Is the Fact That I’m A Sinner Too Mean I Can’t Pursue My Neighbor’s Holiness?
A friend of mine once told me about a situation he was in. It is something of a typical story where a man in his former church was living in habitual, decades’-long unfaithfulness to his wife through use of pornography and masturbation. And while the pastors of his church agreed that it is a grievous sin, it was not seen as grievous enough so as to merit outright church discipline. This stems from a number of reasons which deserve their own papers, but when my friend pursued the issues, one of the questions that came up was my friend’s own sinfulness. “Well, you’re a sinner too aren’t you?” The point is clear. Even if pastors, church leaders or lay counselors who offer this retort are not consciously aware of it, what they are doing is holding up a concerned Christian’s own guilt before his face to get him to let the issue be, or at least to not be too pushy with it. What happens then is that a tender-hearted Christian takes the question seriously for fear of being a hypocrite, “Of course I’m a sinner. Yet Jesus Christ was willing to forgive me of my sin. Can I who has been forgiven so much make such demands of one like myself?” Even though no one person has yet been named, I think you and I could both associate with this scenario pretty well. If we haven’t counseled someone with that phrase before, we’ve likely been told it, or asked it of ourselves, or we know someone who has. And that’s what I want to evaluate. Does the fact that I’m a sinner mean that I am unqualified to pursue another’s repentance or to expose sin and seek the holiness of my brethren?WHAT LIES BEHIND THE QUIP?
Now, before we look into this particular question and the issue behind it, I want to be clear that I believe that those who confront sin in others do need to hold some personal qualifications. They should not accuse others of egregious sin when they are living in deep sin as well (Mt 7:1–5). The Scripture also says they should be “spiritual” (Gal 6:1) — i.e. not being governed by the flesh, seeking and succeeding in walking with Christ — not perfectly of course, but in the overall life.
That said, I’d like to begin by taking a moment to meditate on why pastors and/or other Christian councilors are so quick to tell their plaintiffs, “Well, you’re a sinner too” even when the charges might be valid.
In the first place, spiritual leaders might say this because the cost of dealing with the sin is too much. Perhaps the offender is a man (or woman) with lots of influence or money in the church, and taking him to task would rock the entire congregation or threaten his job. This reason is obviously sinful. The fear of man should have no place in Christian ministry. And not only that, but avoiding sin-issues to keep the church running smoothly is utterly foolish in its truest sense. When Achan stole the Babylonian garment, the silver and gold from Jericho, the entire congregation had to pay the price even though Joshua was ignorant of the sin that had crept into the camp. How much worse the turmoil to come to the pastor and the church who is made aware of such corruption and shuts his eyes to it.
Secondly, I think pastors and elders will often turn the guilt back on the plaintiff because of their flabby exegesis of certain texts. For example, they have read 1 Peter 3:1–6 about wives winning their unbelieving husbands without a word and 1 Peter 3:16–17 about the profit of suffering for doing good and so they wrongfully conclude that offended persons should not seek justice for the cause. Instead, they’ll ask the one with the complaint: 1) to search their own hearts and 2) to endure with their offender(s). Those who do thus, believe this in spite of so much else from the rest of Scripture about the need for leaders to protect the helpless and of the example of godly giants who strongly defend themselves when they are in harm’s way (e.g. Paul at court).
Third, sometimes pastors will render this counsel because they themselves are in sin and need an excuse for them to not have to wrestle with their own conscience.
Now, let’s evaluate the claim itself, “You’re a sinner too aren’t you?”
SOME THEOLOGICAL CLAIMS
The basic assumption to this question is that there is an egalitarianism/equality between all sins and sinners. And of course, in one sense, the teachings of the Bible would confirm this. We Evangelicals are big on trying to convince our unsaved but “good” friends that they are not good in the eyes of God. We frequent texts like Romans 3:12, “…there is none that doeth good…” and James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” and we should use these passages to prove the universal guilt of humanity in order to emphasize the need for Christ and His work on the cross for sinners. However, in another sense, I aim to prove that the use of the above question it is an over-simplification and over-application of this doctrine to co-opt it into a reason why we’re not going to make much of this issue. Below are three biblical reasons as to why this application is a misuse of Scripture but they’re kind of lengthy. To those who are interested, I’ll provide a summary of my argument at the top and if you want more detail and biblical examples, read the three sections that follow.
SUMMARY
To claim that all sin is equal ignores the fact that in the Bible, different sins deserve different punishments (just think about the punishments for murder and robbery in the Pentateuch, for example). Not only that, but the Lord Himself said that Judas’ was the “greater sin” (Jn 19:11) which implies that there are such things as lesser sins.
Also, the Bible teaches that not only is there a difference between sins, but that there is also a difference as to how great a person’s punishment is because of how accountable he is. For example, James says that Bible teachers have a greater accountability to God than do laymen and that’s why not everyone should teach the Bible (Jas 3:1; Lk 12:47–48 also bears this out). What this means is that it is not fair to treat all sinners as if they’re all the same.
Third, sinners are looked at and treated differently even in the eternal state. The Lord Jesus said that Sodom and Gomorrah would have repented if they had seen His miracles, and therefore, those who did see them would be judged by God more severely (Mt. 11:21–24), “Woe to you Chorazin, woe to you Bethsaida…” (Mt 11:21). This is significant, because it means that differences between sins and sinners are not mere human constructions that were created for the smooth-running of human society. No. This is a God-ordained perspective.
