We were talking about James 2 tonight in small group and two very interesting issues came up - I had an immediate gut answer to both (don’t we always!) but no immediate Scriptural basis for my opinion. So, I did a bit of research for our small group and thought I’d post here too since these are pretty interesting topics.
Question 1 - Are all sins equal in God’s eyes?
Depends on who you ask. The Lutherans would say “yes”: “While it is possible on the basis of Scripture to make certain distinctions regarding the nature or “gravity” of specific sins (see, e.g., John 19:11; Luke 12: 47-48), Scripture clearly teaches that all sins come equally under God’s judgment: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law” (Gal. 3:10).”
Most evangelical Christians would say “no” - say, here or here: “So, although Jesus said that lust and adultery are both sins – that does not mean they are equal. It is much worse to actually murder a person than it is to simply hate them – even though they are both sinful in God’s sight. There are degrees to sin. Some sins are worse than others. At the same time, in regards to both eternal consequences and salvation, all sins are the same. (… ) Are all sins equal to God? Yes and no. In severity? Yes. In penalty? No. In forgivability? Yes.”
“So yes, in a sense “all sin is sin.” But this is like saying “all pain is pain.” It would be a contradiction to deny it. But this does not mean that all pain is equally intense, nor does it mean that all sin is exactly as evil as any other sin, nor does it mean that the consequences and punishments will be the same.”
My take: All sin leads to death and, regardless how little we sin or how “badly” we sin, we all are totally reliant on God’s grace and mercy to be “good enough” to stand in His presence at the end of the day. No sin is too bad to be forgiven nor too important that we shouldn’t be on our knees asking for forgiveness. However, I think it’s Biblically sound to say that some sins are punished more severely than others and therefore would be “worse” in that respect. See also Luke 12:47-48, Mark 3 (unforgivable sin),
Question 2 - Are there different rewards waiting for each of us in Heaven depending on what we did on earth?
Another fun one. Most of the arguments I found are actually in support of different rewards (i.e. faith is what gets us in the door, deeds are what get us different levels of rewards once inside). The most obvious passage is Matthew 16:27:
“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glofy with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done”
Similar implications are drawn from Revelation 20:12-15 (“the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” ), Matthew 6:20 (“store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in” ), Luke 6:35 (“love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” ), Ephesians 6:8 (“because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free” ), and Colossians 3:23-24 (“whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward” ). There’s even a verse that seems to suggest that hell may also have different levels of intensities (anti-rewards if you will) in Matthew 10:15 (“I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on that day of judgement than for that town” (i.e. the town who rejected Jesus and His message).
The only real counterargument I read was in Matthew 20:1-16, the parable of the workers in the vineyard who were paid the same amount of money regardless of how long they had worked in the vineyard (i.e. it doesn’t matter what you do, you’ll get the same reward at the end of the day). However, this parable may also just mean that anybody can be saved at any time (i.e. it’s never too late).
My take: I think there are different rewards waiting for us in heaven based on what we do. However, the million dollar question is what those rewards are exactly. Interesting to think about, impossible to answer until we see for ourselves I guess.
An oXyGEN blog tradition - read the lyrics to the hymn and reflect on God’s sacrifice for us on this Good Friday.
How deep the Father’s love for us How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss The Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many ones to glory.
Behold the Man upon a cross My sin upon His shoulders Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice Call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held Him there Until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anything No gift, no power, no wisdom But I will boast in Jesus Christ His death and resurrection. Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer. But this I know with all my heart His wounds have paid my ransom.
We did a Bible study on the meaning of blood through the Old and New Testaments on Wednesday night in our small group. It gave us a lot of food for thought regarding exactly what Jesus did when He died on the cross, so I thought I’d share the main Scriptures and the key points we got out of them with you. Something to reflect on during this Easter weekend (it’s longish but totally worthwhile).
Genesis 9:1-6 - God’s directions to Noah ”1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. 4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.”
- it’s interesting how God gives so much control and domain over His creation to Noah but very explicitly excludes blood from the list (v. 4). The blood is something special to God and Noah was not given permission to do as he pleased with it.
Exodus 12: 12-13 - The Passover 12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”
- blood on the doors signified that a price had already been paid for the sin in that household and indicated the dedication of that household to upholding God’s commands. There’s a definite correlation between obedience to the Law and being saved via blood (being “passed over” for judgement that we actually deserved).
