When is it a sin?

[Daniel Martinovich]

I disagree.... There are no "small" sins and "Big" sins.. there is just sin..

Being almost a sin is like being almost pregnant or a little pregnant or a lot pregnant... It's either an unrighteous act.. or it's not..

Show me a scripture rather than an absurd analogy. Lots of Christians are going to heaven that commit the little sins. Lots a Christians are going to heaven having never truly been technically converted. But very few Christians or not will be going to heaven who are involved in homosexuality or adultry and almost no one will be going to heaven that is involved in idolatry and the worship of demons. Why? They are not fit for heaven.
All the apostles denied Jesus. Not just Judus. Their self centered sinful motive was all the same. Only Judus’s sin kept him out of the kingdom of God though.

 

[Tharseo]

IMO, there is no need to focus on either "all sins are the same", or "sins have different degree of severity". Sins have their similarities and differences, and there is no need to emphasise one over another.

It is true that all sins are unrighteous before God. All sins would prevent us from entering the kingdom of God. But not all sins are the same before God. God judges according to what we did, and he does so in fairness. And treating all sins the same is certainly not fair.

 

[archer75]

Well, as far as I know, there aren't Gossip Pride parades, or festivals celebrating lying and arrogance. But I do see homosexuals (or, rather, the LGBTQ community) displaying and celebrating their sexual perversion in annual parades, and festivals, and prosecuting those who don't do cheer them on. When sin is shoved in peoples' faces this way, it tends to stand out in their thinking.

There aren't parades with those specific names because parades are unnecessary: pride, lying, and arrogance are already par for the course, perfectly accepted aspects of our culture. Look who we put into elected office.

 

[step_by_step]

Why do we make some sins more important than others? Because it is obvious that some sins are more serious, more damaging, in their consequences than others. Such sins we ought to take special pains to prevent and avoid. Doing so, though, doesn't mean we should neglect to address lesser sins.

How do you decide which sins are more damaging than others? Yes murder is a very serious thing with greater foreseeable consequences than stealing a cookie from a cookie jar. But how do you know that these "little" sins aren't just as damaging? I think it's foolish to pretend that it's less damaging to my soul and my relationships with Christ to steal something instead of murder. Both separate me from God, both are a deliberate act of disobedience. While one has greater earthly consequences, we can't pretend to know what the unseen consequences are of the other.

 

[timothyu]

God has already established that anyone who puts their will before his has sinned (regardless of degree). Those who understand this have already agreed we are all sinners and the only sinner we need point fingers at is ourselves for we are the only sinner we have any control over. It follows the same application as in sowing seeds. The only seed we have control over how it grows is our own. We can suggest to others but cannot enforce no matter how hard some try.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

We can suggest to others but cannot enforce no matter how hard some try.

In stark contrast, notice that
Worldwide, in almost every place,

the enemy CAN and DOES ....... "enforce" silencing the truth

whenever they feel like it, every day in every country.

By law! (Federal, State, County, City, Civil, Criminal, Foreign, Domestic)

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

While one has greater earthly consequences, we can't pretend to know what the unseen consequences are of the other.

Well, let's see then....
the consequences of lying are : (partly) as written, in heaven there are no liars.
That is 'unseen', but known.

 

[JacksBratt]

Show me a scripture rather than an absurd analogy. Lots of Christians are going to heaven that commit the little sins. Lots a Christians are going to heaven having never truly been technically converted. But very few Christians or not will be going to heaven who are involved in homosexuality or adultry and almost no one will be going to heaven that is involved in idolatry and the worship of demons. Why? They are not fit for heaven.
All the apostles denied Jesus. Not just Judus. Their self centered sinful motive was all the same. Only Judus’s sin kept him out of the kingdom of God though.

All Christians are going to heaven... with sins... period. Even murderers, child molesters, thiefs, gluttons, gay, liars, gossips, adulterers....

Fact, all Christians are going to heaven and not one of them will be sinless when they do so... they will just be covered by the blood of Jesus.

 

[timothyu]

Small point. The Kingdom comes to us from Heaven.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

How can you hold gays in a different appreciation than yourself? You can't.

I hold them in the same appreciation. They are made in the image of God, but they will go to Hell if they don't resist sodomy, which is just as true for me.

James 2:10
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

You keep quoting that like it's some kind of proof text. It says nothing about the equality of the sins. It only means that any sin is enough to keep a person out of Heaven.

