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According to Christian tradition, the seven deadly sins are: envy, gluttony, greed or avarice, lust, pride, sloth, and wrath. You can find a list and the meanings of the seven deadly sins below.

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The Seven Deadly Sins List & Meanings

1. Lust
2. Gluttony
3. Greed
4. Sloth
5. Wrath
6. Envy
7. Pride
8. Browse Additional Article Contents

1. Lust

Lust is a strong passion or longing, especially for sexual things.

The Bible speaks about lust in 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love [and] peace...”

The Bible also mentions lust in the following verses: Job 31:1, Matthew 5:28, Philippians 4:8, James 1:14-15, 1 Peter 2:11 and 1 John 2:16.

Friend, God has better plans for you. He doesn’t want to leave you chained in a life of lust. He has rescued you from sin with His blood. And as you recognize the love of God in your life, you will be given power to replace lust with self-control and a desire to serve others.

2. Gluttony

Gluttony is an excessive and ongoing eating of food or drink.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Additional Bible references include: Psalm 78:17-19, Philippians 3:19-20, Proverbs 23:1-3, Proverbs 23:19-21 and 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

God longs for your body to be a temple for the indwelling of His Spirit and will. Once you accept Jesus as the God of your body, you will desire to use your body and mind for His service. You will want to discover ways to have a healthy body that can better serve Him and other people.

3. Greed

Greed is an excessive pursuit of material goods.

The Bible says the following in Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Other biblical texts which mention greed include: Exodus 20:17, Proverbs 11:24, Proverbs 28:25, Ecclesiastes 5:10, Philippians 4:6 and 1 Timothy 6:9-10.

Always wanting more for yourself and never being satisfied with what you have is a very unsatisfying way to live. Jesus wants you to be satisfied with an abundant life. He says,” I am come that they may have life and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). He and the things He chooses to give you will be infinitely more satisfying and enjoyable than trying to accumulate material things for yourself.

4. Sloth

Sloth is an excessive laziness or the failure to act and utilize one’s talents.

Solomon spoke of sloth in Proverbs 6:6 saying, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise.”

The Bible also mentions sloth in the following verses: Proverbs 13:4, Proverbs 24:33-34, Romans 12:11-13, Colossians 3:23 and 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

God wants you know that you will actually be happier as you take time and energy to serve Him. He created you to work and to feel satisfaction and fulfillment from the work He gives you. Sitting at home resting can never give you as much enjoyment as seeing the smile on someone’s face when you serve them.

5. Wrath

Wrath is a strong anger and animosity towards another a person or situation.

The Bible speaks about wrath in Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

Additional Bible verses include: Psalm 37:8, Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 15:1, Ephesians 4:26-27, Colossians 3:8, James 1:19-20 and Ephesians 4:31-32, 5:1-2.

God is kind and patient with you and asks you to be kind and patient with others as well. He knows that a life of anger and hatred is unsatisfying and joy-killing. That’s why He gives you power to forgive others for their mistakes against you, even as He forgives your mistakes against Him and against others.

6. Envy

Envy is the intense desire to have an item that someone else possesses or acquire the experiences that someone else enjoys.

The Bible says the following in Proverbs 14:30, “A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.”

Other biblical texts which mention envy include: Job 5:2, Psalm 37:1, Proverbs 24:19-20, Ecclesiastes 4:4, Galatians 5:26 and James 3:14-16.

Envying others only makes you unhappy. God has promised to always be with you and never leave you. Having a relationship with Him is the most valuable thing you can possess. That’s why you won’t need to covet or desire things that are not yours. God will make sure you have the things you need.

7. Pride

Pride is an overly positive view of one's self and the placing of one’s self above others.

The Bible says the following in Jeremiah 9:23-24, “...Let not the mighty man boast of his might...but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me...”

Pride is also mentioned in the following verses: Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 16:18, Romans 12:16, 1 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 6:3 and James 4:6-7.

God loves you and you are incredibly valuable in His sight. But He does not want you to use that value to put others down or puff yourself up. Accept the value He gives you and the value He gives all others around you. Learn to put others before yourself even as He did for you.

