Several passages have recently riveted my attention on this topic. Many times I think of sins as something we commit, such as stealing, lying, murmuring, etc. Eight of the ten commandments expose activities that we are not to commit, and thus reveal “sins of commission”. The other two commands show activities that we are to practice, and thus reveal “sins of omission”.
Concerning the tongue, there are many verses that tell us what not to say. In this short series, I want to look at several major categories of things the Scripture instructs us to say. Thus, if we don’t obey these commands and instead remain silent, we sin against our Lord and others.
THE SIN OF NOT PRAISING and THANKING the LORD
Here are some verses that instruct us to use our tongues to praise the Lord.
- “This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.” (Is. 43:21) We are designed to praise the Lord, and He is deserving of all praise.
- Of course, this includes singing. And even if we don’t think that our voice sounds very good, that is not a consideration to God. He made our voices and He loves to hear us singing His praise! Seven times in the book of Psalms we are instructed to make a “joyful noise” (or “shout”) to the Lord.
- We are instructed on how often we are to be rejoicing in the Lord. “Rejoice in the Lord always: Again, I will say, Rejoice.” (Phil. 4;4)
- In how many situations should we be thanking the Lord? I Thess. 5:18 gives us God’s will in this matter: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
This is just scratching the surface of this topic. I also noticed that many hymns reference this truth. Here are two:
Thou, Whom seraphs joy in praising,
Thou, Whom angel hosts adore.
Can my stammering tongue be silent
When I owe Thee so much more.
"My Song" Bob Jones, Jr.
For Thy rich, Thy free redemption,
Shall Thy praise unuttered lie?
Break, my tongue, such guilty silence,
Sing the Lord who came to die.
"Mighty God, While Angels Bless Thee" Robert Robinson
And why do we praise and thank Him? “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)