My religious background taught me that some sins were less offensive to God than other sins.
But God, in His Word, teaches us that all sin is equally egregious. However, the consequences of sins differ.
The following verses help us to understand the offensive impact of sin:
James 2:10: “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
There are people who believe that they have never broken any of the Ten Commandments, thus concluding they never sinned. Jesus corrected that misunderstanding in the following verses from Matthew 5:
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” [Matthew 5:21-22] Jesus equates anger with murder, because often the evil intent of our anger is hatred. 1 John 3:15 supports this truth: “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
Jesus further taught about sin: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” [Matthew 5:27-28] Jesus took the literal interpretation of adultery, and revealed that this sin is a matter of the heart, in the same way He did with anger.
Sin is a matter of our heart.
Genesis 6:5: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Matthew 9:4: “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?
When we attempt to categorize some sin as less offensive than other sins, we are simply fooling ourselves, and attempting to rationalize that we have not offended God with those sins. That is a lie.
Satan wants us to believe that we aren’t sinners. If he can do that, then we will miss the gift of eternal life that Jesus offers us by His Gospel work and the message of the cross. We don’t want to miss out on God’s gift of eternal life!
The other error we commit when we categorize sins is to convince ourselves we are not as bad as other sinners. That is also a lie. The truth is, we are all equally sinners. This truth is found in Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and in Isaiah 64:6 NLT: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”
But God!
But God did not give up on us when Adam and Eve sinned! From before the foundations of this world, He had His perfect plan worked out with His Son, Jesus.
His plan is based in His unconditional love.
His plan is perfect.
His plan is thorough, providing forgiveness for all sins (This forgiveness is experienced when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior).
His plan is encapsulated in The Gospel.
The Gospel reveals the love of God in action.
The Gospel reveals the power of His love.
Consequences to our sins are real, and deserved. But God, once again, reveals His love and mercy to those who love and follow Jesus.
When we belong to God, because of our relationship with Him through Jesus, the consequences of our sins are not punitive, but restorative.
In the same way a parent disciplines a child, in order to help and build that child’s character, God disciplines us.
His discipline should result in our changed hearts – hearts that yearn for Jesus, and want to be like Him.
For instance, if it is hatred we are dealing with, God’s discipline and work in us will move us to be merciful and loving toward the person. Matthew 5:44 Amplified Version: “But I say to you, love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”God won’t instruct us to do something that He is not equipped to help us accomplish. He is able to change our angry hearts to hearts of love and kindness. The question is: How willing are we to work with Him in this?
Consequences for our sins should cause us to immediately repent of the sin. Then we need to ask God what it is He is teaching us through His discipline. I know He only has good intentions for the discipline He brings in our lives.
“For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:16.
God deals with us as individuals, therefore, the consequences of our sins will differ. We need to be careful not to compare our sins and consequences with others.
For those who do not have a relationship with Jesus, God interacts with them differently. While they are still living, His work is to move them toward a relationship with Jesus. Should they reject His offer of salvation through Jesus, the consequences for their sins is punitive.
Consider Romans 1, and the following excerpts from that chapter to show the consequences in this life of rejecting Jesus:
Romans 1:18: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,”
Romans 1:21: “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Romans 1:24: “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts.”
As people who reject Jesus move further away, their final destination is eternal separation from God. That is a horrible fate! That is why we need to pray and share the Gospel, and live for God wholeheartedly. We do this so that others can see His goodness in us, so that they might reconsider, and choose Jesus.
Do you consider yourself a sinner? Great! This is the first step in your journey toward Jesus. You can ask Him right now to help you recognize your need for His gift of salvation. The adventure of walking with Jesus compares with nothing else this life offers.
Weigh the options…eternally with Jesus, or eternally separated from Him.
I’d be glad to talk to you about a relationship with Jesus!
Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com
Living for Jesus, Donna
P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to share it with others!
Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you.
Copyright 2022 Donna Shappy All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.