If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. (Psalm 66:18-19)
If a sinful thought comes into our mind, does that constitute a sin? That’s a question many have debated for centuries, frankly. There exists some rabbinic commentary that suggests God overlooks a sinful thought as long as it does not result in a sinful deed. But if that thought turns into action, God holds the person accountable for the thought and the deed. But therein is the issue; what we think upon often determines what we do. If my mind is dedicated to the notion of going to the bowling alley, my body is not going on a fishing trip. Likewise, if our mind is committed to sinful thoughts, it’s not likely that we will perform righteous deeds; to the contrary, it’s only a matter of time before we act on what we’re thinking about.
When speaking of adultery, Yeshua made it clear that such a egregious sin doesn’t just happen — it is the result of what was first conceived in a person’s heart long before the act took place. It is the same with any sin; it begins in the heart of man, which is to say his thoughts and intentions. James said that a person is tempted when “he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). Clearly, those desires don’t originate in our body but in our mind.
All of us, from time to time, have carnal thoughts that enter our mind simply because we are human beings living in a fallen world. However, there is a big difference between unintentional thoughts of sin and deliberately focusing our thoughts on things displeasing to God. As David said, if we entertain iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear our prayers. Through Isaiah, the Lord said, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God … so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Therefore, we should not harbor unclean thoughts lest they evolve into a mindset which, in turn, produces sinful acts and deeds. This is why we are challenged to “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Messiah” that obedience to God might be manifest (2 Corinthians 10:5).
We must guard our minds from carnal intentions, and should unclean thoughts creep in, we must be quick to arrest them and not allow that mental seed to take root within us. Instead, “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8)
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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