Saturday, September 27, 2008

The Checklist of Sin...

What's on your "Sins Checklist"?

I know it seems like an odd question, but the thing is, most of the behaviors we know as "sin" are not even covered in the Bible. And some that are, are not the things we make them. I'll give you some examples:

1) Saying cuss words
2) Smoking/dipping tobacco
3) Drinking Alcohol (as in not to drunkenness and debauchery and belligerency)
4) Listening to loud rock/rap music

The problem with evaluating people by these (or whatever) criteria is that oftentimes we often treat people much differently based on whatever category we put them in: Sinner/Saint/Whatever. Hidden in these categories are often feelings of superiority or even disdain, or maybe that's just me.

Anyway, I don't really know you, so I don't know if this applies to you at all. But I was just thinking that God maybe doesn't care so much about the things that top our sin list. I wonder what God's list looks like, and which boxes I can check off. Probably none, really if God gets to define them. He has a way of perfection that I hate comparing myself with because I end up looking like a pretty big dirtbag compared to Jesus.

I wonder what it was like to be around a perfect guy. What would it be like to get a compliment from a perfect human, like about big faith, or whatever.

Have you ever noticed Jesus' categories of sinful people? "Hypocrits and Little-Faith-ers." The first century Jews had "tax collectors and prostitutes." The Roman aristocracy had "barbarians and slaves." My personal top two were/are "fornicators and idiots." In the past in America there were "hippies and communists." So what are your categories of sinners? I bet whatever they are, they conveniently leave you out.

I think I tend to be more of a "ye of little faith" than anything else.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

my categories of sinners are liberals and ecumenicals. well, just kidding about the 2nd one.