Seven Deadly Sins Video

Browse Article Contents:

• The Seven deadly Sins List
• History of the Seven Deadly Sins
• View infographic
• The Seven Deadly Sins in the Bible
• Solutions for the Seven Deadly Sins
• The Seven Virtues
• Quiz: What Deadly Sin Are You?

The Seven Sins & the Christian Church

According to Christian tradition, the seven deadly sins (also known as cardinal sins or capital vices) could not be forgiven. However, according to the Bible, these seven deadly sins are completely and totally forgivable by God, but this doesn’t give us free license to commit these sins. Biblically, the only sin that cannot be forgiven is a complete rejection of God’s grace, which is outright rebellion against God—also known as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

The Root Cause of These Sins

Each one of these deadly sins listed above has its root in the desire for more and the human need for excess. Each sin goes against the basic principles of Christianity which are love for God, love for our fellow man, and love for our bodies (keeping them as clean temples for God: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Paul writes in Philippians 4:11-12, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” This strikes at the root of each of these deadly sins. Paul in effect is saying that God can take care of our needs and that there is no need to lust or desire after excessive things because He promises us something even better.

What Is the Solution to These Deadly Sins?

The solution for these sins is the gift of a new heart that acts in accordance to the love and law of God. This new heart can only come from God. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” Humanity's only hope is the miracle of a regenerated heart that acts according to the direction of the Holy Spirit to walk in God’s statutes and judgments.

Power does not come from self to change the heart. On the contrary, this verse clearly points out that God alone gives you a new heart and causes you to walk in His ways. As this event becomes a reality in your life, the seven deadly sins of gluttony, envy, sloth, wrath, pride, lust, and greed will lose their power in your life. With the indwelling Holy Spirit in your life, you will instead desire to live a life based upon the principles of the Bible.

The History of the Seven Deadly Sins

The seven deadly sins were first compiled by Pope Gregory I around the year 600. They are pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy, and sloth. Gregory also compiled a list of the seven virtues: faith, hope, charity, justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude. The Bible would validate all of these concepts, but nowhere are they recorded in a list like this and nowhere in the Bible are they specifically referred to as the seven deadly sins or seven virtues. They do not pre-date the Ten Commandments which were given at Mt. Sinai around 1450 B.C. It is probably true that these lists were used extensively to teach principles from God's Word, particularly in the centuries before the invention of the printing press when the Bible was not available for the common person to read and study.

The Seven Deadly Sins in the Bible

As mentioned before, the list of seven deadly sins in question does not appear in any Bible verse. However, a slightly different set of sins can be found in Proverbs 6:16-19, “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

1. "A proud look,
2. A lying tongue,
3. Hands that shed innocent blood,
4. A heart that devises wicked plans,
5. Feet that are swift in running to evil,
6. A false witness who speaks lies,
7. And one who sows discord among brethren.”

Additionally, Galatians 5:19-21 mentions several more sins: “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The Seven Virtues

The seven virtues were originally defined in the poem, "Psychomachia", by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, a Christian governor who died around 410 A.D. Because of the poem’s prevalence, the concept and idea of the seven virtues spread throughout Europe. The following is a listing of the seven virtues and how they replace each of the seven deadly sins:

1. Kindness replaces envy by placing the desire in one’s heart to help others instead of trying to supersede them.
2. Temperance replaces gluttony by implanting the desire to be healthy, therefore making one's body fit to serve others.
3. Charity or love replaces greed by putting the desire to help others above the desire to store up treasure for one’s self.
4. Chastity or self-control = replaces lust by controlling passion and leveraging that energy for the good of others.
5. Humility replaces pride by removing one’s ego and boastfulness, therefore allowing an attitude of service.
6. Diligence or zeal replaces slothfulness by placing the best interest of others above a life of ease and relaxation.
7. Patience replaces wrath by taking time to understand the needs and desires of others before acting or speaking.

This list of virtues, though also not found in the Bible, is similar to the list of the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5: 22-25. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Jesus can give you the power to choose to fill your life with the fruits of the Spirit instead of deadly sins.

View the Seven Deadly Sins Infographic