Sin Begins Within

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God

Matthew 5:8

I have to tell you, this is one of my #1 life scriptures; meaning I carry that word everywhere I go!  Words of wisdom from God tells us:

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.  Proverbs 4:23

In other words, what is in us; in our hearts, will sooner or later show up in our actions.  We have to be careful what we allow to enter into our mind and seep into our heart where it begins to grow or fester and take a stronghold.

Iniquity is a term used in the bible that is a little ambiguous in nature.  We know that it is wrong and something that we, as believers in God, should avoid.  But what exactly does it mean to have iniquity within us?

According to Strong’s dictionary, iniquity is defined as:  perversity, that is, (moral distortion) evil: Thus sin, when repeated against the knowledge of God, becomes transgression which, if it continues long enough, eventually becomes iniquity which perverts the flesh. 

Although I by no means claim to be an expert, according to my understanding of the word of God, it is our inner desires, feelings or motives that cause us to commit sin.  For example, the bible tells us that if a man looks at a woman in lust, he has already committed the sin in his heart even though it was not done in deed.

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.  Matthew 5:28

It is what's in the heart that is critical to our actions.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.  Proverbs 23:7

The Hebrew meaning of iniquity is recorded as:  Perverseness, bowed down, twisted, to be bent or crooked, to be wrung out of course.

The bible describes iniquity as:

>      Hateful:

For he flatters himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.   Psalms 36:2   

>      Self righteousness:

When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.  Ezekiel 33:13

Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.   Psalms 28:3

>     Mischief:

Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.  Psalms 7:14

>      Perversion:

And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.    2 Samuel 19:19

Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say , The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.   Ezekiel 9:9

Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?   Job 6:30

>      Unrighteousness:

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live ? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Ezekiel 18:24

Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning , he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered ; but his blood will I require at thine hand.   Ezekiel 3:20

>      Rebellion:

We have sinned , and have committed iniquity , and have done wickedly , and have rebelled , even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:   Daniel 9:5

>     Corruption:

They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.  Hosea 9:9  

>      Oppression:

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed , spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.  Ezekiel 18:18

>      Pride:

And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.  Hosea 5:5   

>      Despise:

The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.  Leviticus 26:43

Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.   Numbers 15:31

>      Vileness:

For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile , and he restrained them not.  1 Samuel 3:13

>      Stubbornness:

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.   1 Samuel 15:23  

>     Hypocrisy:

For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.    Isaiah 32:6

Iniquity denotes not just that which is wrong, but the inclination to do wrong.  Iniquity is a perversion of intents, which affects our will.   Iniquities are inner nature sins, which stimulate us to repeatedly and continually commit sin. 

Iniquity is a perversion of the truth.  Any deviation from the truth will most assuredly lead to error every time.  

Though sin, iniquity and transgressions are all ungodly, there is a difference in the three terms.  

Iniquity, when unchecked within us will lead to sin and transgression.  

Sins and transgressions are the outward manifestations of the attitudes within us. 

It is easy to see how iniquity defiles our character with all types of ungodliness. Iniquity is the twisted state of what we are. Iniquity revolves more around the underlying attitudes such as idolatry, hatred, gluttony, covetousness, unrighteousness, wickedness and lawlessness:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:   Galatians 5:19-21

Note that attitudes (iniquity) are listed among actions (sins) in this incomplete list of the works of the flesh.

Most importantly, God looks at our heart.  We see this all throughout the account of King David.  As the prophet Samuel was selecting a new king of Israel (which was to be David), God told him,

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.  1 Samuel 16:7

God is much more concerned with our heart than He is with our actions; knowing that our actions are driven by what is in our heart.  Iniquity is not as easily seen as sins.  Iniquity is insidious and hidden underneath the surface.  King David recognized the subtlety of iniquity and asked God for a new heart and a right spirit:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Psalms 51:10

Iniquity is such an egregious thing that Jesus was bruised for our iniquities:

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.   Isaiah 53:5

Jesus paid the price for our iniquity:

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.   Titus 2:14

Iniquities are not superficial. They are under the skin; they are deeply imbedded.  Bruises and iniquities have to be healed by the blood.

Satan was perfect until iniquity was found in him:

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. Ezekiel 28:14-18   

The root of all sin is iniquity.  

The beginning of sin begins within.  It grows through ungodly influences and actions until it finally becomes full grown and blooms into sin; the manifestation of iniquity. 

Before we lambaste people for the outward sins being committed, a search for the reason should be done.  King David asked God to search his heart:

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:  Psalms 139:23

Like King David, we should ask God to search our heart at all times, to show us those hidden, iniquitous things that are within us; to help us rid ourselves of them before they are manifested in our character and in ungodly thoughts, deeds and actions.

(Biblical Studies)



07/07/14
06/20/15
09/13/16
10/12/18
08/05/20

08/22/22