Short answer: A sin of omission is failing to do the good that God requires, especially when you know what you should do and do not do it. James 4:17 states the principle: "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them." The Bible treats leaving good undone as seriously as doing wrong, and Jesus says people will be judged for it.
In This Article
Most of us measure our goodness by what we have avoided. I have not stolen. I have not lied under oath. I have not committed adultery. And those are real things to be thankful for. But the Bible does not let us stop there. It asks a second question: what did you leave undone?
The phrase "sins of omission" is not in the text, but the idea runs from the prophets through the Gospels to the letters. People in the pews kept asking whether being a decent person who simply keeps their nose clean was enough. This article takes a look at what the Bible teaches, with the key verses, some vivid examples, and how to respond without sinking into guilt.
What Is A Sin Of Omission?
Theologians divide sin into two broad kinds. Sins of commission are things we do that God forbids. Sins of omission are things God commands that we fail to do. The two together cover every way we miss his will.
Think of the Ten Commandments (see the Ten Commandments). Many are phrased as "do not," but behind each prohibition there is a positive duty. "You shall not murder" implies caring for life. "You shall not steal" implies generosity. Jesus summed up the law not as a list of prohibitions but as love: love God with all you are and love your neighbour as yourself. Love is mostly a verb, and leaving it undone is a failure to obey.
It also matters that omission is about what we know. We are not guilty for failing to do what we could not have known or could not have done. Sins of omission are chiefly about neglect: seeing a need and looking away, hearing a call and not answering, knowing a duty and putting it off. If you want the larger frame for all this, start with what sin is.
What Does James 4:17 Say?
This is the verse everyone cites, and it deserves slow reading.
If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.James 4:17 (NIV)
Look at what comes before. James has just been rebuking people who plan their business ventures as if God did not exist, saying "we will go to this city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." He tells them they should say, "If it is the Lord's will." Then comes the conclusion: knowing the good and not doing it is sin. It is placed at the end of a passage about arrogance. We sin by omission when we live as though God's claims on our time, money and attention did not exist.
Three words matter. Knows: this is about conscience, not ignorance. Ought: there is a duty, not just a preference. Doesn't do it: the failure itself is the sin. Nothing in the verse requires malice. Simple neglect qualifies.
That might feel heavy. But James is not trying to bury us. He is waking us. Elsewhere he says that pure religion involves caring for orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27). Faith that never moves toward need is, he says, "dead" (James 2:17).
How Do Sins Of Commission And Omission Differ?
| Commission | Omission | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Doing what God forbids | Not doing what God commands |
| Typical examples | Lying, stealing, hating, adultery | Not helping, not praying, not forgiving, staying silent |
| How visible | Often obvious to others | Often invisible, even to us |
| Key passage | Exodus 20 (the commandments) | James 4:17; Matthew 25:31-46 |
| Remedy | Repentance and forgiveness in Christ | Repentance and forgiveness in Christ |
The difference that matters most is visibility. Commission is easy to spot: someone is hurt, a rule is broken. Omission is quiet. Nobody sees the prayer you did not pray or the phone call you did not make. That is why it can quietly shape a whole life without our noticing. It is easy to feel clean because nothing dramatic has happened.
The church has long recognized this. The Catholic prayer of confession at Mass includes the words "in what I have done and in what I have failed to do." The Anglican Book of Common Prayer confesses, "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done." Different traditions, same insight.
And the two kinds often connect. Gossip is a sin of commission; failing to speak up for someone being slandered is a sin of omission. Both leave a mark. You can read more on the first in is gossiping a sin.
What Are Biblical Examples?
The Bible gives us plenty.
The priest and the Levite. In Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, a man lies beaten on the road to Jericho. Two religious men see him:
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.Luke 10:31 (NIV)
Neither of them did anything wrong in the usual sense. They did not rob him or hit him. They simply did nothing. Jesus uses their omission as the setup for the Samaritan's mercy.
Sodom. We tend to think of Sodom for its violence and sexual sin, but Ezekiel names another failure:
She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.Ezekiel 16:49 (NIV)
The rich man and Lazarus. In Luke 16:19-31 the rich man is not accused of hurting Lazarus. His sin was that Lazarus lay at his gate every day and he did nothing.
Samuel. The prophet declares to Israel, "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you" (1 Samuel 12:23). Even failing to pray, to Samuel, would be sin.
The Pharisees. Jesus charged them with tithing their herbs while neglecting "the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness" (Matthew 23:23). They were thorough in small obedience and negligent in the weightiest.
Notice the pattern. The people in these stories were often respectable. That is what makes omission dangerous: it hides well in good company. For a related angle on how silence can cause harm, see causing others to sin.
What Does Matthew 25 Teach About It?
The most sobering passage on omission is the end of Matthew 25, where Jesus describes the final judgment as a sorting of the sheep from the goats. The king commends those who fed him when hungry, gave him drink, welcomed him as a stranger, clothed him, and visited him in prison or sickness. Then he turns to the others, and the charge against them is not what they did:
Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.Matthew 25:45 (NIV)
The goats are not accused of persecution. They are accused of not doing. And the surprise on both sides is notable: neither group realized they were serving or neglecting Christ.
Two careful notes are needed. First, we are not saved by a tally of good works. Scripture is plain that salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Matthew 25 teaches that real faith shows itself in compassion, and that the absence of it is a warning. Second, Christians differ on who "the least of these" are. Some say any person in need, others primarily Christ's own followers and messengers. I think the passage rightly pushes us to care for both, and the other Scriptures support that wide reading.
So what do we do? Confess it. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us" (1 John 1:9). Then ask for eyes to see. Choose one need near you this week and meet it. Pray for the person you have been neglecting. Don't wait to feel generous. Obedience often comes before the feeling. On how to turn, see how to repent, and for the root attitudes beneath neglect, laziness and greed.
Key Bible Verses About Sins Of Omission
- James 4:17: knowing the good and not doing it is sin
- Matthew 25:45: judged for what we did not do for the least of these
- Luke 10:31: the priest who passed by on the other side
- Ezekiel 16:49: Sodom's sin of not helping the poor and needy
- 1 Samuel 12:23: failing to pray for others counted as sin
- Matthew 23:23: neglecting justice, mercy and faithfulness
- 1 John 1:9: forgiveness for the one who confesses
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the definition of a sin of omission?
A sin of omission is failing to do what God requires, or knowing the right thing to do and not doing it. James 4:17 gives the plainest statement: knowing the good one ought to do and not doing it is sin.
What is the difference between sins of commission and omission?
Commission is doing what God forbids, like lying or stealing. Omission is leaving undone what God commands, like failing to help, to pray or to speak the truth. Both break God's law and both need forgiveness.
Is a sin of omission as serious as a sin of commission?
Jesus treats it very seriously in the parable of the sheep and the goats, where people are judged for what they did not do (Matthew 25:45). The Bible never ranks omission as the lesser kind.
What are examples of sins of omission today?
Ignoring a neighbour in need, withholding forgiveness, failing to pray for someone, staying silent when you should speak up, neglecting your family, or giving nothing when you could. See Is Laziness A Sin? for a related root.
Does God forgive sins of omission?
Yes, as he forgives every sin that is confessed and repented of (1 John 1:9). Many church prayers of confession name "what we have left undone" for this reason.
