You're making this discussion difficult. You keep ignoring the arguments I've made. A discussion works by taking the other person's points, addressing them, and then presenting your own. Instead, you simply jump back to your
tunnel vision theology of 'sin is sin, full stop'.
You answered "No" to my question that Paul would not have been used by God to write two-thirds of the New Testament if, after his conversion, he had continued as a rapist, murderer, or other unrepentant grievous sinner.
Yet, having conceded that point, you immediately put it aside and return to repeating, "sin is sin,".
I've never denied that all people are sinners. I've agreed with that from the beginning. What I keep saying and what you continue to avoid, is that Scripture also teaches there are
degrees of sin, degrees of judgment, and degrees of consequence.
When we blur those distinctions, we risk giving false comfort to people living in serious, unrepentant sin. Instead of calling them to urgently repent, we encourage them to think, "Well, everyone sins, so my situation is no different.".
We are told to judge ourselves 1 Cor 11:31 and work out our salvation in fear and trembling Phil 2:12. When we do this, on our knees before God, we ask ourselves, ''ok, so the sin I committed today, what does it tell God about my love for Him? Today, did I make mistakes of sin that upset God at the level that He has thoughts of sending me to a very public, graphic and violent death by stoning? Or did I steal candy from the candy store?''
You stumble weak believers into not properly examining themselves by blurring the lines on degrees of sin.
It's like you did not grasp the relevance of your answer to my Yes or No question. Absolutely insanity. ''Yes KingJ, God would not have used Paul if after conversion he was a rapist. Oh and by the way sin is sin, if Paul rapes or steals candy from the candy store, its the same thing..........cough cough cough......''
Sin is sin (true)
and sin has degrees (true). You should not teach one without the other.
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Here are ten clear instance where degrees of sin are raised. Meditate on these and their relevance to our self judgement 1 Cor 11:31.
- Jesus explicitly speaks of a "greater sin."
- John 19:11
- "He who delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin."
- Argument: If one sin is "greater," then not all sins are equal in severity.
- Jesus speaks of "weightier matters" of God's law.
- Matthew 23:23
- "...the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith..."
- Argument: Jesus Himself teaches that some commandments carry greater moral weight.
- Different punishments at the Judgment.
- Luke 12:47-48
- "That servant... shall be beaten with many stripes... he that knew not... shall be beaten with few stripes."
- Argument: Different punishment requires different degrees of guilt.
- Paul orders church discipline for incest.
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-5
- Paul does not merely say, "We're all sinners."
- He commands the church to remove the man and deliver him to Satan.
- Argument: If all ongoing sins were treated identically, Paul would not single out this case for such severe discipline.
- Some sins lead to death.
- 1 John 5:16-17
- "There is a sin unto death... All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death."
- Argument: John explicitly distinguishes between sins.
- Teachers receive stricter judgment.
- James 3:1
- "...knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation."
- Argument: Greater judgment implies greater accountability.
- The Old Testament prescribed different penalties for different sins.
- Murder = death.
- Adultery = death.
- Homosexual acts = death (Leviticus 20:13).
- Theft = restitution.
- False witness = varying penalties.
- Argument: God Himself established differing punishments because He distinguishes between offences.
- God repeatedly calls certain sins "greater abominations."
- Ezekiel 8:6, 13, 15
- God tells Ezekiel:
- "You shall see greater abominations."
- "...yet again thou shalt see greater abominations."
- Argument: God literally ranks sins by severity.
- Sodom's sin was described as "very grievous."
- Genesis 18:20
- "Because their sin is very grievous."
- Argument: Scripture doesn't merely say they sinned; it says their sin reached an exceptional level.
- Some sins exclude people from inheriting the Kingdom if persisted in.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
- Galatians 5:19-21
- Paul lists specific lifestyles and warns:
- "...they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
- Argument: Paul does not merely say "everyone sins." He specifically warns against persistent, unrepentant sins that place salvation in jeopardy.
