From stories in Genesis to warnings in the Book of Revelations, the Bible teaches us what and what not to do to live a good life. If you’re looking to grow closer to God through your beliefs and actions, here are 17 things to stay away from.
Worship Anything Other than God
The basis of Christianity, i.e., the primary message that the Bible passes and the first commandment from God, is that we don’t worship anything other than Him. Idolatry corrupts our spirituality in front of God, and Exodus 20:3 is where you’ll find the divine command against it.
Engage in Adultrous Behavior
In the same Exodus chapter, Exodus 20:14, we’re given the command, through Moses, that ‘thou shalt not commit adultery.’ Adultery breaks the contract between husband and wife and defaces the sacredness that the Bible places on marriage.
Fall Into Sexual Immorality
Fornication is a sin different from every other sin that you may commit. We learn from Bible.com that in 1 Corinthians 6:18, all other sins are outside our body, but the sin of fornication is a sin against ourselves. It’s a blemish on your body as the holy temple for your spirit.
Disrespect the Sacredness of God
You’re also not allowed to show hate towards God and the things he has made holy to you. This is such a big sin that Leviticus 24 proposes that believers stone blasphemers to death. This was before Jesus’ message of mercy for all in the New Testament.
Steal From Others
We’re commanded against theft in Exodus 20:15, and the Bible even recommends in Exodus 22:1 to 15 the punishment of paying back double what you stole. Stealing is a shameful act that disrupts societal order. Following this command is a way to control your desires.
Want What Belongs to Others
Wanting what others have shows discontentment with what God has given you, and causes negative feelings of envy that are bad for your heart. It’s a negative trait that creates a negative attitude towards others and yourself. This is why God commands against it in Exodus 20:17.
Commit Murder
Killing another person intentionally is a grave sin against the gift of life that God has granted humans. This act causes irreparable harm to others. Vanderbilt University shares that God’s judgment in Matthew 5:21 is that whoever is guilty will receive the same punishment of death.
Gossip About Others
Speaking about others behind their backs is also a sinful act (Ephesians 4:29). It’s a sin against God and your fellow humans, especially when you spread lies that could damage someone’s reputation. Slander also falls in this category, and both go against Jesus’s rule of loving your neighbor as yourself.
Dishonor Our Parents
When you disrespect your parents, you undermine the wisdom of the elders and show disdain towards the sacred institution of family. God says, through Ephesians 6, that we should honor our fathers and mothers so that we may live for a long time. He also extends this respect to children, so that fathers don’t provoke children to anger.
Be Too Proud
Proverbs 16:18 states that pride comes before destruction, specifically showing disdain for egoistic people. Pride leads to self-centeredness and is a virtue that leads to arrogance against humans and God. You’re encouraged to show humility in your worldly dealings so that God may exalt you in life and in the afterlife.
Ignore the Underprivileged
There are strong words in the Bible against anyone who neglects the poor. We see this in Proverbs 21:13, where God says he will turn away from anyone who ignores the cries of the poor. And, reading from Biblia, Proverbs 19:17 says whoever gives to the poor is giving to God and will receive rewards for their good actions.
Form Judgments Based on Injustice
You’re called to display justice and fairness in your dealings with others through Leviticus 19:15. Here, God asks you to show fairness to the poor in your judgments in court, even saying that injustice against the less privileged is the same as an insult against Him, in Proverbs 14:31.
Get Excessively Drunk
There’s debate over whether alcohol is allowed for Christians or not. But one thing that’s clear is that being drunk is regarded as a sin that leads to overindulgence in immorality (Ephesians 5:18) and stops you from inheriting the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19–21).
Practice Sorcery
Sorcery is magic that draws powers from forces separate from the Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 18:10–11 commands us not to be found among the augurs, soothsayers, diviners, and sorcerers because these people subject us to occultic, spiritual deception and bondage.
Rebel Against Authority
In Christianity.com’s NIV Bible, 1 Samuel 15:23 says going against those that hold fair authority over you is similar to witchcraft, and that stubbornness is equal to idolatry. Remember that these are the sins of Satan (the first sins after creation) and obedience to God is said to be better than the sacrifice of clean animals.
Deceive Others
Lies and deceit undermine and damage trust in relationships, and they go directly against the idea of truth that God preaches. The Bible recognizes that the heart desperately seeks to deceive, but it goes further to say, through Revelation 21:8, that whoever gives in to this desire is destined to end up in a fiery eternity.
Change Our Bodies
Although plastic surgery isn’t specifically addressed in the Bible, tattoos are directly outlawed by it. Reading Leviticus 19:28, we’re urged not to make cuts on ourselves or imprint tattoos on our bodies for whatever reason. And this warning comes because tattoos were pagan practices for mourning the dead.
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