---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think we all sin by needlessly…"
description: "\"I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to \"rejoice\" as much as by anything else\" — C. S. Lewis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/c-s-lewis-2-132_apostolic_i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobey_987725.png"
---

#  I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic…

![“I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to &quot;rejoice&quot; as much as by anything else” quote by C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/c-s-lewis-2-132_apostolic_i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobey_987725.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/c-s-lewis-2-132_apostolic_i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobey_987725.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/c-s-lewis-2-132_apostolic_i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobey_987725.png)

> “I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to "rejoice" as much as by anything else”

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

We often violate the divine call to rejoice, causing unnecessary suffering.

**In simple terms:** Disobeying joy brings needless pain.

Key Takeaway

Embrace joy, avoid needless sin.

Themes

spirituality joy sin

Mood

reflective serious

Type

moral spiritual

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- religious practice
- mental health

Key Concepts

theology human nature

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you resist joy?
- Why is joy essential?

A Different Perspective

Joy is a command, not optional.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Apostolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apostolic/) [Disobeying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disobeying/) [Disobeying Apostolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disobeying-apostolic-2003082/) [Needlessly Disobeying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needlessly-disobeying-2003084/) [Rejoice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejoice/) [Restitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restitution/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Sin Needlessly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin-needlessly-2003083/) [Think Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-sin-277778/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [My own idea, for what it is worth, is that all sadness which is not either arising from the repentance of a concrete sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-own-idea-for-what-it-is-worth-is-that-all-sadness-which-is-not/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A restitution of the Union has been rendered forever impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/a-restitution-of-the-union-has-been-rendered-forever-impossible/)

[Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/)

> [Trials are no longer about freeing the innocent, punishing the guilty, and making restitution to the injured. They have devolved into a contest over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-bruce/trials-are-no-longer-about-freeing-the-innocent-punishing-the-guilty/)

[Tammy Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-bruce/)

> [“against yourself You must bring restitution for what you have done in the past. You must do something good for them in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-mendez-ferrell/against-yourself-you-must-bring-restitution-for-what-you-have-done-in/)

[Ana Mendez Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-mendez-ferrell/)

> [“Most of us can't go back and make restitution. We can't do a thing about our should haves and our could haves. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/most-of-us-can-t-go-back-and-make-restitution-we-can-t-do-a-thing/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [Every hour spent investigating a drug user or seller is an hour that could have been used to find a missing child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-barnett/every-hour-spent-investigating-a-drug-user-or-seller-is-an-hour-that/)

[Randy Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-barnett/)

> [“Justice requires not only the ceasing and desisting of injustice but also requires either punishment or reparation for injuries and damages inflicted for prior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/justice-requires-not-only-the-ceasing-and-desisting-of-injustice-but/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“We need a change of attitude, because let's face it, no one’s going to change color”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaco-strydom/we-need-a-change-of-attitude-because-let-s-face-it-no-one-s-going-to/)

[Jaco Strydom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaco-strydom/)

> [“As once-colonized nations seek to stand on their own, the countries once denuded of their past seek to assert their independent identities through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-waxman/as-once-colonized-nations-seek-to-stand-on-their-own-the-countries/)

[Sharon Waxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-waxman/)

> [Four marks of true repentance are: acknowledgement of wrong, willingness to confess it, willingness to abandon it, and willingness to make restitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrie-ten-boom/four-marks-of-true-repentance-are-acknowledgement-of-wrong/)

[Corrie Ten Boom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrie-ten-boom/)

> [Executing a murderer is the only way to adequately express our horror at the taking of an innocent life. Nothing else suffices. To equate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-feder/executing-a-murderer-is-the-only-way-to-adequately-express-our-horror/)

[Don Feder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-feder/)

> [Forgiveness is created by the restitution of the abuser; of the wrongdoer. It is not something to be squeeeeeezed out of the victim in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/forgiveness-is-created-by-the-restitution-of-the-abuser-of-the/)

[Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/)

> [Forgiveness is possible even when there is no restitution, no remorse on the part of the perpetrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-h-pearce/forgiveness-is-possible-even-when-there-is-no-restitution-no-remorse/)

[Virginia H. Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-h-pearce/)

> [“He lived a quiet existence where the future was easy to predict and the past was a cancer in remission. It was meaningful, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelheid-manefeldt/he-lived-a-quiet-existence-where-the-future-was-easy-to-predict-and/)

[Adelheid Manefeldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelheid-manefeldt/)

> [Eight generations of African-Americans are still waiting to achieve their rights - compensation and restitution for the hundreds of years during which they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-mckinney/eight-generations-of-african-americans-are-still-waiting-to-achieve/)

[Cynthia McKinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-mckinney/)

