Sins of Presumption by D. T. Bourdeau

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 10, 1874

Sins of Presumption.

By D. T. Bourdeau

Sins of presumption are more heinous in the sight of God than sins of ignorance or sins of weakness, because they are committed deliberately and with a knowledge of duty. Under the old dispensation, those who were guilty of the sin of presumption were killed on the spot, or died without mercy; and those who commit this sin under the Christian dispensation are not less guilty before God, although a longer probation is given them, that they may repent and flee from the awful wrath of God which they justly deserve.

Peter cautions Christians against this sin when he says, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance; but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (or conduct, according to the meaning of the word when the Bible was translated into English). 1 Pet. 1:14, etc.

We cannot sin so cheaply as we could while in ignorance. And we should not presume to think that God will show us mercy while willfully persisting in ways and practices that we know to be sinful. Says the Saviour, “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin.” John 15:22. And in harmony with the sentiment of these words, is the following conclusion from James: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” James 4:17.

Peter presents as a motive to shun the sin of presumption the fact “that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [or conduct] received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Pet. 1:18, 19. The idea that the precious blood of Christ was offered to redeem us from our sins of ignorance, is the strongest possible rebuke against falling back into those sins, and regarding any sin as a trivial affair.

The great preventive against the sin of presumption is to cultivate a tender conscience and genuine humility. Those who do this are approved of God, although Satan and sinners may insinuate that they are overnice, that their conscience is diseased and overexcited, and that they unnecessarily lower their dignity, as though man was above the Almighty. Says the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity: “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Isa. 66:2.

It was for a want of this qualification that Saul presumed to officiate as a priest before the Lord, and that he preserved king Agag, the best of the sheep, and of the fatlings, etc., alive, against the commandment of the Lord, 1 Sam. 15; that the men of Beth-shemesh dared to look into the ark, and were destroyed, 1 Sam. 6; that Nadab and Abihu ventured to offer strange fire before the Lord, instead of offering sacred fire, fire of God's kindling, from the altar; and fire fell upon them from heaven and devoured them. Lev. 10.

It was through presumption that king Solomon multiplied unto himself wives, and went into Egypt after horses against the express commandment of God, and he shamefully ran into idolatry, and closed his life in shame and effeminacy. It is through presumption that many make light of present truth, and regard it as being composed of non-essentials, as though God dealt in non-essentials.

Oh! let us guard against what men call small deviations from God's word. It is by just such deviations that apostasy crept into the church, and that the huge monster of iniquity was formed. And can we expect to fully emerge out of error and apostasy unless we are as particular in returning to the word of God as men have been slack in departing from it? D. T. BOURDEAU,