Friday, August 02, 2013

No Little Sins


We often hear that one sin is no worse than another. In a sense, this is true. If we define various sins in terms of transgressions, it fits. A transgression is crossing a line that you ought not to cross. It really doesn’t matter if you cross it by an inch or a mile. You have still crossed it. You have transgressed. You have sinned. We all must understand that one single transgression is a violation of God’s holy standard that will have to reckon with God’s judgment. Those who by faith in Jesus are covered by His blood find comfort and assurance in the fact that He has borne God’s judgment for us.

But we would have to admit that different sins carry different consequences in this life. Some sins destroy reputations and lives. Some sins lead to the destruction of family structure and affect the lives of children for decades to come. In this sense, not all sins are the same.

But I would like to turn the opening phrase around and ask, “are some sins better than others?” If one sin is no worse than another, than are some sins “less worse”? And here we must be careful. Because there are no little sins.


We have to recognize that every single sin, even if undetected by everyone around us, affects both our fellowship with God and our fruitfulness for God. Sins of attitude make sacrificial love impossible. We end up doing good things for all the wrong reasons, often leaving us worse off than when we started. These kinds of “little sins” destroy joy and contentment. They chip away at security and confidence. They will affect both whether and how we pray, and will knock the legs out from under our witness. Miserable Christians are rotten witnesses. The root of that misery can most often be traced back to “little sins” that are not really little at all, because there is no sin that is better than another.


Let’s not make peace with “little sins.” Take up the fight - by carefully confessing these sins, and turning from them with new attitudes and actions. Let’s embrace the invitation of fellowship with Christ, and pray for greater fruitfulness.