SIN-LEVELING. Luke 10:13-14.

Posted bySteven WalesPosted inSin-Leveling/Not all Sins are Equal/sins are not equalTags:, , , , , , , , ,

People say, “the ground is level at the foot of the cross.”

It’s a nice reminder not to judge. True, we must ALL bow the knee. No one reaches Heaven without Jesus.

But is the ground really level? Are Hitler and I equals apart from Jesus?

NO. Hitler’s sin is extremely, almost infinitely worse than mine.

“Okay. Hitler is worse than you from a HUMAN perspective,” you answer.

No. He is worse than me FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE!

The only thing “level” between us is that without Christ we are both lost. And even lost, the Fuhrer remains far worse. After all, Jesus taught that there are differing punishments in Hell:

“Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom than for that town” Matthew 10:15. “It will be more tolerable in the Day of Judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you” Luke 10:13-14.

The reason Jesus emphasized degrees of punishment in the afterlife was to draw attention to the corollary—there are DEGREES OF SINFULNESS on earth.

He warns us not to sin in this way or that because those sins are WORSE, resulting in greater punishment. Jesus told Pilate that the sin of Judas was greater than Pilate’s: “The one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” John 19:11.

SOME SINS ARE WORSE THAN OTHERS.

Why is sin-leveling a problem? Because those who would make all sins equal do so to silence the victim. They tell you to “take the log out of your own eye” before questioning the preacher living a lie, or they convince you to shut up about that worship leader caught in adultery, or to forgive that youth worker who abused you when you were a child, or something equally horrible.

That is, sin-leveling is a heresy used by those in authority to quiet complaints from victims. But get this:

YOUR ABUSER IS NOT YOUR EQUAL. HE WILL NEVER BE YOUR EQUAL.

You know it—and more importantly—GOD KNOWS IT. Rest in that. The ground is not level. Some sins are worse than others. Far worse.

ΑΩ

Published by Steven Wales

Dad's Daily Devotional began as text messages to my family. I wanted my teenagers to know their father was reading the Bible. But they were at school by then. Initially, I sent them a favorite verse or an insight based on what I read each day. That grew into drafting a devotional readng which I would send them via text. I work as an attorney and an adjunct professor, and recently wrote a book called HOW TO MAKE A'S.