the sin scale

April 28, 2004

the sin scale. an almost universal, man-made rating scale used to measure the severity of sin, which results in the differentiation of sin into different categories (ex. bad, worse, worst). the problem lies in the fact that we tend to live by this sin scale, whether we're conscious of it or not. and what's worse, is that we live by this man made scale as if it had some strong validity to it, perhaps biblical, when in actuality it has no bearing to God at all. God does not have a sin scale. He does not rank sin and judge it differently if it's a "bad" one or the "worst" one. sin is all the same to Him. it's sin!

where did the sin scale come from? perhaps from the universal (and i say this loosely) ideology of moral values that we, as the human race, tend to have. committing murder is severe, but stealing isn't so bad. but, when stealing is compared with lying, then it takes a turn for the worse. stealing is much worse than lying. there are millions and millions of rules, far too many to list here. and here's the problem. these rules make their ways into the way we regard sin.

picture the following two scenarios, and allow yourself to respond freely. make note of your gut feeling.

scenario a
you meet a new Christian friend at church and get to talking. you hit it off, and you believe this person to be a godly person. the next week, you're talking to them, and they start cussing a bit, as part of their everyday language. how would you feel about them? what would you think?

scenario b
you meet a new Christian friend at church and get to talking. you hit it off, and you believe this person to be a godly person. the next week, you're talking to them, and realize they're lying. how would you feel about them? what would you think?

would you treat the person in scenario a differently from scenario b? maybe, maybe not. i would think most people would lean toward the latter. but, would you THINK about the person in scenario a differently from scenario b, even for the slightest of seconds? if you're honest, i think you would. because i have, and i'm like any other person on planet earth. even if for a split-second you thought it, what has happened is that you've applied the sin scale to them AND you've judged them. "oh, why kind of Christian are they? they cuss!" would probably be a response you've heard before. but how often do you hear "oh, what kind of Christian are they? they lie!"? not as often. we label swearing worse than lying. and so, we judge a person by this scale as if this scale had some kind of authority. matthew 7: 3-4 [NIV], says "why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? how can you say to your brother, 'let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye". if, even for a fleeting moment, we have thought differently of these two people, we have fallen subject to the content of this verse. and while we may think that the problem is on their shoulders, it lies more on our own. who are we to pass judgment of any kind?

the reason why i bring this up, and why i find this phenomena so interesting, is that our perspective of Christianity can be through the lens of culture, the lens of the world. there is nothing inherently wrong with that, because Christianity should be seen through the lens of culture/the world to a certain degree (otherwise it would become disconnected and disjointed). however, it can have the complete opposite effect, and result in a skewed or even distorted perspective of Christianity, a very dangerous situation.

we need to take a radical new look at what we do, and the things we think, believe and say. it's hard to step back and have a purely objective view of things, without distortion, because whether you like it or not, we live in the world. it's hard to see things outside the world when you are in it (ex. the matrix). but it's possible. and that's the kind of live we are called to live: to live in the world, but not of it.

side note: there are of course some Biblical merits to some sins being greater than others (imo, i believe it to be worded that way to warn us, because there are some sins that have greater consequences than others), but that's not the point of this entry.

Posted by Leo Chan at April 28, 2004 12:13 AM