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| PentecostalTheology.com
WHY WE NEEDED JESUS:
PERFECTION IS GOD’S STANDARD – Ray E Horton
This conversation is worth repeating for those who might have similar questions. An unbelieving friend wrote “I confess I’ve never understood one thing, the doctrine that all sins are equally bad. How could coveting thy neighbor’s wife be just as bad as raping and killing her?”
How Could Coveting Be as Bad as Killing
ANY sin is sufficient to taint the one committing the sin, and that imperfection will cause permanent separation with that perfect deity
A believing friend responded: “The ‘equality’ of sins should be understood in the context of the perfection of the Deity. If (and I am speaking in the hypothetical, even though I believe it) one assumes a Holy and Perfect God, then perfection is the standard. ANY sin is sufficient to taint the one committing the sin, and that imperfection will cause permanent separation with that perfect deity. In that regard, all sins are ‘equal.’ However, some sins clearly cause more harm that others when speaking of the finite.”
I added: “It’s not that sins are equally bad, it’s that all sin causes separation from God. As scripture says, ‘All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God‘ (Rom. 3:23).” That’s the beauty of God’s eternal plan. What is impossible to any person – salvation – is possible for God. I continued, “That’s why God had to come in the form of a man, a perfect, sinless person, to restore us to God. Otherwise, no person could ever be good enough.
In Jesus Is Our Righteousness
Grace isn’t license to sin, but the power to overcome sin if we will trust His life within us
“When we put our trust in Jesus, we actually receive the gift of God’s righteousness, or right standing. It’s not based on our own performance. Thus, we try to live right for the right reasons if we understand this wonderful grace. We don’t live right in order to try to get to heaven; we live right out of thanksgiving because we are going to heaven in spite of our weaknesses. Grace isn’t license to sin, but the power to overcome sin if we will trust His life within us.
