I want to raise the challenge that there is
a greater expectation on the Christian to avoid sin than there would be on a
nonbeliever.
Christians have always loved to carry over a phrase from our
Jewish roots, that we are a set apart people. We have been called to something
greater than this world. Indeed, it is within the New Testament scripture as
well, with Peter quoting Leviticus and saying “Be Holy, because I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16). To be holy, to be
sanctified, is to be set apart from worldly things. We are outwardly stating to
anyone that will hear us that we are different, that we are a people striving
for a glory that goes beyond anything this world has to offer. In the words of
Jesus,
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ... In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14,16).
We are that shining city on a hill, but with that
proclamation comes great responsibility, and one I am not so sure we have given
the respect that is due to it.
To go back to my opening question of
whether we can justifiably say that all sin is sin, I feel compelled to suggest
that because we are this “city on a hill," there is reason for us to believe
that we should expect more of ourselves, and maybe, just maybe, that God
expects more of us than he would of those who have not believed in Him. Now,
before anyone gets in an uproar over that statement, let me elaborate. James
states that
“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1).
I would venture to say that we are
kidding ourselves if we do not all place ourselves into this category of
teachers. We have all in some way or another believed ourselves to have enough understanding
of scripture and our own belief systems to instruct others. Yes, you can argue,
and I have heard it done, that this verse refers to someone like a pastor,
someone who makes a living teaching the Word, but I don’t think that is the
case. I think with the knowledge of scripture that we have, we automatically place
ourselves into a position of higher judgement.
Perhaps the greatest reason for this
increased judgement in my opinion is the way that we inevitably look to the
world when we allow our sinful natures to corrupt the words we speak or the
actions that we make. Therefore in the same way that the Jewish people of scripture were held so responsible for their failings because of the high
standing they had been given with God, Christians should feel themselves
equally so. Paul clarifies this point well to me:
"You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Romans 2: 21-24)
That last phrase is chilling. First spoken
by Isaiah, it rings just as true today as it did then. God’s name is still
blasphemed among the Gentiles today, though not as much on account of the Jews,
but rather the Christians, who have a less than positive reputation amongst a
great population of the world. Because we have this great truth in our lives,
we are called to live differently, and it is utter foolishness to do otherwise.
As Charles Spurgeon puts it,
“Much forgiven, much delivered, much instructed, much enriched, much blessed, shall we dare to put forth our hand to evil? God forbid! (Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, 410).
And yet we do that precisely!
And yet we still believe that all sin is sin, and we will not be treated any
differently? I am not so sure. We have a great truth in our lives that should
be enough to give ourselves separation from the world, but telling a Christian
from a nonbeliever is next to impossible on a daily basis. If we believe that
will go unnoticed on judgement day, we are unfortunately fooling ourselves.
I will end this here with one more verse,
which I confess to having little idea what to do with at my present stage in
life:
"It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace" (Hebrews 6:4-6).
I don’t know about you, but I have trouble
with the notion that “all sin is sin” when I read that verse.
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