If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. [1 John 1:8-10 (CSB)]
Flawed people that we are, we want to play down our culpability before God by minimizing sin and thinking of some sins as less significant than others. We’d like to think if we avoid the “big ten” Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai that we’re good and righteous people. God didn’t stop telling us how to behave with those two tablets! What about the hundreds of commands we find in the New Testament? Can we truthfully say we do nothing “out of selfish ambition or conceit” while we do everything “without grumbling and arguing?” [Phil 2:3,14] Are we ever conceited, boastful, or envious? [Gal 5:26] Do we show favoritism or partiality? [James 2:3-4] How are we doing in the loving our enemies and praying for them, forgiveness, and self-denial departments? [Matt 5:22,44;16:24] Are we truly free of “malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander”? [1 Pet 2:1] Those sins are no less an affront to God than worshipping an idol or murdering a spouse. Every sin we commit damages our relationship with God.
Nevertheless, we tend to consider certain sins (like murder or having an extramarital affair) as “felonies” while a little cheating on our taxes or lusting after the blond at work are mere “misdemeanors.” In spite of Jesus’ words about anger and lust in Matthew 5, we more readily ignore and excuse our road rage or wandering eye than we would the “big” sins of murder or adultery. What we forget when we define sins as being big or small, major or minor, mortal or venial, is that any sin offends God. Regardless of its “size,” every sin defies Him and His authority and gives lie to our witness.
Granted, the consequences of our sins vary. Merely coveting Mary’s diamond tennis bracelet is of little consequence to her but my stealing that bracelet means she’s out several thousand dollars! I can hate my ex-husband without his ever knowing it but, if I kill him, his life is over! The worldly consequences to me would change with these sins, as well. While coveting and hate can sour my disposition and ruin relationships, theft and murder could land me in prison! Nevertheless, while the real-life consequences vary with the offense, the spiritual consequences are the same. Regardless of the transgression, every sin is rebellion against God and His plan for our world. While Christ paid the penalty for our sins, one day, we will give an accounting of our behavior (both good and bad) to God.
Scripture tells us to confess our sins but, when we minimize them, we fail to see them for what they are. Confession, however, is just the beginning—the next step is repentance. By minimizing those sins, we fail to understand the need for change or even the need for a savior! It’s only when we truly see and admit what sinful fallen creatures we are that we finally see our need and turn to Jesus!
And indeed, there is no little sin, because there is no little God to sin against. In general, what to (humans) seems a small offense, to Him who knows the heart may appear a heinous crime. [John Wesley]
Repentance is as much a mark of a Christian, as faith is. A very little sin, as the world calls it, is a very great sin to a true Christian. [Charles Spurgeon]
Lent begins on Wednesday. Beginning with the solemn reminder that we are but dust and to dust we shall return and concluding with Christ’s victory over death on Easter Sunday, the season’s forty days represent the time the Lord spent alone in the wilderness, fasting in preparation for his ministry, and undergoing Satan’s temptations. A period of self-discipline and repentance, Lent often is observed by such things as contemplation, confession, prayer, fasting, moderation, service, and giving
The whole matter of Pharaoh’s hardened heart and how it got so stubborn is confusing and an issue that has been debated at length by Biblical scholars. Based on the verses in Exodus where God says He will make Pharaoh’s heart hard (as He did in 7:3), some say that God deliberately hardened Pharaoh’s heart to demonstrate His power and glory. But, wouldn’t that mean Pharaoh had no free will? If Pharaoh couldn’t submit to Moses’ demands, the plagues hardly seem justified. How could a just God inflict such cruel punishment on all of Egypt when He was the one who made Pharaoh so inflexible?
The Book of Exodus tells of the many times Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh with the Lord’s message that he should let the Israelites leave Egypt. Unwilling to see his slave labor depart, Pharaoh demanded a miracle to prove that the Israelites’ God sent them. Aaron threw down his staff and it became a serpent but Egypt’s magicians managed to do the same thing. Even though Aaron’s staff swallowed up theirs, Pharaoh was unimpressed.
When my grandchildren were little, our guest bedroom was their playroom. Whenever they played house or school, the dolls and stuffed animals were the “children” in their imaginary world. For the most part, the dolls were well-behaved and helped in the play kitchen, sat attentively in their chairs, and were nice to the other children. But, sometimes, those pretend children misbehaved and needed to be put in “time-out.” In their world of make-believe, why did my grands choose to have children who sometimes disobeyed? I suspect they enjoyed the opportunity to do the disciplining instead of always being the one getting disciplined! Then again, without benefit of theological discussion, perhaps they simply understood the concept of free will and gave their dolls the ability to choose.
As the Israelites journeyed toward Canaan, they turned south to the plains of Moab. Fearful of so many Israelites in Moab and Midian, King Balak of Moab sent the elders of Moab and Midian to hire Balaam, a sorcerer and prophet, to curse the Israelites. Although Balaam tried to do just that, the Lord intervened by speaking through the mouth of a donkey, opening the prophet’s eyes to see an angel of the Lord, and being told he could speak only the message the Lord put in his mouth. Rather than cursing the Israelites, Balaam ended up blessing them and cursing Moab! Needless to say, the prophet did not receive the rich reward promised him. Although God prevented Balaam from cursing Israel, the unscrupulous prophet found another way to get his reward from Balak—he got Israel to bring a curse upon themselves!
