When we started meeting as a church, one of the distinctives that we started with from our very first meeting was a Question and Answer session following our morning service.  It was initially an idea from a previous pastor and professor during seminary.  Over the past three and half years, it has become very clear that we all seem to engage a little bit differently when we are going to tangibly interact about the information we are being given.  This has been the case with our Question and Answer sessions each week.  God has really used them to grow us in him and together as a church body!

A couple of weeks ago we had a great question that followed our Sunday night discussion together. 

It seemed helpful to try to answer that question more fully here and to further demonstrate the value of our discussions together.

The Question: Is all sin really the same?

As we discussed the reality of sin and its potential to impact each of us, we discussed that sin is sin and that all sins are equal.  The question following the service was is this really the case and as always, when we dig down a little bit on any issue there is very likely much more there than initially meets the eye.

First, all sin is equal based on the statement about sin by James in chapter 2 verse 10.  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. (NASB)  In this legal sense, any and every sin is equal in that it makes us guilty of breaking the law of God. 

However, every sin in not equal in its consequence.  Obviously, there are various sins described as an abomination to God throughout the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 7:25, 13:14, 14:3, 17:1, 17:4, 18:12, 22:5, 23:18, 24:4, 25:16, 27:15; Proverbs 3:32, 6:16-17, 8:7, 11:1, 11:20, 12:22, 13:19, 15:8, 15:8-9, 15:26) and there are sins described in the New Testament as deserving punishment for all eternity (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, Revelation 21:8).  There is definitely a difference in sin related to the church and church discipline.  Specific sins demand the church to respond and potentially even dismiss a fellow member because of sin.  These sins include, but are not limited to: immorality, gossip or divisiveness, and refusing to repent of wrongs against a fellow believer.  Obviously, the response of putting a brother out of the church certainly seems to be weightier; but as you can see the weight is really in the consequences of a particular sin.

As Genesis states, when you take the life of another, you deserve to pay with your own life.  Why?  Because according to Genesis 9:6, God has made mankind/humanity in his own image.  This is what makes murder more serious than just being angry and yet, Jesus states in the Sermon on the Mount that being angry with your brother makes you worthy of the same judgement as the one who commits murder (Matthew 5:21-26).

The key to addressing our sin and acknowledging the gravity of it comes back to the heart.  Do you long to know Jesus?  Do you long to walk with him?  Do you long to avoid sin?  Do you long for victory?  God faithfully forgives if we will respond in humility, acknowledging our sin and our great need of his forgiveness and strength to live for him.  God can and will give you grace as you endeavor to know and walk with him more each day.  Our growth into Christlikeness is a process.  It takes time.  The real question is:  are you engaged in the process?  Are you increasingly growing in your understand of who Jesus is, of all he has accomplished for you and all that he can do in you?  With his strength, his grace you can!