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To participate in Emily's research on Christian Formation in the Church, please click here. You will be redirected to the web site, "For Hope and Healing." Once there, click on "Research" at the top of the page and follow the directions given.
“Ask Emily” — October 2007
All responses in the "Ask Emily” column are based on spiritual principles, the Holy Scripture, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and principles of worship and are not intended to provide professional counseling or psychotherapy. Welcome to "Ask Emily" a monthly column dealing with tough issues that teens and young women face. Girls can be assured of a column that will be biblically sound and helpful. "Ask Emily" is written by Emily Stone, an ordained minister in the Church of God with a seminary degree and a graduate degree in marriage, family, and child counseling. Click here to meet Emily! Dear Emily, My friends and I were up late the other night talking and could not agree on the answer to these questions: Are there sins that are worse than others? Does God consider some sins to be “more sinful” than the rest? Can you give us an answer? Just Curious, Kaylee Dear Kaylee, What a great question! I have two answers for you: answer A and answer B, which may seem to contradict one another although they are in agreement. Sound interesting (or slightly confusing)? Read on! Answer A Are sins equal? Yes! And, here is why… We know these words well: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). As long as we are in this world, we live to be overcomers of sin through the free gift of the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Every day the Enemy fights to insert sin into our lives and being. Why? Because the Enemy knows that sin does one thing: it separates us from God. When we sin, whether it is by listening or watching something that is not edifying or “honorable” (Philippians 4:8), or if it is through “more” heinous acts of lying, stealing, or murder…whatever the sinful behavior is, it separates us from God and His love, power, life, and peace. God’s Word instructs us through the words of Isaiah to the people of Israel: “Your iniquities (sins) have made a separation between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2, ESV). Sin is a serious matter. The Enemy would like for us to forget this truth. He would like for us to say to ourselves nonchalantly: “Oh, everyone sins…that’s why Jesus died for us. I am saved by His grace. I don’t need to worry.” Some may even call this stance “walking in victory.” However, true victorious living does not turn a blind eye to sin’s potentially destructive forces. The person who is living victoriously over sin has a different attitude. This person says with a heart full of overwhelming thanksgiving and humility almost as a cry unto the Lord Himself: “I am just a sinner saved by grace!” When we recognize our deep need for God’s grace, daily repentance from the sins of our hearts and daily submission to the lordship of Christ become holy habits. What was the greatest act of submission in all of history? The greatest act of submission in all of history was Jesus’ submission to the cross. He submitted to death on a cross that He did not deserve in order to offer us the ability to repent and be saved. Jesus tells His disciples in Luke 9:23: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (NIV). Often we think of “taking up our cross” as taking on a burden for the Lord. I suggest that if Jesus’ choice to take up the cross was the greatest act of submission in history, then our daily choice to “take up our cross” is more about submitting to Christ’s lordship and His example in our lives, thoughts, and behaviors than about carrying a heavy load. To be sure, carrying a cross, or submitting to Christ, can seem a heavy load…but, when we make that choice to follow Him there is such freedom, such liberty, and such peace: “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30, NKJV). Any sin separates us from God. All sins block us from the flow of God’s life, love, joy, and peace. All sin prevents us from living out the kingdom of God right now here on earth, and all sin has the potential, if not repented, to prevent us from fully entering the kingdom of God when the Lord returns. James 2:10 tells us: “for whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (NKJV). I think the Lord wants us to know that sin is sin and we are all miraculously “sinners saved by grace.” So, in regards to the end result and influence of sin on our hearts, minds, and souls…sins are equal. Heinous sins are often exposed more readily than “smaller” sins. However, the sin of gossip over the long haul of life may do as much damage in the lives of people, including the person participating in the gossip, than murder. Answer B Are sins equal? No! And here is why… Throughout scripture we see evidence that there are sins that are “worse” than others. Matthew 12:32 tells us that: “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (ESV). What are we supposed to with this idea? As a child, this verse frightened me. I was so worried that I had committed this sin without realizing it. Then someone explained to me that, although this verse is somewhat a mystery, it seems to be implying that when, because of stubbornness and rebellion, we repeatedly go against the voice of the Spirit in our hearts, we become hardened in our hearts and spirits. In this hardened state we become unable to hear the convicting voice of the Spirit and, without conviction, we would not know we needed to repent…and without repentance, there is no forgiveness. “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes [repentance] them will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13, NASB). 