That advice to that church ignores other comments about your own sins being the size of a log, and the others sins being the size of a splinter.

Your advice ignores the conclusion, "first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." You stop picking the speck out of your brother's eye, because you have a log in your own. You never got to the point of removing your log, and you never got around to picking the speck out of your brother's eye once you saw clearly. It would seem we're supposed to be happy with our specks and logs.

I wish you would help me get this speck out of my eye!

Why? God loves you just the way you are. Leave it in!​

 

[aiki]

How do you decide which sins are more damaging than others?

Uh, by observing the damage they produce.

Yes murder is a very serious thing with greater foreseeable consequences than stealing a cookie from a cookie jar. But how do you know that these "little" sins aren't just as damaging?

Are you suggesting that stealing a cookie is as damaging as murder? I hope not.

I think it's foolish to pretend that it's less damaging to my soul and my relationships with Christ to steal something instead of murder.

Come on, now. It is clearly evident to me that little Johnny who steals a cookie from Grandma is not as sold out to the devil and sin as the cannibal serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was. Do you think the Christian kid who skips Math class to watch a movie with his buddies at a nearby theater has, in doing so, become just as hardened toward God as the convicted murderer in prison who rapes other convicts for fun? Seriously?

While one has greater earthly consequences, we can't pretend to know what the unseen consequences are of the other.

Well, the Bible tells us that sin always produces death of some kind (Romans 6:23): death of joy, of peace, of fellowship with God, of relationships with other people, of health and, of course, the eternal "second death" in hell. So, we do have a pretty good basic idea of what will fall out from our sin spiritually.

 

[Bruce Leiter]

In today's world, there's "big sins" and "little sins". Homosexuality, fornication, murder, etc. are the "big ones". These are the sins that we focus on most, the ones that make us cover our mouths and look away in horror.

But what about the other sins that no one talks about? Little white lies, acting out in anger, hating someone (which is the same as murder!), disobeying our parents, pride, laziness...all these things are listed in the Bible as wrong. Yet we don't talk about them. Even adultery can get glossed over!

So when is it a sin? Why do we decide that some sins are more important than others and when does a sin become important? Why do we excuse hatred but stamp out homosexuality?

They are all sins that would disqualify us from going to heaven and then into the new universe. In God's eyes, a sin's a sin. I think that we need to look at all of them the way God does.

 

[timothyu]

Instead of looking at or trying to define all the selfish sins of the will of man, why not focus on selflessness, the will of God, and be forgiven.

 

[JacksBratt]

Uh, by observing the damage they produce.



Are you suggesting that stealing a cookie is as damaging as murder? I hope not.



Come on, now. It is clearly evident to me that little Johnny who steals a cookie from Grandma is not as sold out to the devil and sin as the cannibal serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was. Do you think the Christian kid who skips Math class to watch a movie with his buddies at a nearby theater has, in doing so, become just as hardened toward God as the convicted murderer in prison who rapes other convicts for fun? Seriously?



Well, the Bible tells us that sin always produces death of some kind (Romans 6:23): death of joy, of peace, of fellowship with God, of relationships with other people, of health and, of course, the eternal "second death" in hell. So, we do have a pretty good basic idea of what will fall out from our sin spiritually.

Can you, or anyone, show me where God has categorized and prioritized or ranked some sins worse than others.. Especially where there is greater punishment, in eternity, for some compared to others. And, where there is different levels of repentance or prayer or anything that one must do for some sins compared to others?

Because, I see that "all" have come short of the glory of God, and "believe on the name of the Lord and you will be saved".

I see no indication that a murder has to do anything different than a cookie monster... in order to acquire their salvation.

 

[step_by_step]

Come on, now. It is clearly evident to me that little Johnny who steals a cookie from Grandma is not as sold out to the devil and sin as the cannibal serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was. Do you think the Christian kid who skips Math class to watch a movie with his buddies at a nearby theater has, in doing so, become just as hardened toward God as the convicted murderer in prison who rapes other convicts for fun? Seriously?

So we should just brush off the little sins then, right? Because they aren't as damaging as the others, we shouldn't be as concerned about little Johnny who's stealing cookies from his grandmother because at least he isn't murdering anyone? Should we allow the little sins to run rampant until they become bigger sins?

