30 Mar 06 114373106765029835
So here is where this entire discussion turns personal. Is the rebellion in my heart better than the rebellion in the heart of another? Is the sin of another worse than my sin?
The theoretical answer, of course, is no. Sin is sin. Rebellion is rebellion, in whatever form it is expressed. But deep down, in the dark crevices of my own heart, the seed thought grows that some sins are worse than others.
Are sexual sins worse than lying? Is murder worse that not respecting my parents? Is idolatry worse than stealing? Is covetousness worse than gossip?
Again the answer is no. But is it not true that we make distinctions? “Can you believe what he did?” “You won’t believe what she did?” “It was just a little lie, it’s not like anyone got hurt?”
My dad had a good thought in a sermon of his I recently read. He said: “Sin in its deepest sense is not merely breaking of God’s commandments, but the breaking of God’s heart.” So yes someone (God) is always hurt by our sin (no matter the sin).
Even as I wrestle with these ideas I must go a step further. I’ve been a believer in Jesus Christ all my life. I can’t remember a time when I did not believe in Jesus. Growing up with believing parents, missionaries none the less, you tend to have blurred lines between believing and not believing.
Because I did not live a life of open rebellion before accepting Jesus as my Savior it was hard to make a distinction between “my old life” and “my new life.” But this, understand, did not make “my old life” any better than “the old life” of anyone else. Sure, the rebellion of some was out in the open for all to see. My rebellion (my sin) was simply neatly camouflaged. There is no such thing as the lesser of evils when it comes to sin.
The whole point of the indwelling Spirit of God living within is to defeat the darkness. The Holy Spirit lives in me to wipe out the rebellion in whatever form it may manifest. I’m losing the battle when I keep supplying the rebellion with the ammunition and reinforcements necessary to resist the leading of the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul said it this way: (Even if you are familiar with this passage it’s worth your time to read through it again)
Galatians 5:19-23 (NCV) The wrong things the sinful self does are clear: being sexually unfaithful, not being pure, taking part in sexual sins, worshiping gods, doing witchcraft, hating, making trouble, being jealous, being angry, being selfish, making people angry with each other, causing divisions among people, feeling envy, being drunk, having wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like these. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not inherit God’s kingdom. But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong.
Please don’t miss this next part:
Galatians 5:24-26 (NCV) Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit. We must not be proud or make trouble with each other or be jealous of each other.
Ultimately it is an issue of belonging. Who owns me?
I am making the effort to see all people as God sees them. Broken people in need of a Savior. The best work I see the Holy Spirit doing in my life lately is stamping out the rebellion of self-righteous judgment.
So I truly resonate with these words by Keith Green:
My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to meBut what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood
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The words of that song bring tears to my eyes every time I hear it or read it. I can so identify with it. Yes, we often make those distinctions between the major and minor sins. It’s rather disconcerting, at times, to see gossip thrown in there alongside the murder and the sexual sins. After all, it’s not gossip if it’s the truth, is it?? I’m so glad to know that the blood of Christ covers over a multitude of sins. I’m sure God’s great heart breaks minute by minute over His children……while those children are pointing fingers at their brothers and sisters.
Randy - Great post and even better when you referenced a ‚ÄúKeith Green song.‚Äù When I first started growing in the Lord, Keith Green’s songs provided teaching, admonintion, and comfort to me.
I remember Rubel Shelly talking about a conversation he had with a fellow preacher. He said his preacher friend was talking about the Bible’s admonition to grow in Grace and Knowledge. He told Rubel when he was baptized, he felt his “Grace bank” was high but his “Knowledge bank” was low. As he studied, went to a Christian College, became a preacher, studied more and preached, he realized that his “Grace bank” hadn’t grown a bit but his Knowledge bank had grown by leaps and bounds. The result according to this preacher was a noticeable change in his personality. He had become harder, more critical, and he had very few friends outside the church and his circle of friends inside the church had shrunk as well.
Your post reminds me to grow in “Grace” as well as knowledge in my walk.
God bless you Brother.
You’re really good. You should be a preacher.
I’ve been wrestling with this lately, this idea of “Is one sin worse than another?”
In your context, the answer is no. All sin separates us from God. I agree with this.
But in another context, in a human context, it seems very clear that rape is worse than envy. I feel that just as much as I feel guilt, just as someone who doesn’t believe in God can still feel guilt for doing something wrong.
And then I read Jesus telling Capernaum that it will be more bearable on the Day of Judgment for Sodom than for them. What? Levels of Hell? Levels of punishment? IS one sin worse than another??
If a sin makes your heart grow hard faster than another sin makes your heart grow hard, then there is a difference in sins. They all separate you from life. Some may just make it harder to accept life.
As for growing up in the Lord, in many ways, I’d give it all to have the pureness of heart I had as a kid. I’m glad I’m adult and still trusting God, but has anyone else had the same thinking?
Hey, you changed pictures, pictures, pictures. (You look like a wallet model, and I say that in a real positive way.)
Excellent, Randy! How did you get my sermon notes from Romans???
There is another aspect to this and that is the wrath of God against ALL sin. A consistent wrath that is not an emotional response, but a characteristic of God just as God is love, he is wrath … against sin. I think I became more serious about my walk when I realized it was more than just the breaking of commandment, it was the breaking of God’s heart.
Caption for Randy’s blog pic:
“Nice blog template dude.”
Maybe the Holy Spirit is trying to convey something because this blog reflects the general tone of my notes for this Sunday’s Sunday school class, which will Romans 7.
“O, wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of death?”
I like the new picture. Looks a lot like you!
Keith Green rocks for times like that… great tune.
Pardon the interruption. Long time lurker from Argentina. I enjoy the blog.
Yup. I classify sin, and for that I should repent. I admit I don’t know how to change it. I have no problem allowing my kids to go to Sunday School and be taught by a glutton, or a youth pastor that is known to exaggerate from time to time, or a part time gossip. Someone that struggles with “little” sins just like me.
BUT, I would never sit in service and listen to a pastor that was a homosexual or a part time adulterer. And I would never let my kids attend SS if their teacher was known to smoke weed from time to time. I have classified sin.
Is this fair? I can’t get around this issue. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a lesson or a sermon about gluttony and I’ve been “churched” my whole life. No church that I’ve been a part of would allow certain sinners (adulterers, homosexuals, druggies, and the like) to teach Sunday School, but I’ve never seen a lie detector test or a weigh-in for SS teachers either.
Is there a better way? How can I adjust my paradigm? Are these drastic (in my eyes) classifications somehow acceptable? Aren’t they just employing wisdom?
blessings,
JR Dollins