Are there those of you out there who feel like you've never really done much that would warrant a trip to hell? I've felt that way many times. Am I a sinner? Absolutely. As are we all. But if I compare my sins to laws I've broken, I've done very few things that would have even gotten me arrested. Even then, I would have most likely been given a fine, probation, at most a night or two in jail. Prison worthy behavior? Not even close. Behavior demanding the death penalty? Absolutely not.
Of course, one problem with my comparison is that God's judgement and man's judgement are not the same. God's judgement is perfect and man's judgement is flawed. Still, the "wage of (any) sin is death"? As I've just alluded to, to make things worse, most Christians believe that all sins are equally bad. So, thinking unrighteous angry thoughts about someone is equal in sin to murdering someone. Speeding in my car and running a red light are equal in sin to robbing a 7-Eleven. When I researched this issue on the Internet, I found a number of arguments regarding this issue. Some believe that all sins are not equal and point to the Bible to make their argument. For example, in Matthew 23:23, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for obeying the law of tithing while ignoring matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness, which He describes as "the more important matters of the law", and thus seemingly indicating that some sins are more serious than others. Another example is 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 in which the sin of sexual immorality is singled out as a more grievous sin requiring special discipline. Similarly, in 1 Timothy 3, the sin of dishonesty is singled out as it disqualifies a man from being an elder in the church.
Some argue, as Augustines and Wesleyans do, that there are "small" sins and "great" sins and, therefore all sins are not equal. Others believe that it is the person's intent that matters most when it comes to sin. For example, if one defiantly carries out a sin with full knowledge that it is wrong, and especially if their intent is to harm another, this is a more serious sin. Some argue that seeing all sin as equal leads to a distorted worldview and discredits the integrity of God. If thinking about adulterous behavior is exactly the same as actually having an affair, then there are many who may go ahead with the affair since, by God's standards, they've already committed the affair anyway. C Michael Patton says on his blog that, since Matthew 5:32 condemns divorce except for marital infidelity, and since most marital partners have probably lusted in their minds after someone else at least once, and since lust and adultery are equal in the sight of God, some might conclude that you might as well get a divorce if you want one because your spouse has already been unfaithful (Please note that C Michael Patton is not advocating this course of action and neither am I).
So here's what I think. We are all sinners, even if they are "small" sins. Continuous sinning, whether big or small, leads to spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1). Without Jesus, we are all spiritually dead and we will stay that way for eternity. Being spiritually dead means we can never be truly fulfilled, happy, joyous, secure or at peace. Being spiritually dead means we are flawed, stained, tainted, defiled, unholy, unrighteous and unfit to stand in the presence of our Holy, Perfect, Righteous God. Being spiritually dead means we have no connection or relationship with our Creator. It means we have chosen not to be a part of God's family. The worst sin of all is pride and arrogance. To believe that there is no God despite all of the evidence around me and to believe that I need no one, especially God in my life, is the sin in which I choose on my own to live an eternity separated from God. And that is hell in my opinion. I don't know how I feel about all unrepentant sinners being cast into a fiery lake to burn for all eternity, but I do believe they will live separated from God and that will be hell enough.
Jesus said that we need a spiritual transformation, to be re-born in the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). The only way to make sinners holy and righteous was for Jesus Himself to be a Holy sacrifice for all of our sins, past present and future. Once we are believers and followers of Christ, perhaps the arguments surrounding which sins are greater than others become moot points since we are saved and forgiven for all of our sins by His grace and mercy. Of course this doesn't give us free license to sin since we are saved and forgiven. On the contrary, I believe the sincere follower, convicted by the Holy Spirit and sanctified by the sacrifice of our Lord, could not and would not carry on with a life of deliberate sin.
Lord, thank you for your guidance and wisdom when I have doubts and for your mercy and forgiveness when I question your righteous judgement. I pray that anyone who has yet to see that their life of sin, however small, is keeping them down, would see through Your eyes. That those who are bored, depressed, angry, and fearful would know that there is a better way to live. That those who think they already are righteous and good and deserving of heavenly reward, would realize that they also are too tainted to stand in God's presence on their own, but by accepting your Son Jesus and His gift of forgiveness and mercy, freely given, they may share in eternal life and fellowship with You.
