Thought for the Week
It’s election week in my country, so it seemed an appropriate time to post this, although the point extends far beyond politics. Infinitely far, you might say.
Are all sins the same? God seems to thinks so (Romans 3:10, 23). But how can this be? Say two men are given responsibility for the oversized buckets designed to carry water 
to their village. One fills his bucket with straw and appropriates it as a lounger for his hut. The other flies into a rage and uses his bucket to beat a fellow villager to death.
How can these possibly be seen as the same thing?
We judge actions, God judges hearts. The buckets did not belong to the men, they belonged to the village; neither used their bucket in the way it was made to be used, and as a result the village suffered. Based on actions, a crazed murderer is far worse than an opportunistic hedonist. But based on motives, both have failed to use their “buckets” (their lives) in the way they were created to be used.
Mitch Teemley 
That makes a lot of sense, Mitch. We judge actions all the time, but it should be known God focuses and judges the hearts of those making them.
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Amen! Preach on brother, Mitch, this is a wonderful eye-opening analogy.
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I would never have considered that aspect before, but it does make sense!
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And why did they sin? Because we are all sinners. God sent Jesus to redeem ALL sinners. But not all people want to be redeemed. The redeemed (those who confess and repent and believe in Jesus) are forgiven, even murderers. 🙂
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However accurate this is in regard to actions, we must weigh James’ proposal (2:10-11) that all are sins against the same God against Jesus’ “comfort” to Pilate and warning to the leaders of the Sanhedrin, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” Both were guilty of the crucifixion, but Jesus made it plain that not all sins ARE the same.
And Paul noted about adultery, “Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body,” again, showing that not all sins are the same.
Just sayin.’ 😉
❤️&🙏, c.a.
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I was going to mention the I Corinthians verse, too, Alan. But when “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” I guess “His sin is worse!” doesn’t really help us any.
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But who is Alan? 😁
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🤦 probably the last person I comnented to. Sorry, C. A.
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No worries, I’ll answer to any name that is civil as long as it is in time for dinner. 😂
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2:13 is missing saying bear with each other & forgive
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2:13? I think y0u mean 1 Corinthians 3:13. And not sure what that has to do with the discussion? The issue Mitch is dealing with whether all sins are the same, not how we respond to each other. Just sayin’. 😉
The 1 Corinthians 6:18 reference in couched in instructions about sexual immorality and doesn’t address forgiveness, either. Hmm, feeling conviction? 🤗
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And every sin – both big and small, cost Jesus His life to pay the price.
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Jesus had plenty to say about some sins being punished more severely, but when the standard is perfection, “sin is sin,” and without Him we are all lost.”
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Exactly.
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An insightful analogy, Mitch! We like to categorize sin, thinking certain ones aren’t SO bad. But God doesn’t view sin that way (1 John 1:7-9). How over-the-top wonderful to know Jesus took the punishment we deserved. Now, as his followers, we can look forward to eternity in heaven with him!
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Amen, Nancy!
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Yup, God always sees the (much) bigger picture.
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I like your explanation Mitch.
It is hard for us to see all sin as the same but a higher being observing us would have a more balanced view.
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👍🏻 Mitch! Karma plays a vital part in Life.
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Great analogy, Mitch. But there are certain sins, like being a serial killer who tortures their “prey,” that transcends the dignity of being human with a soul. It’s pure evil. This is definitely a thought-provoking topic!
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I absolutely agree, Nancy. The use of the word “same” in this post is more a way of reflecting on the Romans 3:10 and 23 point that, from God’s perspective all of us “fall short” of what we were created to be.
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As my old comedy partner Allen used to say, “God doesn’t grade on a curve.”
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I’ve never thought of it that way, Mitch, but it does make sense.
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A thought provoking analogy! We tend to judge actions alone, but God knows the heart, every heart.
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Exactly, Peggy.
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Right, Mitch. All sin is the same in that it shows us our nature and points us to the only One Who can save us. On the other hand, sins are different in terms of their temporal consequences; murder may cause me to spend the rest of my life in prison, whereas pride (my main problem) is endorsed by much of society.
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Very true, Keith.
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I worked as a Correctional Officer for years (out of it now, thankfully). As I look back on my time there, I ponder how often I thought I was better than those men who’d broken the law. Recently I feel myself being prompted to consider how wrong my thinking was; self righteous really. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s so true.
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Not an easy truth to embrace.
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