____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ October 13, 1996 ____________________________________________________ Are Some Sins "Bigger" Than Others? by Tom Edwards We often hear people say that all sins are equal; that there are not any that are greater than others because no matter what the transgression--whether a lie or murder--it will still keep a person out of heaven. Though it is true that any sin will keep one banished from this eternal home of the saved, is it true that all sins are equal? Let us consider this today. Obviously from a human standpoint, we rate sins and do see some as being worse than others--some terribly so. Murder, for example, would be much worse than hating a brother--though the latter, God would still see as a type of ``murder of the heart'' (cf. 1 Jn. 3:15; Matt. 5:21,22). But the actual act of murder committed out of hatred or anger--in addition to sinful malice--also wrongly takes away a human life that was created in the image of God. So isn't this then at least a ``double sin''? Though sexual immorality was common in the days of the apostle Paul, there was one branch of this--incest--that he points out as that which ``does not exist even among the Gentiles'' (1 Cor. 5:1). I would not think that Paul is saying that it never existed, but as a rule--or generally speaking--it did not; and the implication also being that the Jews would have viewed it as even more abhorrent than these Gentiles. Apparently, this would, therefore, be a sin that would be thought of as being worse than some other sexual sins (which would also still be our common view toward it today). We could probably make our own list of rated sins, beginning with what seems to us as being the worse and working down; but does God view some sins as being greater than others? We can answer this by making an inference with Matthew 22:35-40. In this passage, a lawyer had asked Jesus (actually, to test Him), ``Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?'' The Lord said that it was to ``love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'' He referred to this as the ``great and foremost commandment.'' Then He even added a second commandment (which, though important to obey, was not the ``foremost'' commandment). Would it, therefore, not be a ``greater'' sin to violate the ``foremost'' commandment than the secondary one? I would think so. Though, regardless of what sin one commits, heaven will be forfeited. In the Old Testament, sins of ignorance or ``unintentional'' sins do not appear to be as bad as a willful sin, yet they still had to be atoned for (Heb. 9:7; Num. 15:22-31). We know that ``ignorance'' will not be an excuse in the judgment day (Acts 17:30,31); and even during Hosea's time, many of God's people were being destroyed because of ``lack of knowledge'' (Hos. 4:6). Peter shows that it is worse for one who comes to the knowledge of the truth, becomes a Christian, and is set free from the world to then go back into sin than the one who never knew the truth. Though both will be lost in the judgment day, it will be worse for the backslidden Christian because he was on the road to eternal life with heaven almost within his grasp. It is, therefore, worse for the Christian to sin than for the non-Christian who commits the same wrong, for the child of God should not only know better, but also has much more to lose as a result of his sin. The bottom line, however, is that all sin is wrong; for sin is ``the transgression of the law''--or simply ``lawlessness,'' as the NASB states (1 Jn. 3:4); and the law being violated is God's--the highest law of all. Therefore, whether it is a ``little white lie'' or a monstrous murder, the eternal penalty is the same. If you remember, it was merely because of a lie (and the attitude of their heart that accompanied it) that caused Ananias and Sapphira to lose their lives as the consequence (Acts 5:1-11). Though some sins do appear to be greater than others from man's standpoint, as well as God's, let us never take any sin lightly; but, rather, realize that no matter how ``small'' the transgression might seem, it required the death of God's Son, Jesus Christ, in order to atone for that sin so that man could be set free from its bondage (Heb. 2:9, 14-15). Any sin, therefore, is a serious matter; and we must strive to avoid all transgressions at any cost. May we never be found trying to extenuate, condone, or justify any transgression. Rather, if we are guilty of sin, we must face up to it and deal with it in our lives. For if we want to be forgiven of our wrongs and be saved, we must meet the Lord's requirements. Sadly, we live in a time when more and more people are trying to redefine that which God formerly called ``sin.'' Divorce and remarriage is running rampant in our time; and, unfortunately, the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:9 continue to be disregarded by the masses. Murder, violence, disrespect toward human life, homosexuality, cohabitation, fornication, stealing, cheating, vulgar speaking, jealousy, slander, lying, gossip, and numerous other sins are all too common today--and many of which are no longer viewed as being the sin in which God's word clearly declares it as being. The morals of our society are sinking low, while some of the ``immorals'' are being exalted--in the movie industry, in many modern-day books, as well as in real life. There are already those who do not even accept the reality of sin. But, remember, until one does, there is no way that that person can even begin to come to Jesus Christ, for the Lord did not come for the righteous, but the sinner (Luke 5:32). If you have forgotten what sin is, please turn to the New Testament today. Don't let society, the media, or merely your own feelings define it for you; let God. For He is the One that we each--who have reached an age of accountability--have sinned against (Rom. 3:10,23). And He is the One who--no matter how great your sins might be--wants to save you from every wrong you've ever