Remember, the question we’re dealing with is, “Well, you’re a sinner too aren’t you?” And what these three observations do is empty that accusing question of its power by pointing out its lack of precise application. Yes, of course I’m a sinner, but that doesn’t mean I’m necessarily in the same boat as that guy is. Just because I’m a sinner does not make me a hypocrite for seeking his repentance, because there is a difference between what I’ve done and what he’s done. That’s the point.
If you were satisfied with the summary, feel free to skip to the second part of the paper but if you wish for more detail, continue on.
NOT ALL SIN IS EQUAL
For the first point again, according to the Bible, the doctrine of universal, human guilt is not equivalent to claiming that all sin is equally heinous. While all sin merits death (Rom 6:23), it is equally obvious that not all sin merits the same punishment. Even a simple reading of the Pentateuch reveals that various transgressions of the law merit various punishments. Have you ever wondered why the punishment for murder is different from that for man-slaughter, theft, assault, bearing false-witness, etc.? I’m actually going to guess that you have not asked yourself that question because you subconsciously know the answer. You already believe that different sins deserve different punishments. In fact, you likely revolt at the concept of torture because you believe that cruel and unusual punishment is wrong. That thought is not original to the Bill of Rights, but is reflective of the dictates of the Law of God: “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Ex 21:23) and what this rule implies is that not all sin is equally heinous. Further, consider the words of our Lord Himself. When speaking of Judas’ betrayal, our Lord used the term, “greater sin” (Jn 19:11). The obvious implication is that if there is “greater sin” then there must be such a thing as “lesser sin” otherwise the comparative (i.e. “greater”) would be meaningless. Thus, not all sin is equal.
NOT ALL SINNER ARE EQUAL
But something that struck me as I thought about this idea is that not only are various sins treated differently, but various sinners are treated differently. Take Leviticus 4 for example where the people of Israel were instructed on how to make atonement in cases of “sins of ignorance.” If it came to someone’s knowledge that he had sinned, he had to bring an atoning offering. But there is something striking to note: the prescribed sacrifice was not the same for everyone. If the guilty party was an individual priest or the entire nation, he/they had to bring a young bullock (Lev. 4:3, 14); but if it was a political ruler, the price was a goat’s male kid (v. 23); and if a layman, a goat’s female kid (v. 27). You see, the spiritual leaders of a church and/or that of a whole nation are held to a greater standard before God because of the position they hold more than that of a layman. To use James’ terms in the New Testament, “…Be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation” (Jas 3:1). Again, the Lord says as much in Luke 12:47–48,
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes]. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…
Take one more example from 1 Corinthians 5 where Paul wrote about how to deal with an immoral man in their church. He reminds them in v. 9 that they should not associate with fornicators but then he pauses in vv. 10–11 to clarify. He says that he is not speaking about fornicators among the lost (v. 10) but about those who claim to be Christians (v. 11, i.e. someone “called brother”). Now if all sin is equally heinous and if all sinners are equally heinous, then this passage makes no sense. Isn’t a sex-addict a sex-addict? Why would it matter whether he claimed to be a Christian or not? It matters because the difference between what they have been taught from the Word provides for a difference in their accountability. Thus, not all sin is equal and not all sinners are equal.
NOT ALL CONDEMNED SINNERS ARE EQUAL
Now while you may agree thus far, you may still hold some reservations. Maybe you think that in our culture, these things have to be true in order for society to be workable. It just makes sense that pedophiles deserve stricter sentences than dope users and that there are greater consequences upon a professional who plagiarizing than when a forth-grader copy-and-pastes from a Wikipedia article. But how does this play out in the eternal, spiritual realm? For example, total depravity teaches that both idolators and the covetous will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9–10). Does not that truth imply a certain egalitarianism to sin in God’s sight and shouldn’t the church aim to treat sin and sinners like God does?
To answer, consider the words of Christ in Matthew 11:21–24. The Lord calls woe upon the cities of Bethsaida, Choarzin and Capernaum for their rejection of Him. Because the Lord knows not only what was, is and shall be, but also what would have been, He said that Tyre, Sidon and Sodom would have repented long ago if only they had a chance to witness His miracles. But then Christ gives this telling remark: “It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you…But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you” (Mt 11:22, 24; emphasis added). Our Lord’s verdict is striking because He does not speak of culpability in this present life only, but of a greater guilt in the day of judgment. Both Sodom and Bethsaida would be in hell, but their experiences shall be different there. There is a sermon by Leonard Ravenhill which, although I’ve never heard it, has a title which says it all, “Sodom Didn’t Have a Bible.” What did Sodom know of God? How many preachers did she have? How many chances did she get? And yet look at what happened to her. The wrath of God was poured out upon it mercilessly, unsparingly. What then shall be in store for Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernum? What shall be in store for the United States of America which has been granted so much light and yet has shut her eye in cold defiance? It shall be more tolerable for Sodom than for my own country in the day of judgment and that is because of the Bible-preached truth that not all sin is the same, not all sinners are the same and not even all condemned sinners are the same.
A CONCLUSION
What these three observations do is equip our troubled Christian to answer his accusers, “Well, you’re a sinner too aren’t you?” The answer is yes and no. Yes, of course I’m a sinner, but there are Bible-differences between sins and sinners that matter even in the sight of God. And so no, I’m not in the same place he/she is and therefore I’m not being hypocritical in bringing this up. In the next sections, I hope to dig a little deeper into the issue by examining several Scripture passages which show the need and promised reward to pursue your church’s holiness, the need for church discipline and addressing the common use of the parable of the unforgiving servant in issues just like these.