Exodus 24:3-8 - Moses returning to the people after receiving the Ten Commandments “ 3 When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.” 4 Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” 8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
- blood was used to represent God’s promise to the people of Israel, as well as their will and promise (regardless of how well THAT worked out) to try to keep God’s will. Blood = a covenant between God and man.
Leviticus 8:22-24; 30 - The ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests 22 “He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 23 Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ( … ) 30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments.”
- there’s a connection between being consecrated to God and blood. The only way Aaron and his sons could commune with God is by cleansing both themselves and the place of their sacrifice through the spilling of blood.
Leviticus 17:10-14 - Laws against eating blood 10 ” ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.” 13 ” ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”
- blood equals life and God takes it extremely seriously when we don’t respect that - again showing the value and significance God attaches to the lifeblood, the reflection of His image in His creation. Also, this passage makes it clear that God has given us blood only for the purpose of making atonement for sins via a sacrifice.
John 19:31-37 - Jesus’ crucifixion 31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
- John makes a specific reference in recounting the story of Jesus’ death to emphasize that blood was very literally spilled, making a very distinct connection between the sacrificed lambs in the Old Testament and the death of The Lamb in the New Testament.
Hebrews 9:11-20 - The blood of Christ 11When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 16In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”
- Christ’s blood not only fulfilled all of the promises and symbolism of blood in the Old Testament (i.e. representing life, obedience, consecration, atonement, and the cost of salvation/forgiveness) but is an amazingly more superior sacrifice.
Revelation 5:6-10 - The Lamb on the throne ”6Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
- only because blood was spilled is Christ able to open the scroll, purchase our salvation, and consecrate us to God. He has sealed God’s covenant with us with His own blood and paid the price for our salvation.
So much symbolism, such an amazing sacrifice. Hope you have a very impactful Easter.
As you may be aware, the season of Lent begins this Wednesday. We in the Evangelical church generally tend to avoid (or at least downplay) the observance of Lent, probably because it is considered too liturgical, tradition-bound and “high-churchy” if you will for our tastes. However, while I can certainly sympathize with some of these concerns about “going through the motions” in worship, I can’t help but wonder whether we are really missing out on something. Lent runs for 40 days (not counting Sundays, which are reserved for celebrating Jesus’ resurrection) from Ash Wednesday (March 1) until the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, echoing Jesus’ withdrawl into the wilderness for 40 days. The general point of Lent is to observe a season of preparation for both mourning the death and rejoicing in the resurrection of Jesus at Easter. As such, it’s intended as a season of soul-searching, repentance, reflection, and taking stock of our relationship with God. In our world where there’s so much to distract us from God, it seems to me that that intentionally setting aside even a few minutes a day during Lent to surrender ourselves to God’s will in a very real way (or, said another way, approach God in sackcloth as sinners undeserving of God’s grace but granted it regardless) is an idea well worthy of our consideration. Sometimes church traditions aren’t all bad.
Read more about Lent here or read a Lent devotional guide (prepared by an Anglican diocese but quite thought-provoking) here. Devotional guides for Lent are also avaliable at Philpott between services for $1.
Sometimes we as Christians have very fixed expectations regarding what it means to worship “properly” in a “Godly” manner (or, for that matter, serve in certain ways which are viewed as more “valuable” than others). As a more reserved kind of person, I am not likely to be dancing down the aisle during the service or preaching from the sidewalk any time soon, even though some people view those things as critically important expression of faith. On the other hand, some people can’t handle spending time by themselves in quiet reflection. Fortunately, I think it’s clear that there are many paths to experiencing God which are all equally valid and equally impactful according to our temperment and our spiritual giftedness. Martha led a large group session on these “Sacred Pathways” over a year ago — the quiz helping you identify the way(s) you best experience God is now online and can be found here. Take the quiz and comment on what your sacred pathways are (it might even help us in coming up with events or group activities which will help you worship God more effectively).
For the record, my top three are:
Intellectual: Intellectuals draw near to God through their minds. Contemplative: Contemplatives draw near to God through personal adoration and heartfelt devotion. Naturalist: Naturalists Draw near to God through nature.
(I am sure all of you who know me are all shocked by these results However, I should mention that “Enthusiast” was only a point behind, so there must be a wild celebratory aspect to my personality somewhere in there too…
Top
However, I should mention that “Enthusiast” was only a point behind, so there must be a wild celebratory aspect to my personality somewhere in there too…