committed and provide you with an eternal home in heaven (2 Pet. 3:9). The price has been paid (1 Pet. 1:18-20). God's salvation plan has been given (Rom. 1:16). It is now up to each one of us to begin in our own hearts toward our destination of heaven by yielding in full allegiance--by our faith and by our obedience--to the gospel of Jesus Christ. For He is the ``source of eternal salvation'' only to those who ``obey Him'' (Heb. 5:9). And having done so, your sins--whether ``great or small''--will each be forgiven, blotted out, and removed as far as the east is from the west (Acts 2:38; Psa. 103:12). If you are still carrying your burden of sin, why not obey the Lord this day so that He may take that burden away? What greater blessing can there be than to have the remission of sins, which also results in becoming a child of God, having the hope of eternal life, and being in a spiritual and harmonious relationship with the eternal Creator of the Universe who loves His people with an everlasting love and will bring them to a place of ultimate bliss. ___________________________________________ Just What Is Offensive Behavior? by Steve Klein A six year-old boy kissed a classmate in school and was punished. A fourteen year-old boy called a fellow student a ``fat cow''; school officials called police who arrested the boy and charged him with a misdemeanor offense. He could face hundreds of dollars in fines. A professional baseball player spat in the face of an umpire who had called him out. He is supposed to have to sit out five games. Next year. Maybe. Someone suggested that the two school boys might have gotten lighter punishments if they had spit in their classmates' faces. No matter how these issues are eventually resolved, the very fact that they are issues serves to point out just how confused our society is about what constitutes decent behavior. Having thrown out THE BOOK which God gave us to determine such things, leaders in government, education and sports are treading water in the sea of our cultural immorality -- grasping at the sinking wreckage of political correctness, values clarification, and multi-cultural sensitivity to keep themselves afloat. What constitutes offensive behavior? They don't have a clue! It is as it once was in the days of Israel; the wicked ``make a man an offender by a word, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and turn aside the just by empty words'' (Isaiah 29:21). The scriptures typically use the words ``offend'' and ``offense'' to refer either to a person's sin or to a person's causing someone else to sin. The reason that no one seems to know what is offensive anymore is that no one knows what is sinful! Well, we had better learn. Sin is a transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4). The consequences of sin are far worse than a five day suspension for a baseball player or a missed ice cream party for a seven year old. Those who ``offend'' by sinning have an extremely unpleasant future in store. At the end of time, Jesus ``will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth'' (Matthew 13:41-42). The fate of those who ``offend'' by causing others to sin isn't any better. Jesus said, ``It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea'' (Luke 17:1-2). Regardless of what others may do, you and I had better resolve ourselves to ``give no offense.'' ___________________________________________ Find Out About Our BIBLE FILM SLIDES (5 lessons--about 30 minutes each) ___________________________________________ Tolerance, Homosexuality & Humanness by Bill Robinson, Jr. There are those in our society who believe that tolerance is a virtue. So we ask, should we be tolerant of pedophiles, or groups like NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association), who are seeking legalization of homosexual relationships with minor children? Should we be tolerant of rapists who act out their violence against women? Most decent people would draw a line and say no. Yet, when anyone draws a line--they are revealing an intolerance and making a moral judgment. Sadly, many are content to rest with the mistaken notion that tolerance for homosexuality is a virtue. However, the New Testament not only condemns homosexuality but also those who give their tacit approval of it (Romans 1:17-32). Make no mistake about it; homosexuality is not a political or biological issue--it is a moral issue. Moral judgments are based on the inherent needs of our nature, which define our humanness. There's nothing natural about needing to be homosexual in defining individual or collective humanness; any more than there is anything natural about being a pedophile, rapist or murderer in defining humanness. These are unnatural (perverted) acts of selfish desire. When society fails to act with conviction, approving what is right and condemning what is wrong, they have failed to define the civility of their humanness. The result is men will pervert it with impunity based on selfish desire without regard for human life (Proverbs 14:34; Psalms 9:20). -- Via Power Talk, September 29, 1996 ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES We extend our sympathies to the family and friends of Sandra Priddy's mother who passed away October 2. Sandra and her husband live in Louisville. Debbie Frazier was not able to be with us last Sunday due to minor surgery on her foot. We are glad she is now doing better and able to be up and about. We rejoice in the marriage of Steve Thomas and Erin McIlvain who were united in holy matrimony yesterday (10/12). They are from the Wheeling, West Virginia area, but will take up their new residence together in Huntington, West Virginia. Over the last four months, we have averaged 18.25 different visitors per month. Would you like to have a free Bible course mailed to you? Write or call today! Do you live nearby and need a ride to our service? We can help you! Call today. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@wwd.net ________________________________________