The Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth
It is often easiest to see the sins that we visibly commit. We call this in Confirmation the sins of ‘commission’ – sins that we do with our words and actions. However, there is another side to sin, and that is our sins of omission – sins that we cannot necessarily see – sins from things that we fail to do.
Tonight, we will examine a sin of omission – a sin that often goes unnoticed in the Christian life because it is the kind of sin that doesn’t show up. In other words, it doesn’t announce its presence. Indeed, the sin of sloth typically does not erupt in scandal. It does not normally arrive with loud rebellion against God. Instead, it quietly creeps into the heart like a slow fog settling over a North Dakota field.
Now, to be clear, the church has historically used the word “acedia” as a synonym for “sloth.” Perhaps acedia is a better word, as the word sloth does not fully capture the depths of what we are talking about tonight. You see, acedia is more than simple physical laziness. It is what we could describe as a dullness of soul – it is when a person grows tired of God’s Word. It is when a Christian grows bored with the promises of God, or perhaps when a Christian begins to yawn at the Gospel.
Let me give you an example to make sure that we are on the same page.
In Psalm 106, we hear of Israel in the wilderness. The Psalmist says they despised the pleasant land and did not believe God’s Word, but murmured in their tents. Notice what happened: it began with weariness and distaste. The good things God promised no longer excited them. The land flowing with milk and honey lost its appeal. The Word was no longer treasured as a gift. Instead of joy, there was grumbling—and that grumbling hardened into unbelief. Thus, boredom with God’s gifts can lead to rejection of God Himself.
The Book of Hebrews also discusses sloth and acedia. In Hebrews 6, we are warned about becoming sluggish, dull, and lazy as Christians. That is to say; when Godly zeal begins to fade, we can become spiritually heavy – we can become spiritual couch potatoes. We can become spiritually fat and sloppy with a haze of depression, saying, “Whatever” to God’s Word and Sacrament.
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We must take a brief pause here and mention that in our modern society, acedia and sloth can sometimes disguise themselves as what is commonly called depression. Now it must be said that there are real medical conditions that affect the mind and body. There are forms of depression connected to chemical imbalances, trauma, and other physical realities. Those situations require compassion, care, and often medical treatment. The church must never dismiss genuine suffering in the body or mind.
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At the same time, we must also recognize that there are times when people do not have the effects of clinical depression but are suffering from their own sin of acedia and sloth. That is to say, acedia is not primarily a medical condition but a spiritual one. It is the quiet voice in the heart that says that God can wait, the Word can be ignored, that the Divine Service is optional, and that the vocations God has given are simply burdens to endure rather than gifts to bless and receive. And so, acedia slowly drains the soul of joy in the Lord and replaces it with apathy.
Frankly, if we look real close, we can see acedia and sloth at work in our North Dakota LCMS churches. Consider the lack of Sunday attendance in our own and neighboring congregations. Consider also the physical care of many churches—not their age, but the clutter and neglect. You know what I mean: look in the storage compartments of pulpits and lecterns where God’s eternal truth is read and proclaimed, and you will find old cough drop wrappers, dead batteries, broken pens, and years of accumulated junk. And the sacristies? Too often, instead of clean and orderly spaces where the Holy Sacrament of immortality is prepared, you will find rooms that resemble cluttered storage rooms—rooms often seen on hoarding reality shows. Tragically, when the sanctuary, chancel, and sacristy look like a messy teenager’s bedroom or a garage sale, acedia and sloth are at work in a spiritually apathetic church.
Dear friends, it is important to understand that acedia tends to grow in conditions of comfort and ease. When life becomes comfortable, the human heart easily assumes that suffering should never touch us. We start to believe that we have a right to an easy life and that anything difficult is somehow unfair. Along with this expectation comes another assumption, namely that someone or something should always take care of us as we wallow in victimhood and sloth.
And so, within this mindset, pride whispers that we deserve comfort and that our lives should revolve around our preferences and what we deem to be normal, routine, and comfortable. Tragically, when pride joins with apathy, the soul becomes resistant to sacrifice, allergic to difficulty, and resistant to needed changes. Responsibilities begin to feel oppressive, and the things of God start to feel tedious – even legalistic - rather than life-giving.
If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that this sin touches all of us. It shows itself in neglected prayer, unopened Bibles, postponed acts of love toward a neighbor, resistance to doing things with excellence in the church, and the quiet assumption that spiritual things can wait until tomorrow. Acedia rarely announces itself openly. It usually whispers.
Yet the church addresses this sin every single week in the Divine Service. Listen to our confession:
“Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.”
Those final words capture the heart of acedia and sloth. Indeed, in that last part, we acknowledge the responsibilities we have neglected and the devotion we have allowed to fade – our sins of omission.
And so, Baptized Saints, hear this: the Christian response to acedia and sloth does not begin with simply trying harder. Instead, the Christian life begins with the recognition of this sin of acedia and sloth.
Let me break this down very simply: first, we recognize acedia and sloth for what they are. We do not excuse it or disguise it. We acknowledge that our spiritual laziness is part of the problem.
Second, we confess it before God. The confession of sins is not a ritual of shame but an act of honesty. It brings our spiritual apathy out of the darkness into the light and says that our spiritual laziness is a damnable sin.
Third, we receive absolution. When the pastor declares the forgiveness of sins, the guilt of acedia and sloth is forgiven because Christ has already carried it to the cross.
And that – right there is the key – the place to begin. You see, the way to combat acedia and sloth is to confess acedia and sloth. And once confessed, we get to receive forgiveness. And in that forgiveness, we are turned from sloth to gratitude, from apathy to grateful zeal, and from a spiritual drunken stupor to soberness in a new day of grace.
Baptized Saints, mark this – sloth and acedia flow from the old Adam, not from forgiveness, life, and salvation. And so, again, the best way to combat acedia and apathy is not to work harder and try harder but to confess it as sin and be returned to the life-giving Word and Sacraments. And mark this: through His Word, through Holy Absolution, through the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, Christ continually strengthens His people, which then leads not to acedia and sloth, but to gratitude, holy zeal, and sober alertness in Divine Truth.
Listen up! The gifts of God’s Word and Sacraments awaken hearts that have grown dull. They restore joy to those who have become weary. They renew faith and equip Christians to live within the vocations that God has given.
Acedia and sloth thrive where the gifts of God are neglected, ignored, or put off to the side as something secondary. But where Christ’s Word is heard, where sins are confessed, and where forgiveness is spoken, the fog of acedia and sloth begins to lift.
Baptized Saints, Christ Himself is present among you - His people – in His Word and Sacraments to forgive you, strengthen you, and sustain you until the last day, when all the spiritual heaviness of this vale of tears will be finally gone.
Lord, keep us steadfast in your Word. Grant us zeal by Your Holy Sacrament and gift us soberness through Your blessed Absolution. Amen.
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