1 John 1:9 states: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (NASB). The sin of ignoring the Holy Spirit most certainly can lead to a place where we are desensitized to God’s call on our lives. Matthew 12:32’s message is a warning to heed the voice of the Lord that we receive through the Word and through the messages we “hear” in our hearts so that we do not fall away to a place where we can no longer feel the beckoning of the Lord calling us back to Him. Although accidentally committing this “unforgivable sin” is not something we need to live in fear of, we see evidence in Matthew 12:32 that “little” sins can lead to more “dangerous” sins in that the more we ignore the “still, small voice” (see 1 Kings 19:11, 12) the harder our hearts get to the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. That is a very dangerous place to be! You cannot follow or submit to direction and leading that you cannot “hear” in your heart! Perhaps this is one reason that Jesus speaks to us so strongly in Matthew chapter 5 teaching us that although murder makes a person liable to God: “everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court…and whoever says, “You fool” shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (verse 22). Jesus wants us realize that “small” matters of the heart are the seeds of “greater” acts of the flesh. Jesus Himself gives reason to believe that some sins are “greater” than others. After His arrest when Jesus is on trial, Jesus tells Pilate: “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin” (John 19:11, NASB). Jeremiah relays the words of the Lord to the people of Jerusalem: “You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me” (Jeremiah 16:12, NASB). Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widow’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation” (Matthew 23:14, NASB). 1 John 5:16 tells us: “There is a sin leading to death.” This passage seems to suggest that there are sins that do not lead to death. What does this mean? I humbly offer my opinion on this matter to you. I believe that while all sins separate us from a relationship with God, sins do have different consequences. Some sins have consequences that lead to physical death here on earth. Some lead to emotional death. Sexual sins can lead to broken homes and deadly illnesses. Some sins just carry more consequential weight. Also, I believe that different sins require a varying degree of God’s judgment in order to bring us back to Him. When God “judges” us, He is behaving as a loving parent. He is taking great care to guide our spiritual development. He wants us to have the most out of LIFE that is only available from Him. God knows that sin cannot be a part of the “abundant life” (John 10:10) we have through Christ Jesus. As our loving heavenly Father, He uses a heavier hand when responding to more “life-threatening” sins. Just as a parent wants a young child to understand the severity of choosing to walk out into a street in front of oncoming traffic, the Lord wants us to understand the severity of sins such as sexual immorality, murder, lying, etc. A parent would respond sternly to a child who seemed intent on walking out into a busy street. God has ways of responding sternly as well. Just as with the parent, God’s stern reply is indicative of His great love and care for His child’s life. It also seems that the Lord speaks out more against sins that involve hurting innocent people such as widows, orphans, and those who are disadvantaged due to illness or lack of resources. God tells us over and over in His word to love one another and care for one another. Bringing It All Together So are sins equal? Yes! Are sins different? Yes. Do some sins carry more “weight” spiritually? Probably. In Proverbs we are told plainly: “There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers” (6:16-19, NASB). While this list makes it seem that these sins are the “worst” sins, I think it is possible to organize most, if not all, sinful behavior under these categories listed in Proverbs. Therefore, all sins are an abomination to the Lord. This list brings us back to Answer A. All sins are an abomination because they separate individuals and the Body of Christ from the life, love, joy, peace, and power that can only come from a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I suppose in the end, Kaylee, that I have not declared the winner amongst you and your friends in regards to this debate. The Lord, through the direction of His Word and through the direction of the Holy Spirit, has a way of coming at an issue from many different angles. It is as though He wants us to really get it! And in regards to this issue, what He wants us to get is this: sin is deadly. Sin is the weapon of the Enemy. Sin steals, kills, and destroys (John 10:10). Repent daily and discover the beautiful freedom found in submitting to the lordship of Christ. Take up your cross and follow Him. With the Love of Christ, Emily |
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