Is sin-sniffing one of the gifts of the Spirit?

[Stan]

I saw that expression, Sin-sniffers on a post someplace, I think it may have come from Bonnie, but am willing to stand corrected.

I just think it is a good term.

The question I have to ask "Is sin-sniffing one of the gifts of the Spirit?"

Is it BIBLICAL to be one?

[Taylor]

God reveals the sins in our own lives, but we are not called to be the H.S. in someone else's life. However, we are not to shy away from presenting truth in love and kindness even if that truth does cut across someone's sin (as all good sermons will do...cut across some sin somewhere. )

[Woody]

I saw that expression, Sin-sniffers on a post someplace, I think it may have come from Bonnie, but am willing to stand corrected.

I just think it is a good term.

The question I have to ask "Is sin-sniffing one of the gifts of the Spirit?"

Is it BIBLICAL to be one?

Yes. I think that for some ... sniffing is better than swallowing. So, the Holy Spirit may be helping them step by step.

But then I may not really know what you mean by sniffing. I suppose it could be good and could be bad.

[Stan]

What I had understood it to be, would be if I came into your life and tried to find/expose anything you did that I would perceive as sin, and then make it public.

IMHO

There are two kinds of sinners, those who have been caught, and those who have not been caught.

[phkrause]

Sin-sniffing, that is an interesting word or statement. I wonder if you could exchange that word with "righteous indignation"?

pk

[bonnie]

I saw that expression, Sin-sniffers on a post someplace, I think it may have come from Bonnie, but am willing to stand corrected.

I just think it is a good term.

The question I have to ask "Is sin-sniffing one of the gifts of the Spirit?"

Is it BIBLICAL to be one?

It is a term my parents used. One of the rules that went with "I Spy Sin" game that some people engage in.

Different than issues that need to be addressed.

I played softball with the boys at school. Our teacher had enough brains to figure out I should probably not be doing that in a dress and let me change to jeans for recess.

He almost lost his job and I almost got the boot from school. The head elder and his wife came sniffing for sin at the school on a regular basis.

Was something my parents did not tolerate well along with

"The liberal who could not lose his salvation no matter how hard he worked at it" And the conservative trying to slide into heaven on his vegeburger"

[Dr. Shane]

There are two sides to sin-sniffing. 1. Me sniffing out others' sins. 2. Others sniffing out my sin.

I am convinced that all the problems in my life come from sin. I am also convinced that I bare the largest responsibility for those problems and the sin that caused them. While it is true that in some cases I have been the victim of others' sins, the overwhelming number of my problems are due to my own sin.

So with that thought I have learned to place value on others' criticism - as much as I don't like hearing it.

"Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities." Pslams 141:5

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Hebrews 12:11

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Revelation 3:19

Honestly, I really don't like it when others point out my sins but I know that the Lord uses others (especially my wife) to steer me in His path. When the criticism is unjustified, as it sometimes is, it teaches me patience which is not without value.

*******************************************************************

Now what me sniffing out others sin? For me, in my life, that is much harder to know how I should handle it.

There are texts that tell us to rebuke the sins of others.

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." Isaiah 58:1

"Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock 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

"Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear." 1 Timothy 5:20

Yet there are others that caution us about dealing with the sins of others.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Matthew 7:1, 2

"Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge." James 4:11

I believe that first and foremost, If I am going to talk about others sin, I do not need to talk about it with anyone other than the person. That would be gossip. Secondly, before I talk to them about it I need to spend time in prayer and not impulsively say something to them. Thirdly, I have to have a close enough relationship with the person that I truly feel a burden on me for their salvation.

[guibox]

There are texts that tell us to rebuke the sins of others....Thirdly, I have to have a close enough relationship with the person that I truly feel a burden on me for their salvation.

Yes Shane, but there is a difference between having a burden for one's salvation and rebuking their sin, and rebuking what one deems as 'sin' but is nothing more than personal preference and conviction.

We have too many nit-picking weenies in our church that feel (as in the case of Bonnie) that wearing jeans in our school is tantamount to sin, as are a million other dos-and-don'ts they feel is their duty to control.

