Is it a Sin to Say or Do Nothing Concerning Evil in the World?
By Lynette Kittle
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” – James 4:17
When it comes to the sin of omission, what does it mean? Is it even really a sin?
No one wants to really talk, or even think about, the times they’ve stood by in a situation and said or did nothing. As well, many don’t really consider it to be a problem to choose to standby as something sinful. But is it?
Isaiah 1:17 urges us to “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
Still, how many believers in Jesus Christ are sitting in their offices, churches, and homes, not agreeing with what is taking place around them, yet not saying or doing anything to address it, but rather staying quiet, letting things progress from worse to worse?
Psalm 19:12 asks, “But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.”
Do some believers just not care? Or, is it maybe, Christians just don’t want to deal with the messiness of getting involved? If so, is God okay with us opposing it on the inside of ourselves, secretly, but not saying or doing anything to address it? Does He understand we just don’t want to stir the pot, cause conflict, or put anyone on the spot?
Does God Call Us to Do or Say Something Concerning Evil?
If we don’t say or do anything but we pray, does that count as doing something? Yes, it absolutely does count. James 5:16 reminds us that our prayers are powerful and effective.
Still, along with praying, at times God calls us to get involved by saying or doing something. Following are biblical examples where He called individuals to take action.
Esther, a Jewish girl who really didn’t want to get involved, needed encouragement from her Uncle Mordecai to act. “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).
Although reluctant to take action, when Esther did, God moved on her behalf in phenomenal ways by removing a powerful person from position, replacing him with a godly person, and saving an entire nation of people.
Another example is Jesus. Throughout the New Testament, we find Jesus continually in prayer.
Yet, people often like to glide over His interaction with the money changers at the temple. But Scripture records His strong words and actions.
Matthew 21:12-13 describes how “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,” He said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Who Does God Call?
Still, how do we know if God is calling us to step out and say or do in various situations?
Proverbs 24:10-12 urges, “If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay everyone according to what they have done?”
Silence Equals Consent: The Sin of Omission Author and historian William J. Federer writes, “Perhaps God is giving people of faith an opportunity to show what they really believe in their hearts through their words and actions.”
“History is filled with accounts of people suffering coercion and persecution by godless totalitarian governments, maligned, smeared, canceled and crushed in hopeless situations against insurmountable odds,” writes Federer, “but then, stirred by the Spirit, little nobodies rise up, small in their own eyes, but big in faith and courage, to speak truth to power and to resist evil.”
When it comes to answering God’s call in how, where, and when to respond, Psalm 26:2 urges us to ask God to, “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.”
Likewise, 2 Corinthians 13:5 encourages us to “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Ask God if He is calling you to say or do something to address the evil occurring around you. If so, ask Him to lead and guide you in taking action.
Further Reading:
Are You Committing a Sin of Omission? Definition, Signs, and Examples
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/chameleonseye
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
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