People sometimes speak of sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of commission are those sinful actions that are proactively done. Typically people who lean to the personal site lying or stealing as examples of sins of commission. I would argue that persons who say and do things that cause harm to people who are vulnerable are guilty of this sin. A sin of omission is a sin that takes place because of not doing something that is right, in other words sins of apathy or indifference. Some examples of these kind of sins are refusing to speak up for those who are persecuted, not speaking up for justice, remaining silent when God is asking for advocacy. I often think of how we will reflect on our lives in our last days, will we be proud of how we responded to the sins of our age; racism, sexism/heterosexism, and climate change. The hymn “Were You There?” comes to mind.
James 4:17 is often used as a key verse regarding sins of omission: "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." This overarching theme provides the basis for the concept of a sin of omission.
In Luke 10:30-37 Jesus gives a clear example of a sin of omission in the account of the Good Samaritan. Two different persons came upon an injured man who had been robbed and was lying alongside the road. Both passed by without helping. A third stopped and helped, proving himself as the one who did the right thing. The two who did not help could be considered as those committing a sin of omission.
Matthew 25 offers another example regarding the sin of omission. Verses 44-45 note, "Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'" Here Jesus clearly indicates that our lack of action can be considered sinful.
1 John 3:17-18 offers yet another example: "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but indeed and in truth." John commanded those who follow Jesus to live in ways that show this love to others.
Matthew 5:16 offers an important reason why Christians are to act in ways that help others and not commit sins of omission: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to God who is in heaven." Galatians 6:9 adds, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
I am often asked if I live with a lingering feeling of guilt. I suspect I am asked this because a) many do live with ongoing feelings of guilt and b) people are searching for ways to get out from underneath this feeling. My answer often surprises people. I don’t feel guilty so much for the mistakes I make but for the goodness I fail to follow through on. In other words I have chosen to take rapid action, to respond as quickly as possible to situations of injustice and hurt and pain and live with the reality of mistakes rather live with the awareness that I moved too slow, was too busy trying to perfect my attempts at kindness to actually accomplish more good acts. I am more at peace with trying to do too much and thus being sloppy than I am fussy over getting right my responses in real time. When I am dead I would prefer people be disappointed in me because I said the wrong word here or there or acted too quickly or made a poor judgment than I would be if someone thought I did too little, focused too much on a careful and infrequent offering.
There is also that age old tension of the personal and political, the smaller acts of kindness versus the larger causes of the world. Most people go to the personal and relational virtues (we all know what they are) over the causes we support, or don’t. I know countless people who are personally virtuous but have never supported any cause larger than their immediate concerns. I also know persons who remind me of the Peanuts cartoon, “I love (hu)mankind…it's people I can't stand!!”
We all have to make these calculations, we all have to sleep at night and each of us makes the decision whether to focus on the quantity or the quality of their kindness. For me it is not even close, I choose the former. The guilt I live with surrounds the times I did nothing when I could have done something. We all make that choice.