Sin Test

I had an epiphany today on how someone can tell if something is a sin or not. Jesus said all the commandments hinge on loving God and loving others, so a good question to ask ourselves about anything is, "Am I doing this so that I can love others better, or is this for my own selfish gain?"

When it comes to eating, do we eat so that we can love others better, because everyone is grumpy when they are hungry, or do we eat past that to our own selfish gain?

When it comes to sleeping, am I sleeping so that I can love others better, so that I am not tired and grumpy, or do I sleep past what I need for my own selfish gain?

This can be applied to every area and aspect of life.

A litmus test for anything that we do is "Am I doing this so that I can love others better?" If the answer is yes, then it is good. If no, then it is bad or it is a sin. Because anything that is selfish is a sin and anything that helps us to be more loving is good.