Avoiding The Greater Condemnation - part one

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching."

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples." (Borrowed from John Michael Talbot’s Facebook page.)

That story is related to a question I am often asked, “Isn’t all sin equal?  Does the Bible really teach that?”  In a way, isn’t that like asking, “Is God more concerned about stealing apples than stealing chocolate chip cookies, or is He equally concerned with both?”  Many are shocked at my answer; you may be too, but please keep reading until I explain my belief.  No, the Bible does NOT teach all sin is equal!  Here are the verses that seem to teach that:

⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.

 ⁹ But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

 ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

 ¹¹ For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

 (James 2:8-11 ESV)

The point of this passage is not that all sin is equal.  The primary point is that showing partiality based on income and social status violates God's law as much as adultery or murder!  The point is the law reveals God’s moral nature.  Any and every violation of the law is a violation of God’s moral nature.  Any and every violation of God’s law makes us a lawbreaker.  Any sin makes the one who sins a sinner.  The wages of sin is death – eternal separation from God’s holy and loving presence.  

This does not mean all sin is equal.  All sin violates God’s moral nature and is deserving of damnation.  Yet, some sin has greater consequence than other sin.  I will even say that some sin offends God more profoundly than other sin!  But all sin profoundly offends God.

^ESV  Luke 17:1 And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!  ² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

 (Luke 17:1-2 ESV)

It is a very serious thing to lead the weak into sin!  I believe we can find Scriptural justification for the position that sins against the weak and helpless in general are very offensive to God – this would include all kinds of child abuse.

But there is one category of sin that Jesus singled out repeatedly.  And that is where our focus will be.  

  

Mark 12:38-40 ³⁸ And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces  ³⁹ and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,  ⁴⁰ who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." (Mar 12:38-40 ESV)

The King James Version translates that key phrase, – “these shall receive greater damnation.”  In the Common English Bible it reads,  “They will be judged most harshly."  The English Standard Version is the most literal, “They will receive the greater condemnation." What is clear is that the sin of the scribes and Pharisees will be punished more severely than many sins.  Perhaps, even more severely than any other sin.

Matthew Henry writes, “But as iniquity, thus disguised with a show of piety, is double iniquity, so its doom will be doubly heavy; These shall receive great damnation; greater than those that live without prayer, greater than they would have received for the wrong done to the poor widows, if it had not been thus disguised. Note, The damnation of hypocrites will be of all others the greatest damnation.”

What was their sin?  Their sin was Hypocrisy, self righteousness and using religious power to harm the powerless!  Using religion to hurt people and then being smug and self righteous about it is at the core of the sin of Scribes and Pharisees!

They made a public display of how religious they were.  They wanted to be seen as special and be treated as very special.  They wanted to gain privileges through acting religious.  Their hearts were corrupt and yet they used religious standing to cheat helpless widows.

Certainly priests and youth pastors who use their positions to molest children are guilty of the same kind of sin as those Scribes and Pharisees in Jesus day – they share the greater condemnation from God!   And any TV evangelists who bilk widows out of money they cannot afford with false promises of healings and miracles stand in line with these scribes.  Not all do so, but those who do face the greater condemnation from God according to Jesus!

But what about us?  In what ways can we fall into these sins if we are not careful?   When we parade with Christian bumper stickers and tee shirts, and post pious things on Facebook we need to examine our motives!  In themselves, those things are not wrong, they can be excellent – or they can stink to high heaven!  

The important question is why do we do them?   Are we doing these things to Glorify the Lord or to look good ourselves?  We need to watch our motives, watch our heart.  Why are we doing it?  Who are we seeking to benefit?  Who are we seeking to impress?

Are we Trying to build Kingdom of Christ? – That is good.  Are we trying to witness to the lost? – Good.  Is our intent to encourage other believers? – this is good also.