## More by C. S. Lewis

> [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Either Jesus is the Son of God ; or a madman or worse. But His being just a great teacher? He's not left that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/either-jesus-is-the-son-of-god-or-a-madman-or-worse-but-his-being/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [To every soul, God will look like its first love because He IS its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/to-every-soul-god-will-look-like-its-first-love-because-he-is-its/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [“Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [“When He died in the Wounded World He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/when-he-died-in-the-wounded-world-he-died-not-for-men-but-for-each/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [If a man is going to write on chemistry, he learns chemistry. The same is true of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-a-man-is-going-to-write-on-chemistry-he-learns-chemistry-the-same/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the Resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-first-fact-in-the-history-of-christendom-is-a-number-of-people/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [I#pray because the need flows out of me all the time-walking and sleeping. It does not change # God - it changes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-pray-because-the-need-flows-out-of-me-all-the-time-walking-and/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Are the gods not just?' 'Oh no, child. What would become us us if they were?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/are-the-gods-not-just-oh-no-child-what-would-become-us-us-if-they-were/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Love is more than an emotion, it is a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/love-is-more-than-an-emotion-it-is-a-decision/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [Ink is the great cure for all human ills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/ink-is-the-great-cure-for-all-human-ills/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-man-may-have-to-die-for-our-country-but-no-man-must-in-any/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [War creates no absolutely new situation: it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/war-creates-no-absolutely-new-situation-it-simply-aggravates-the/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

[Explore all 1,190 C. S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

## More Apostolic quotes

> [I entrust this Twenty-second World Day of the Sick to the intercession of Mary. I ask her to help the sick to bear their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-entrust-this-twenty-second-world-day-of-the-sick-to-the/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [The apostolic writings are of three kinds: historical, didactic, and prophetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kinds-historical-didactic-and/)

[Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/)

> [Apostolic and missionary fruitfulness is not principally due to programmes and pastoral methods that are cleverly drawn up and "efficient", but is the result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/apostolic-and-missionary-fruitfulness-is-not-principally-due-to/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [The best advice that I can give you is this: Church-traditions- especially when they do not run counter to the faith- are to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/the-best-advice-that-i-can-give-you-is-this-church-traditions/)

[St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/)

> [If anyone in word and mind does not properly and truly confess according to the holy Fathers all even to the last portion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-martin-i/if-anyone-in-word-and-mind-does-not-properly-and-truly-confess/)

[Pope Martin I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-martin-i/)

> [“If we were less of what seems like ease in our lives they would tell more for Christ and souls...We profess to be strangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-we-were-less-of-what-seems-like-ease-in-our-lives-they-would-tell/)

[Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/)

> [What kind of authority can there be for an 'Apostle' who, unlike the other Apostles, had never been prepared for the Apostolic office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-christian-baur/what-kind-of-authority-can-there-be-for-an-apostle-who-unlike-the/)

[Ferdinand Christian Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-christian-baur/)

> [Contemporary Christianity, diverse and complex as we find it, actually may show more unanimity than the Christian churches of the first and second centuries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/contemporary-christianity-diverse-and-complex-as-we-find-it-actually/)

[Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/)

> [To be a Christian is to be a theologian-a student of God and his will. The contemporary disdain for theological content and emphasis on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/to-be-a-christian-is-to-be-a-theologian-a-student-of-god-and-his-will-2/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

> [Wherefore, by the authority of Apostolic power, We declare inventors of novel notions, which as the Apostle Paul has said are of no edification,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-innocent-i/wherefore-by-the-authority-of-apostolic-power-we-declare-inventors-of/)

[Pope Innocent I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-innocent-i/)

> [I held apostolic succession fully, and the channels of grace to be there only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nelson-darby/i-held-apostolic-succession-fully-and-the-channels-of-grace-to-be/)

[John Nelson Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nelson-darby/)

> [The best advice that I can give you is this. Church-traditions — especially when they do not run counter to the faith — are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/the-best-advice-that-i-can-give-you-is-this-church-traditions-2/)

[St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/)

> [For me, passion means whatever a person is willing to suffer for.'Apostolic passion,' therefore, is a deliberate, intentional choice to live for the worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mcclung/for-me-passion-means-whatever-a-person-is-willing-to-suffer-for/)

[Floyd McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mcclung/)

> [One of the special marks of the Holy Ghost in the Apostolic Church was the spirit of boldness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-simpson/one-of-the-special-marks-of-the-holy-ghost-in-the-apostolic-church/)

[A. B. Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-simpson/)

> [Apostolic preaching is not marked by its beautiful diction, or literary polish, or Cleverness of expression, but Operates “in demonstration of the Spirit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-wallis/apostolic-preaching-is-not-marked-by-its-beautiful-diction-or/)

[Arthur Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-wallis/)

[Browse all 82 Apostolic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apostolic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to \"rejoice\" as much as by anything else",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "C. S. Lewis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobeying-the-apostolic-injunction/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Apostolic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobeying-the-apostolic-injunction/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/c-s-lewis-2-132_apostolic_i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobey_987725.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/c-s-lewis-2-132_apostolic_i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobey_987725.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/c-s-lewis-2-132_apostolic_i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobey_987725.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to \"rejoice\" as much as by anything else” — C. S. Lewis",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "C. S. Lewis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think we all sin by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobeying-the-apostolic-injunction/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-think-we-all-sin-by-needlessly-disobeying-the-apostolic-injunction/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
