Today when I mentioned I do prison ministry I got a not unusual response: we should just kill the worst people who harm children and old people. If only it were that simple. As a Christian I believe God loves all the children God created, even when we error, sin, mess up, harm others, fail to seek healing for our injuries...you see where I am going here. So if the perfect God sent Christ do DIE for us so that God no longer sees our sins and we who are NOT perfect judge other. But all of us have harmed others (you say it is not intentional, but does that really make it any less heinous?) and tried to justify our own failings (which Christ already did for all and we can neither destroy Christ's gift nor convince God to destroy His covenant) and caused more harm by failing to fess up and take our lumps, so does this seem sensible?
So can we agree it is a matter of degree rather than right or wrong, good or bad, sinner or saint? And if that is so, do we truly know the mind of God so that we can say the Bible doesn't mean what it says and Christ's death was not what God claimed and on the spectrum between Pol Pot and Mother Teresa (who proclaimed the limitations she dealt with in her faith journey), where IS the single spot between where bad is too bad and good is good enough.
Not that you can find any of that in the Bible, because it says right there in black and white (and red?) that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.* Nowhere in the Bible can we find a list of "big sins" and "small sins". Because in the end sin is ALWAYS about not trusting God and that is one gigantic mistake.
Whether we are Eve in the Garden or King David sliding from lust to murder or Pontius Pilate trying to wash Christ's blood off his hands, we are trying to do things our own way, justifying our suspicion that God is not reliable and not as able or wise or smart or powerful as we are. Does that sound as silly as it feels to me? Yet I do it...not by opening stalags or poms or killing fields but still by plotting and planning and scheming and fretting and worrying and demanding God do things my way "or else I'll take matters into my own hands." Then disaster looms because I think I am better than the Creator of the this universe and all other universes.
Now, if you are not a follower of Christ, this discussion is really not pertinent to you. But if you call yourself a Christian, how do you judge how bad is bad and when good is good enough, or is there a better use for our time -- like just getting on with leaning more fully on God?
As it is written, There is no righteous person, not even one. Roman's 3:10
So can we agree it is a matter of degree rather than right or wrong, good or bad, sinner or saint? And if that is so, do we truly know the mind of God so that we can say the Bible doesn't mean what it says and Christ's death was not what God claimed and on the spectrum between Pol Pot and Mother Teresa (who proclaimed the limitations she dealt with in her faith journey), where IS the single spot between where bad is too bad and good is good enough.
Not that you can find any of that in the Bible, because it says right there in black and white (and red?) that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.* Nowhere in the Bible can we find a list of "big sins" and "small sins". Because in the end sin is ALWAYS about not trusting God and that is one gigantic mistake.
Whether we are Eve in the Garden or King David sliding from lust to murder or Pontius Pilate trying to wash Christ's blood off his hands, we are trying to do things our own way, justifying our suspicion that God is not reliable and not as able or wise or smart or powerful as we are. Does that sound as silly as it feels to me? Yet I do it...not by opening stalags or poms or killing fields but still by plotting and planning and scheming and fretting and worrying and demanding God do things my way "or else I'll take matters into my own hands." Then disaster looms because I think I am better than the Creator of the this universe and all other universes.
Now, if you are not a follower of Christ, this discussion is really not pertinent to you. But if you call yourself a Christian, how do you judge how bad is bad and when good is good enough, or is there a better use for our time -- like just getting on with leaning more fully on God?
As it is written, There is no righteous person, not even one. Roman's 3:10
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