Dr Paul Allen

Most Christians can list the so-called seven deadly sins without hesitation. Pride. Lust. Greed. Gluttony. Sloth. Envy. Wrath. They’re preached, dramatized, and recycled endlessly. There is just one problem: the Bible never lists them like that. Not once. Not together. It is not regarded as a divine classification. The “seven deadly sins” are not a biblical list. They were systematized centuries later by Pope Gregory I in the sixth century as a moral teaching tool. While useful for instruction, the "seven deadly sins" are not found in Scripture. And somewhere along the way, tradition quietly replaced text. What Scripture actually gives us is far more direct—and far more uncomfortable. Proverbs 6:16–19 does not speculate. It does not symbolize. It does not philosophise. It says plainly, “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him.” Then God lists them. Haughty eyes. A lying tongue. Some hands cause innocent blood to spill. There exists a heart that i...

Oil painting of a young John Calvin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ ” (Heb. 13:5). Over the centuries, Christian theologians have recognized that although the Law is laid out in great detail throughout the Pentateuch , we actually find a summary of it in the Ten Commandments . These ten laws offer some practical ways in which we can concretely express the gratitude we have for our salvation. When we look at these commandments we might be tempted to think that they are all radically different from each other. However, this is not the case. Many theologians have noted that one of these forbidden sins is actually the root of many evils. This forbidden sin is covetousness (Ex. 20:17). John Owen has said that “covetousness is an inordinate desire to enjoy more money than we have, or than God is pleased to give us.” This comment was made in respon...