Are we trying to put down liberals and sinners? – That’s not good.  Are we trying to use our Bible knowledge to look spiritual while we use that knowledge to hammer those we disagree with?  That is acting like a little Scribe and Pharisee!  Are we trying to look more religious than most people?  Man, that is really bad!

When we have motives like that, we are engaging in the sins Jesus said would receive the greater judgment, the harsher punishment!   We are acting more like the Scribes and Pharisees than like Jesus!

Who Needs to see a Counselor?

… “I put off coming to you because only crazy people go to counselors!” I hear that fairly often! I usually try to help the client normalize their feelings by agreeing that a lot of people feel that way. But actually everyone has problems and it requires wisdom and a degree of maturity to admit we can benefit from talking to someone with the training and gifts to help.

In fact, some of my most exciting times as a pastoral counselor have been when someone has come simply seeking personal growth. Helping with the overwhelming crises of life is rewarding and makes up much of my work. But even then, once you get past the “help me survive” phase, the focus shifts to helping the person find a way to grow through the crisis God has allowed in their life. Helping people grow in faith, grow in maturity, grow as persons is what Christian counseling is all about. Scripture makes clear that God’s purpose in every believer’s life is for us to be growing more and more into the image of His beloved Son (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 4:19; Rom. 8:29).

Sometimes we hit growth barriers that need a more objective viewpoint. If you are there, think of reaching out to someone for help. If you are a pastor and know someone who is there and your schedule doesn’t permit investing the time they need, send them my way!

Assisting in growth is more about asking the right questions than having all the answers. I don’t have all the answers, but I prayerfully work at asking the right kind of questions. Is there something in your past that contributes to this barrier? Is there a way of thinking, an attitude that needs adjustment to move ahead? Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? Is “the problem” really the problem or is there something else going on? The list is endless and has to be tailored for each person.

The Power of Your Story

I’m sure someone has pointed out to how often Jesus used stories (think “Parables”) to teach. Most of us love a good story. I find it so much easier to get into a novel than a non-fiction book. I think one reason I love my work as a counselor is I get paid to listen to people tell their stories all day long! Stories are not just interesting, they have great potential to be powerful, even life changing. That is why Jesus used them so much. In the book of Revelation we are told “they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.” What is their testimony? The story of the work of Christ in their life.

Understanding the story of your life can be powerful. Christian psychologist Dan Allender wrote a book, “To Be Told” that guides the reader through steps to see their past as a story that leads to a healthier future.
The Bible is a story. It is a story of creation, sin, wandering and redemption. Above all it is a love story. God is the Author of this love story. And He is the Author of the story of your life. “What about human free will and responsibility?” That is the subject for another blog!

For right now I would challenge you to think of your life as a story God is orchestrating and ask what lessons you can learn from the story of your life so far. What does it show about your heart, your hopes, your deepest desires? What does it show about God? What clues might you find about what the next chapter might look like? Keep in mind the story is not a finished work. Remember your story intersects countless other stories and our infinite, wise God is writing all these stories into one great story of victory and redemption through pain and tragedy.

I am finding that much of my work as a counselor is to hear what my clients tell me and help them hear what they have told me. What I mean is people often don’t realize what they have said. When they are in a safe place and begin opening their heart they pour out wisdom from their life and about their life without realizing it. When I cut in and give my understanding of what they’ve said sometimes they correct me, sometimes they react as if I’ve just said something profoundly wise – all I’ve done is reflect back what they have revealed. Sometimes their correction of my misunderstanding leads them or me to a key understanding. Very often the telling of their story and their increased understanding of it through hearing it reflected is a key to growth and healing.

It might be helpful to take time to sit down pray for the Lord to lead you and either write your story out or speak it into a recorder. Then prayerfully review it and ask some of the questions above and others that come to your mind. What do you learn from the story and from the questions and answers? What questions do your ‘answers’ lead to?

Another option would be to seek out a counselor or a spiritual director and let God lead and speak through them. Just be open to the power of your story.