credit to: this post for inspiration
✧ Reframing The Seven Deadly Sins ✧
I think many people misunderstand the seven deadly sins, applying them in media and in practice to refer to separate and morally-neutral acts.
Lust is not simply attraction or premarital sex. Gluttony is not enjoying food. Wrath is not feeling anger. Pride is not healthy self-respect. Envy is not wishing others well. Sloth is not resting. Greed is not ambition.
Lust refers to sexual acts that harm others or are immoral, not natural attraction or love. Specifically: rape, pedophilia, sexual coercion, adultery that violates moral duties. The original focus is on exploitation and abuse, not consensual desire or affection.
Matthew 5:27-28 — "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery in his heart."
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 — "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor."
Jesus expands the understanding of sin beyond external acts to internal intention. Lust is not simply desire, it’s conscious objectification and intent to violate moral order. The Greek term here for lustful intent, epithumeo, is often translated as “covet” or “strong desire,” but in context implies desire directed toward violating God’s law or harming another.
Gluttony is overconsumption to the point of harm, not enjoying food or drink. Specifically: hoarding, waste, or obsession that neglects the needs of the body, spirit, or community.
Proverbs 23:20-21 — "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor…"
Philippians 3:19 — "Their god is their belly."
Medieval writers categorized gluttony as excess that distracts from spiritual life, not simple pleasure. Overconsumption could lead to illness, moral weakness, or neglect of charity. Gluttony is about disordered desire (not to be confused with a binging disorder), not moderation or enjoyment.
Wrath is uncontrolled, destructive anger that seeks revenge or harm, not righteous indignation or self-defense. The sin lies in letting anger dominate judgment and relationships.
Ephesians 4:26-27 — "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger."
James 1:19-20 — "The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
Church fathers (ex: Thomas Aquinas) distinguished just anger (righteous indignation) from wrath that destroys relationships and virtue. Wrath becomes sinful when it is persistent, vindictive, or harms the innocent.
Pride is arrogance, vanity, or self-exaltation over God or others, not healthy self-esteem. Early writers saw pride as the root of all other sins, because it sets oneself above moral and divine order.
Proverbs 16:18 — "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
James 4:6 — "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Pride was called the "queen of sins" because it fuels all other sins: greed, envy, wrath, etc. It is turning the will inward and rejecting dependence on God. Healthy confidence or pride in work is distinct from this self-exalting arrogance.
Envy is resentment at another’s good fortune, often wishing them harm, not simply desiring something someone else has. True envy is corrosive to the soul and community, admiration and healthy aspiration are fine.
Proverbs 14:30 — "A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot."
Galatians 5:26 — "Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
Early Christians saw envy as spiritual corrosion, eroding charity and joy. Wishing someone’s success to fail, or taking pleasure in their misfortune, is the sin, not aspiring to emulate or admire. Envy poisons the soul, unlike aspiration, ambition, or healthy comparison.
Sloth is spiritual or moral apathy, neglect of duties to God and community. Rest, relaxation, or self-care are not sins. The problem is neglect, stagnation, and turning away from responsibility.
Proverbs 6:6-11 — "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways…"
Matthew 25:26-30 — "Parable of the talents, the sin of neglecting what God entrusts to us."
Sloth is not resting, contemplation, or retreat. It is spiritual paralysis, refusing to act in life or devotion. Medieval monks emphasized vigilance: sloth leads to decay of virtue and inaction against evil.
Greed is excessive desire for wealth or power at the expense of others, not ambition, planning, or hard work. Exploitation, hoarding, and prioritizing possessions over moral obligations.
1 Timothy 6:10 — "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."
Luke 12:15 — "One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
Greed is selfish accumulation and exploitation, not stewardship, planning, or effort. It is condemned when desire for gain overshadows love of neighbor and moral duty.