People can't stand it if other's don't subscribe to their brand of legalism and they make a salvation issue out of it and pat themselves on the back feeling that they were justified in admonishing someone.

I teach in our school system and I can't tell you how many parents of years past want nothing to do with sending their kids to our school due to people's sin sniffing which ends up becoming nothing short of a witch hunt all in the name of toeing the traditional SDA party line.

[aldona]

Sin-sniffing is so widespread in the SDA church because, with all due respect, Ellen White serves as the role model for the ultimate sin-sniffer.

How many of her epistles/book chapters begin with words to the effect of..."Dear Brother A, the Lord has shown me that you are doing X, Y and Z...even though I have never met you, and you think you have kept this a secret...and I am here to tell you that you will lose your salvation if you do not mend your ways...and now I am going to make this public by publishing this in the Testimonies, whether you like it or not, because the Lord told me to. And even though I will leave out your name, the small and close-knit Adventist community will instantly work out who you are."

Why are we surprised if so many Adventists, functioning in "what-would-Ellen-do" mode, use this as their pattern and do exactly the same thing?

aldona

[bonnie]

Quote:

Yes Shane, but there is a difference between having a burden for one's salvation and rebuking their sin, and rebuking what one deems as 'sin' but is nothing more than personal preference and conviction.

We have too many nit-picking weenies in our church that feel (as in the case of Bonnie) that wearing jeans in our school is tantamount to sin, as are a million other dos-and-don'ts they feel is their duty to control.

People can't stand it if other's don't subscribe to their brand of legalism and they make a salvation issue out of it and pat themselves on the back feeling that they were justified in admonishing someone.

I teach in our school system and I can't tell you how many parents of years past want nothing to do with sending their kids to our school due to people's sin sniffing which ends up becoming nothing short of a witch hunt all in the name of toeing the traditional SDA party line.

I was not referring to anything recent. Took place in the mid-fifties and girls did not wear blue jeans let alone play softball with the boys. It is different now I suspect

Their daughter would bring her dolls and play with them on the lawn. That is just what girls did then.

Thankfully we had a wonderful teacher that did not toe the line drawn for him

[Key Guy]

Quote:

Sin-sniffing is so widespread in the SDA church because, with all due respect, Ellen White serves as the role model for the ultimate sin-sniffer.

The term 'sniffer' implies making an effort to ferret out a sin. That means going where one needs not go to find sin. Mrs. White did not do that. She was shown the sins, usually secret, of others to bring an opportunity for repentance. She wasn't sniffing, but was acting as God's messenger, if you believe God used her. I do. She did not relish the situations she was many time placed in, but struggled for the correct wording. She pulled no punches, but sought a repentant response from the recipient.

I'm quite sure she spent many hours on her knees for these people.

[Dr. Shane]

there is a difference between having a burden for one's salvation and rebuking their sin, and rebuking what one deems as 'sin' but is nothing more than personal preference and conviction.

[Dr. Shane]

Sin-sniffing is so widespread in the SDA church because, with all due respect, Ellen White serves as the role model for the ultimate sin-sniffer.

I think it is a mistake to think all rebuking is sin-sniffing. Sin-sniffing is looking for sin in others lives or having others look for sin in our lives. Some sin is so obvious that we don't need to look. It jumps out and screams "I am sin". When God gave Ellen White a vision I can hardly call that sin-sniffing. Now if Ellen White prayed to God and said, "Lord, please show me the sin in the life of Brother Jones so I can rebuke him." that would be more along the line of what we are talking about with sin-sniffing.

[aldona]

Quote:

Sin-sniffing is so widespread in the SDA church because, with all due respect, Ellen White serves as the role model for the ultimate sin-sniffer.

The term 'sniffer' implies making an effort to ferret out a sin. That means going where one needs not go to find sin. Mrs. White did not do that. She was shown the sins, usually secret, of others to bring an opportunity for repentance. She wasn't sniffing, but was acting as God's messenger, if you believe God used her. I do. She did not relish the situations she was many time placed in, but struggled for the correct wording. She pulled no punches, but sought a repentant response from the recipient.

I'm quite sure she spent many hours on her knees for these people.

Mrs White may have had a specific calling from God to do what she did...but I would be willing to bet that 99.9% of the folks who attempt to follow her example do not. That, to my mind, is the difference.

aldona

[Dr. Shane]

Mrs White may have had a specific calling from God to do what she did...but I would be willing to bet that 99.9% of the folks who attempt to follow her example do not. That, to my mind, is the difference.

Yes, I agree that is a significant difference. I don't think our church talks enough about the unbiblical nit-picking that often takes place. This is an issue that needs to be addressed and discussed.

[Key Guy]

Quote:

Mrs White may have had a specific calling from God to do what she did...but I would be willing to bet that 99.9% of the folks who attempt to follow her example do not. That, to my mind, is the difference.

This statement is quite different from your original about Mrs White.

Being called of God to be His messenger is not something that folks should attempt to be following. Mrs. White's calling as a prophet was not to set an example. She didn't volunteer for her calling (she was willing to obey with great trepidation), and neither should we. No one should attempt to set themselves up as God's messenger. That move alone will bring problems.

It's one thing to be made aware of a sin in others and quite another to 'sniff' out the sins. We have been given clear instructions on how to handle the former. We have been warned about the latter.

[Robert]

Gal 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are mature should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

[Gail]

Denise posted these words of wisdom on the subject here:

The spirit of fault-finding

[Key Guy]

Gal 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are mature should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Right! It doesn't say, "If you search for and find a sin in your brother"

[Gail]

While there is a time for rebuke (how am I supposed to know what that is?), there is also certainly a time to "pass over a transgression":

The discretion of a man maketh him slow to anger; And it is his glory to pass over a transgression. Proverbs 19:11

[phkrause]

KeyGuy the text I like also is the one in Matthew 7:3 "why do you see the speck in your brothers eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye."

pk

[Woody]

Sin-sniffing is so widespread in the SDA church because, with all due respect, Ellen White serves as the role model for the ultimate sin-sniffer.

How many of her epistles/book chapters begin with words to the effect of..."Dear Brother A, the Lord has shown me that you are doing X, Y and Z...even though I have never met you, and you think you have kept this a secret...and I am here to tell you that you will lose your salvation if you do not mend your ways...and now I am going to make this public by publishing this in the Testimonies, whether you like it or not, because the Lord told me to. And even though I will leave out your name, the small and close-knit Adventist community will instantly work out who you are."

Why are we surprised if so many Adventists, functioning in "what-would-Ellen-do" mode, use this as their pattern and do exactly the same thing?

aldona

Yes. This is very distrubing Aldona. If we have problems in the church in this area ... it may very well be due to our role model.

[Woody]

Quote:

Sin-sniffing is so widespread in the SDA church because, with all due respect, Ellen White serves as the role model for the ultimate sin-sniffer.

The term 'sniffer' implies making an effort to ferret out a sin. That means going where one needs not go to find sin. Mrs. White did not do that. She was shown the sins, usually secret, of others to bring an opportunity for repentance. She wasn't sniffing, but was acting as God's messenger, if you believe God used her. I do. She did not relish the situations she was many time placed in, but struggled for the correct wording. She pulled no punches, but sought a repentant response from the recipient.

I'm quite sure she spent many hours on her knees for these people.

The issue as I see it KeyGuy is that there is no need for a preacher or author to make it personal. One can preach about the dangers of sin and a sin ... without identifying the sinner.

[Key Guy]

Quote:

The issue as I see it KeyGuy is that there is not need for a preacher or author to make it personal. One can preach about the dangers of sin and a sin ... without identifying the sinner.

Well, apparently God saw it fit to give specific messages to certain people through His messenger. I won't question His wisdom.

As for the identifying part, when Mrs White writes to Brother T, do you know to whom she is writing?

[Woody]

I think brother T does.