Sin, the actions we do that go against God. Some we are very aware of; they are listed in the ten commandments. No murdering, stealing, false witnessing, committing adultery, no coveting and so on. These are all things that we read and mark on the top of our lists. People who commit these are the worst of the worse. We stand around rating others sins and justifying this because murder is so much worse than gossiping. Having a drug addiction is worse than lusting after the hot guy or girl in your favorite television show. Yet God didn’t rank sins according to one being worse or less bad than another. To Him, sin is sin and none of us are sinless.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.
No one, other than Jesus Christ, has lived a life free of sin. Even after salvation we still battle with our flesh against sin. Yet how many times have we found ourselves staring into someone’s life and condemning them because their sin seems so much worse than ours. How often have we decided the adulterers have no respect for marriage and therefore can’t be trusted or the addicts of the world will steal and kill for their next fix and are the bottom of the barrel? Yet never took a second to take accountability that our words broke more people, our gossiping harmed more families, our curses we spoke over one another destroyed more friendships than we want to acknowledge. Instead, we justify it and make excuses for it because “it’s not as bad as….” Yet the bible says if you commit one sin, you are guilty of them all.
James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

So often we get caught up in comparing sins. Which is worse? And more often than not the ones that are the worst are the ones we don’t struggle with the most. Those sins aren’t as bad. We are saved and have been forgiven. Yet we continue every day to make the same choices to gossip, lie, lust, practice laziness, and judge unjustly all while justifying our actions. But we should remember none of us are just. None of us have anything good in us alone. We were all trapped in sin, living in death, chained down unable to see the damage we caused, the hurt we shared, the burdens we were to others. BUT GOD! Salvation came to us and our eyes were opened. Did we still sin? Yes! Because we are human and we will never be perfect in our flesh.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.
Mark 10:18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but one, that is, God.

We were once just as broken, chained down, hurting, damaged, living as prisoners of sin on a one-way track to death and hell. Yet God saved us. But there are others out there struggling, drowning, unable to see just like we were. They do not live under the grace we were so lovingly given. Yet that gift is for everyone.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
The world, not just me or you, not just those you call friends or find easy to deal with, THE WORLD! Jesus died for all of us while we were still in sin, after some died, before some were ever born. Even though we had yet to realize the amazing sacrifice, the wonderful gift, it was still there for us. Grace, such a beautiful gift from a loving God.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Don’t get caught up in the game Satan will have you playing of whose sin is worse than whose. Let us not forget that sin is sin and God does not like any sin. Let us not forget that we were once prisoners of sin awaiting our death sentence. Let us not forget the beauty and joy of our salvation as God set us free from that prison and sentence. Let us remember these things so that we remember to pray for those who are still chained. Let us remember so we can share God’s love and the gospel with those who need it. Let us remember to be bold and share the word even when we think they aren’t listening.

I pray we all remember the sacrifice and how great of a gift it is to us. That we always humbly live our lives so that those around us may see God, our father, in us. May His glory and His light be a beacon to those that are lost and blind in the darkness of sin. May we never forget that we too were once lost in need of the good shepherd. As we remember this may we go out into the world with a heart of thanksgiving and give the grace we so undeservingly received to others who are in desperate need. May we always live a Jesus filled life of love and honor to the sacrifice we were so freely given. I pray these things in the holy name of Jesus with all the love of Christ for each of you, always.