the flesh—whether they be “base” or “finer” works of the flesh. The only thing that leads to the goal is living and walking in the Spirit and putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit.