“Sins of Commission, Sins of Omission”

October 10, 2019

In reflection upon our President’s behavior in the past few weeks, I thought it might be helpful to organize his behavior around the Book of Common Worship’s rubric of “sins of omission, sins of commission.”  In this prayer book of the Presbyterian Church, we are given prayers of confession to use in our common worship.  The prayer of confession proceeds in this fashion as we seek to approach the living and holy God making our confession of sin(s) in order to prepare ourselves to hear God’s gracious word of mercy and forgiveness.  This prayer (or a similar prayer) is part of every Sunday worship in most Presbyterian churches as part of Sunday morning worship.

“Lord, forgive us the sins we have committed against our fellow men and women and forgive us for the things we have not done for our fellow men and women, which we should have done.”  This is summarized in theology parlance as “sins of commission” and “sins of omission.”  While knowing what we should do, we do not do it.  While knowing what we should not do, we do it anyway.  Such is the pervasiveness of human sinfulness. We can only be saved by the grace of our God, in the person of our Savior Jesus Christ, who alone has the power to redeem and to save us.  God our Father forgives and redeems us, healing us from our sins of omission and sins of commission, in Jesus Christ our Lord, through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ our Lord, dying on the cross of Calvary for us all!

Our President is known for the sins which he commits on a daily basis and also for the sins of omission, for the things he has not done, those good things which he could have done, but did not do.  Except, unlike most, our President never stops to ask for forgiveness either of the citizens of our country who elected him nor of the God who created him and sustains his life on this earth.  It is for his lack of repentance that he stands now condemned in the court of public opinion.

What are our President’s sins of commission?

1. Stabbing the Kurds in the back by abandoning our long term alliance with them, placing their whole population in Syria at the mercy of the armies of Turkey, who plans to disrupt and destroy the Kurds as “terrorists.”
2. Seeking a “quid pro quo” arrangement with Ukraine in order to gain “political dirt” on his political rival, Joe Biden.
3. Asking China and other governments to help find “dirt” on his political opponent Joe Biden.
4. Refusing to cooperate with the House of Representative inquiry on impeachment by “stone walling” the committees of Investigation.
5. Using his personal Lawyer Rudy Giuliani to help promote a liquefied gas deal with Ukraine for one of his political contributors from Texas in an attempt to enrich both Giuliani and his political supporters.
6. Changing the terms for immigration to the United States in order to limit immigration from Africa and the West Indies by requiring immigrants to have a passport (an expensive document) before they can apply for permission to immigrate.
7. Taking money from the Pentagon budget and other governmental agencies to thwart Congressional oversight over his spending plans for his pet political projects, as the Wall on the US Mexican Border.
8. Placing a limit on legal immigration to the United States to the lowest number in the past 25 years.

What are our President’s sins of omission?

1. This president does not represent all constituencies of the United States. This president represents himself, his cronies and white Americans, and a few rich contributors.  He does not represent African Americans, Hispanics, mixed race, other races, LGBTQ, women and children nor persons of other political persuasions whom he views as his enemies.
2. This president does not represent persons in the United States who are here without a visa. He does not welcome the stranger or traveler from other nations.  He does not exhibit Christian hospitality.
3. The President does not express compassion for the poor, the homeless and the mentally ill.
4. The President does not express concern for the refugees from Syria nor other refugees from other parts of the world.
5. The President does not express concern for protecting the European democracies from the members of ISIS who have threatened to destroy them.
6. The President has abandoned Syria to Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime and has neglected the interests of the United States in the Middle East.
7. The President pours out torrents of words, threatening destruction or retaliation upon enemies of the United States, but does not back up his words with any political or military action.
8. The President does not work effectively with the elected Congress of the United States of America to bring about needed legislation for the benefit of all citizens.

What is the verdict for this President?

1. This president is unfit for the office of the President of the United States.
2. This president should be indicted for his crimes and his sins of omission and commission against the people of the United States and the world.
3. This president should be removed from office and replaced with another more worthy of this high office.
4. The citizens of the United States should pray for this president that he may repent from his sins.

Prayer:  O Living God, who loves all the people of the world with an everlasting  love in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord, hear our prayer, in your most holy and blessed name.  Amen.

Bill Wilson, servant of God by God’s grace