When standing in the middle of downtown New York City, skyscrapers of every shape and size surround us. Some are incredibly tall, others short, and a whole array of skyscrapers somewhere in between. Our eyes are immediately drawn to the tall skyscrapers, as some of them really do look like they scrape the sky. We tend to focus on these ones so much that we forget to notice all of the smaller ones around them.
But then, when we fly over New York City, all of these skyscrapers look the same height. Even if we can tell that some are taller than others, we cannot tell by how much.
Our sins are very much the same way. When standing here on earth looking at the people around us, it is our human nature to categorize right from wrong, but in doing this we completely dismiss the fact that all sins are sins. Because just like looking out over New York City and having all of the skyscrapers look similar in size, God’s view of our sins as He looks down over us, is the same.
Some sins are bigger than others, yes. To kill a man and to lie about what time you got home last night are two very different things. But I can guarantee you that God does not look down on us and spend His time believing that “Jenny is a slut because she’s slept with 13 guys and Mary isn’t because she sleeps with the same guy every night.” It doesn’t happen. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) All sins are sins.
We judge other people. We rank their sins. And we forget that we all sin and that all sins remain wrong until we ask God for His forgiveness. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and it was not so that we could rank them. Day after day I see women who’ve cheated on their husbands complaining about something like gay rights because the “Bible says it`s bad.” Yeah, well the Bible says that adultery is wrong, so why don’t we all focus on making right within ourselves.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.” (Corinthians 6:9-11) Worry about yourself.
And maybe that scares you, so you believe that as long as you do your best to live your life by God and to not make the same mistakes twice, that you shall inherit the kingdom of God. But none of us were given the power to decide that. So at the end of the day, no one but God should be judging people for their sins.
It’s not our place to decide the number of people one has to sleep with before being classified as a whore, or that God thinks one wrong-doing is less wrong than another.
If anything, God probably is more offended by the people who think they have the power to decide what He thinks is right from wrong, than He is offended by the people who sin. After all, He is the one who gave us the right to choose. “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh; rather serve one another humbly in love.” (Joshua 7:17)
Our purpose of existence and the reason that we have free will is because we are here to choose to devote our lives to God, and better ourselves for Him every day. “and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” (Corinthians 5:15) It is only derogatory and exhausting to spend our time worrying about what everyone else is doing with his or her lives.
Media and the desire for town gossip have distracted us from this truth, but think of how much happier we would be if we focused on fixing ourselves first. Think of how much better of a place this world would be.
God loves every one of us, flaws, sins and all. He loves us when we turn our back on Him. He loves us when we fall short of His commands. He loves us when we put ourselves before Him.
He loves us all infinitely. Why can’t we do the same? “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” John 13:34 So love even those who you disagree with. Do not judge their actions, but remind them that God is Good, and good does great things.
I would rather look at New York City through the window of a plane, just as I’d rather view all sins as the same.
Leave the judgment to the good Lord above.
