Can You Categorize It?
Warning: This post may have some sort of theological incorrectness in it. But I've been thinking about this and just have to post about it. If there are errors, however, please point them out by providing some scriptural basis. Thank you! Here we go...
I've been thinking a lot lately about how much people categorize sin. I know that I tend toward this, thinking that one sin isn't as bad as another. But lately, a lot of things have come to light, and I've realized that this way of thought is sinful in and of itself. It is setting up my own standard of righteousness and unrighteousness, and ignoring the Biblical standards that God has set up. Instead of thinking judgmentally about one thing and not another, we should think of every sin in the same way, as a heinous offense against a holy, perfect, pure God. In case you're mystified as to what I'm talking about, I'll give you an example.
Lately, I've heard so many people talking about homosexuality in a way that makes it sound like homosexuals are worse than any other person could possibly be. I understand that the homosexual lifestyle is absolutely sin, and I don't condone or support it at all, but I think it is wrong to think about it in the way they have spoken of it. One woman said that an actor playing the part of a believer in a certain movie is a homosexual. She thought this was appalling. I had already heard about this, and had read a RixMix about this movie, that really put the actor thing into right perspective--even thought I'm not in complete agreement about his views on this movie! :). Anyway, I asked her why it was so appalling for him to play this part, when any other sinner might have been cast in his place. She brushed off my comment, and continued to berate the movie. Another circumstance was when a man spoke about his apprehension in greeting a lesbian couple. I didn't really get this, either, because greeting any couple who are living in sin, gay or straight, should be the same.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9, it says plainly that "the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God." It goes on to expound upon the unrighteous, and the list includes homosexuals. Yet, it also lists the covetous in verse 10. Now, I don't know about you, but when I think about sin, I know coveting is a sin, but I figure, everyone does it, so it's more understandable. Wrong! It's sin as much as any other in that list. Further on in verse 11, it says "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
1 Timothy 1:8-11 is another excellent passage speaking of the law not being "made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane..." In the following list of specific lawless, rebellious, ungodly, unholy, profane sinners in verses 9-10, homosexuals are included. But so are liars. Now, I'm not in the habit of lying (except now that I've found how much I categorize sin, I guess I do lie to myself about how bad my sin is!), but when I was little, I do know that I told a lie. I can't remember what it was, but I know that I learned that nobody could trust a liar. My parents made that very clear to me, and since I valued trust and found out how bad lying was, I stopped lying. But that one lie would make me a liar. So I am included in both of those lists of ungodly people. I have been a covetous liar (among many other things!).
Just yesterday, Pastor SK said in his message that while he hadn't lied to anyone that day, or slandered anybody that day, he hadn't loved God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength all the time that day, and therefore he had sinned. How right on! Maybe I haven't stolen anything today, but I have not given all the glory to God that I possibly could today. That is stealing from the Divine!
Now I know that it's not an easy thing to change, but I really want to change this thought process of sin-categorizing. It's really an awful thing! James 2:10 says "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." That verse definitely shows what sinners we are. We mentally glare upon certain lifestyles and types of sin, but if we have been proud even once or done anything that we might try to justify away, we're guilty of all those things we've looked down on too! It just goes to show how much grace God has given each of us who trust in Him. I am guilty of every possible sin, and yet He still had an abundant love for me that reached beyond that. To quote a choir song, "What a love, what a cost! We stand forgiven at the cross!"
I've been thinking a lot lately about how much people categorize sin. I know that I tend toward this, thinking that one sin isn't as bad as another. But lately, a lot of things have come to light, and I've realized that this way of thought is sinful in and of itself. It is setting up my own standard of righteousness and unrighteousness, and ignoring the Biblical standards that God has set up. Instead of thinking judgmentally about one thing and not another, we should think of every sin in the same way, as a heinous offense against a holy, perfect, pure God. In case you're mystified as to what I'm talking about, I'll give you an example.
Lately, I've heard so many people talking about homosexuality in a way that makes it sound like homosexuals are worse than any other person could possibly be. I understand that the homosexual lifestyle is absolutely sin, and I don't condone or support it at all, but I think it is wrong to think about it in the way they have spoken of it. One woman said that an actor playing the part of a believer in a certain movie is a homosexual. She thought this was appalling. I had already heard about this, and had read a RixMix about this movie, that really put the actor thing into right perspective--even thought I'm not in complete agreement about his views on this movie! :). Anyway, I asked her why it was so appalling for him to play this part, when any other sinner might have been cast in his place. She brushed off my comment, and continued to berate the movie. Another circumstance was when a man spoke about his apprehension in greeting a lesbian couple. I didn't really get this, either, because greeting any couple who are living in sin, gay or straight, should be the same.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9, it says plainly that "the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God." It goes on to expound upon the unrighteous, and the list includes homosexuals. Yet, it also lists the covetous in verse 10. Now, I don't know about you, but when I think about sin, I know coveting is a sin, but I figure, everyone does it, so it's more understandable. Wrong! It's sin as much as any other in that list. Further on in verse 11, it says "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
1 Timothy 1:8-11 is another excellent passage speaking of the law not being "made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane..." In the following list of specific lawless, rebellious, ungodly, unholy, profane sinners in verses 9-10, homosexuals are included. But so are liars. Now, I'm not in the habit of lying (except now that I've found how much I categorize sin, I guess I do lie to myself about how bad my sin is!), but when I was little, I do know that I told a lie. I can't remember what it was, but I know that I learned that nobody could trust a liar. My parents made that very clear to me, and since I valued trust and found out how bad lying was, I stopped lying. But that one lie would make me a liar. So I am included in both of those lists of ungodly people. I have been a covetous liar (among many other things!).
Just yesterday, Pastor SK said in his message that while he hadn't lied to anyone that day, or slandered anybody that day, he hadn't loved God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength all the time that day, and therefore he had sinned. How right on! Maybe I haven't stolen anything today, but I have not given all the glory to God that I possibly could today. That is stealing from the Divine!
Now I know that it's not an easy thing to change, but I really want to change this thought process of sin-categorizing. It's really an awful thing! James 2:10 says "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." That verse definitely shows what sinners we are. We mentally glare upon certain lifestyles and types of sin, but if we have been proud even once or done anything that we might try to justify away, we're guilty of all those things we've looked down on too! It just goes to show how much grace God has given each of us who trust in Him. I am guilty of every possible sin, and yet He still had an abundant love for me that reached beyond that. To quote a choir song, "What a love, what a cost! We stand forgiven at the cross!"
posted by Kate Alesso @ 1:21 AM
2 Comments:
At 9/08/2006 6:58 PM,
Kate Alesso said…
Thanks for the encouragement. Sometimes, I think that my thoughts are fairly sensible, but one can never be too sure, especially when one has a tendancy toward random thought patterns--and to agree with oneself!
I keep thinking about that. Why is it gross, but not all that abnormal to us, when people are heterosexually sinful, and yet when someone is a homosexual, we avoid them like the plague? We should treat all sin--including that in our own lives--as abhorrent. I tend to excuse my sin as normal. Not a good thing to do!
At 9/09/2006 3:34 PM,
clyde said…
This is a great post. I think we've bought the 'categories' from our culture. Sin is sin. We must not forget it.
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