MATTHEW 5:21–30
“… whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart”
(Matt. 5:28).
Passages such as the Sermon on the Mount and James 2, where the apostle says that a single transgression makes us guilty of breaking the whole law, have been used to support the belief that all sins are equal. Let us first say that all sins are equal in that any sin is worthy of death. No matter how minor the transgression, you have fallen short of God’s standard of holiness. This is James’ point. He does not say that all sins are equal, but he is saying that all sin is ultimately worthy of death.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that it you lust in your heart, you have committed adultery. Many people have interpreted His teaching as equalizing lust and adultery. These two sins, however, have profoundly different consequences. Jesus never says that lusting is as bad as committing adultery. What Jesus is saying is that the law does not only prohibit external acts such as adultery and murder, but internal transgressions such as lust and anger. The law deals with the entire spectrum of sin.
Unlike the Catholic church, which believes that there are mortal sins that can cause a person to lose their salvation, Protestants have historically maintained that while all sin is mortal in that it deserves death, a Christian cannot lose his salvation. However, there are degrees. We see this in the Old Testament with the gradations of punishment and when Proverbs 6:16–19 talks about six (seven) particular things that God hates, implying that He despises these sins more than others. This does not mean that He takes any sin lightly. God hates all sin, but He hates some sin even more. Even secular society recognizes that some sins are worse than others. Getting a speeding ticket is far less serious than killing someone. This is true in the sight of the state because it is true in the sight of God. There is a difference between someone stealing bread because they are starving and another who steals because he is greedy. Motive is an important element in measuring the severity of sin. We should, therefore, never justify our sin by rationalizing that we have already sinned in our thoughts, and we should never err in the other direction by seeking to punish all sin in an equal manner.
CORAM DEO
1 Chronicles 17–19
John 10:1–21
The practical implications of this doctrine are far-reaching. For example would you punish your child the same for every transgression? Do you spank him for spilling milk just as you would for lying? Is there any sin in your life that you have excused because you see all sin as the same? Confess it to God today.
For further study: Deut. 21–25
tuesday
may