Priority of Moral Values and Sins
As Christians and as people with moral values, it seems to me as though we place a higher priority on some moral values than others, and we tend to have different priorities based on our convictions or beliefs. Who justifies the priorities, and how should they be set? For example, 2 of the major symbols of Christianity are the cross and the dove, the cross symbolizing the sacrifice paid for our sins, and the dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, and peace. At Christmas time, it's all about "peace on earth, goodwill toward men". On that basis, it would seem that a high moral value for Christians should be peace. Why is it then, at a cost of thousands of innocent lives, a higher priority than peace is placed on war? Why is there a moral value attached to this? I'm really having a hard time with this, and if someone knows the answer to this, please enlighten me. (I'm talking about what's going on in Israel, Iraq, and Afghanistan). On the same lines, why do we place a higher priority on some sins than others? In our criminal justice system, we have degrees of seriousness for offenses...ie. misdemeanor, felony, Class A, B, C, etc. and different crimes carry different degrees of punishment. Do we subconsciously do this also in our own minds with sins? Do we rate one sin a "misdemeanor" and another a "felony"? Does God rate sins? Is the sin of Gossip a lesser sin than theft? Is adultery a greater sin than cheating on your taxes? Is homosexuality a greater sin than rape? Is drinking or doing drugs a sin? Is smoking cigarettes a sin? (your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit) If that is your argument, then over-eating is a sin, drinking coffee is a sin, etc. So WHO decides what is a worse sin than others, do we judge someone else because of a sin we see in them, thinking that their sin is "much worse than my sins"? We see a homeless drug addict on the streets, thinking in our righteous minds, "their sin got them there" and do we pat ourselves on the back because we haven't committed these sins? I challenge us all to think about these things, and then reflect on what is the Greatest Commandment.
posted by Rick and Kathy at 4:52 PM
8 Comments:
I believe as christians we do rate sins. "I may do such and such but atleast I don't....."
Non believers only count it wrong if they get caught.
Mary said "I believe as christians we do rate sins"....
Ok, Mary, how should we rate them, should we rate them, and are some sins worse than others?
I don't think we should rate them at all. I think we mess up when we do that because in God's eyes (I believe) all are the same-a white lie is the same as murder. "We" catergorize them to appease our own guilt.
Before Jesus died on the cross, there were levels of sins-I'd have to believe that as the payment was different. If you touched something unclean, the sacrifice was less than if you moved the bounderies on your land. But after the crucifixion, all sins are atoneable by asking forgiveness. I also think about the verse warning not to judge. I wonder if it applies to sins. ??
Right, Mary, I think human nature in itself causes us to judge to some extent, but even Biblically there is nothing wrong with a certain "righteous indignation". Hmmm....this deserves a thougtful exploration...
RICK!!! This is so cool! Our pastor was speaking about this very thing today. He said that people tend to view sin as something that makes you either a good or bad person. But that's not what it's about. Sin brings death to your soul (For the wages of sin is death) and the purpose of life is not to be a good person but to remain alive in your spirit even as your body is slowly dying. I thought that was so interesting. Another thought is, in the list of 10 commandments, not keeping the sabbath is ranked as important as not murdering.....thus, the way we tend to catoragize things is wrong. God views ALL sin as death to us, whereas we would logically say not keeping the sabbath *can't* be as wrong as murder. A message right on time with your post!!
Wow, now you have me thinking about something else.....What does it mean to "keep the sabbath"? Are there some things that are ok to do on the sabbath, and not other things? The answer I guess comes from within, our own individual conscience, it must be very important, though, to be listed as a commandment....
Interesting discussion. Did you know "unbelief" and being fearful are sins? Revelations 21:8
......and before commenting further, Rick, please delete the part about coffee being a sin! lol!
One thing I have learned is that there may not be different degrees of sin, but the closer you get to God and the more one grows in His Grace, the things that never used to be a sin, suddenly become a sin. So there is never a state of perfection. That is why Jesus, the only perfect one, stated that committing adultery is a sin, and so is even entertaining the idea. As we grow in His Grace, we see how even thinking things can be a sin, when in the beginning of the Christian walk, it was the action. And the Holy Spirit should be the law and rules we live by....beyond loving the Lord with all our soul, strength, and mind, and our neighbors like ourselves. It doesn't seem fair that the way God judges is different for every person according to where we are in our Christian walk, but then again it shows His love and grace.....and that we are all His special creation, every one of us different and not to be compared with each other.
Wow, Kim, You should start a blog. You have a unique way of expressing thoughts with written words...I guess it runs in our family! And the Holy Spirit convicts us individually of sins, and according to our Christian walk, and where we are at, we are guided and constantly challenged. We all have different challenges in our lives, and it is going through those challenges wherein we learn and grow.
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