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Saturday, December 9, 2017

Yes, Some Sins ARE Worse Than Others


Jesus clearly didn't see all sins as the same.
I sometimes hear people say, "All sin is sin in God's eyes, and none is any better or any worse than another."

But is that really true?

There are in fact numerous texts in the Bible that speak of a "greater sin" (John 19:11) or about "weightier matters of the law" (Matthew 23:23). In the Torah, for example, causing a woman to have a miscarriage doesn't carry the same weight as murdering her already born child (Exodus 21:22-23).

I think we would all agree that it wouldn't make any sense for a parent to respond in the same way to a child who eats a cookie without permission as they would to his or her cheating on a test, stealing from a neighbor or doing bodily harm to someone in a fit of rage.

And what kind of legal system could be considered just if a jaywalker were treated in the same way as a serial killer?

So while all sins, by definition, are inexcusable and indefensible, some are clearly far more serious in their consequences than others. For example, even though entertaining lustful thoughts about having sex with someone other than your spouse is to already commit adultery with that person in our hearts (therefore we don't get a pass just because we haven't actually committed the deed) but to the other person and to their loved ones there is a huge, huge difference. The same with the irreversible harm done by killing an enemy rather than simply hating one. For the perpetrator, the sins may be equal, hating or killing, but clearly not for the victim or victims.

But our standing with God isn't really based on the number of times we commit any of any catalogue of greater or lesser sins, but to what extent we live out the greatest of all commandments, to love God with a passion, and to love every neighbor with compassion. 

See also http://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2017/12/i-have-set-before-you-vita-life-and.html

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