 

[aiki]

Can you, or anyone, show me where God has categorized and prioritized or ranked some sins worse than others.. Especially where there is greater punishment, in eternity, for some compared to others. And, where there is different levels of repentance or prayer or anything that one must do for some sins compared to others?

Well, there's Proverbs 6:16-18. In the passage, a certain set of sins are laid out as those God hates, but not all. Scripture also indicates that there will be degrees of punishment meted out on Judgment Day (Mathew 10:15; Matthew 11:21-24; Matthew 16:27; Luke 12:47-48; John 15:22; Hebrews 10:29; Revelations 20:11-13; Revelations 22:12).

Are there different levels of repentance from certain kinds of sin? It seems to me, it might be harder to repent of (that is, turn away from or forsake) some kinds of sin (like a cocaine addiction, or alcoholism, or porn addiction) than others, and from a longer and deeper involvement with sin (where ruts of thinking and behaviour are strongly established), than from a more superficial, short-lived participation in sin. I don't know if I'm describing here a different level of repentance, however...

Because, I see that "all" have come short of the glory of God, and "believe on the name of the Lord and you will be saved".

Yup. Right. But I think little Johnny at ten who has never done anything worse than hit his sister in anger, or tell a lie to his teacher is going to repent of his life without God much more readily than the hardened criminal who has spent decades steeped in the vilest sort of living imaginable. Don't you?

I see no indication that a murder has to do anything different than a cookie monster... in order to acquire their salvation.

Oh? The murderer may not have to do anything more to enter into God's kingdom than little Johnny the cookie-stealer, but coming to the place where trusting in Christ is possible is going to be a greater work by God in the murderer than in little Johnny. And, too, the journey to a sanctified life practically is going to be far more difficult for the murderer than for little Johnny. The murderer must overcome a complex of wrong beliefs and behaviours that were powerful enough in his life to bring him to the act of murder. Not so, little Johnny.

 

[aiki]

So we should just brush off the little sins then, right?

No.

Because they aren't as damaging as the others, we shouldn't be as concerned about little Johnny who's stealing cookies from his grandmother because at least he isn't murdering anyone?

This is a false dichotomy. It doesn't follow that recognizing the seriousness of some deeply wicked sins means we can turn a blind eye to lesser ones.

Should we allow the little sins to run rampant until they become bigger sins?

No. Of course not.

 

[Blade]

No sin enters heaven. God said OT He would remember their sins NO MORE. Christ died already.. He can not die again. When you made Jesus your lord.. what SINS does He remember? My point is.. to Him.. tiny lie verse stealing...you name it.. are all the same. He hates ALL sins. In this world.. some dont matter some do.. you pay a price for some sins. With Christ...if you sin.. sin brings DEATH in ALL forms.

We are not righteous because we DONT SIN! We are righteous in His sight THROUGH Christ.. believing in Him. So God sees us holy pure white as snow. Its US MAN that remember the sin.. we convicts out selfs.. we judge. Its just to good be to true. We treat GOD as if He is a man. Yet He is not.. does not act like think like talk like a man.

SO for me.. seeing all this. knowing all this.. I confess the more.. I SO want to do more for HIM. I So NEVER want to sin...WE have no clue as to how much HE LOVES YOU! Ask Him pray read His word.. HE WILL tell you. Get it from HIM! And lol dont sin

 

[StephenDiscipleofYHWH]

In today's world, there's "big sins" and "little sins". Homosexuality, fornication, murder, etc. are the "big ones". These are the sins that we focus on most, the ones that make us cover our mouths and look away in horror.

But what about the other sins that no one talks about? Little white lies, acting out in anger, hating someone (which is the same as murder!), disobeying our parents, pride, laziness...all these things are listed in the Bible as wrong. Yet we don't talk about them. Even adultery can get glossed over!

So when is it a sin? Why do we decide that some sins are more important than others and when does a sin become important? Why do we excuse hatred but stamp out homosexuality?

There is no excuse for any sin, all sins damn unless repented of.
James 2:
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

Romans 6:23
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ezekiel 18:20
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.


There are no exceptions, all sins are counted equally in that all sins damn unless repented of.

1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

[Daniel Martinovich]

All Christians are going to heaven... with sins... period. Even murderers, child molesters, thiefs, gluttons, gay, liars, gossips, adulterers....

Fact, all Christians are going to heaven and not one of them will be sinless when they do so... they will just be covered by the blood of Jesus.

What in the world are you defining as Christian?