The Twentieth Epistle
The Weight of Sin.
DATELINE: Sunday, March 18, 2001.
By Rev. James R. Bingham
Special to corndancer.com
Posted from Memphis, Tennessee
Romans 14:22-23
22. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
23. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
John 19:11
11. Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
My, my, my. What a journey we travel. Do you ever wonder where we go — and ultimately, what shall be our reward at the journey's end? The old Negro Spiritual says, "When I've come to the end of my journey, he'll say, 'Well done.' "
What will we have done well enough to receive His praise? More than that, why will we have done all that we did? Will we have devoted our life's actions to the pursuit of gain and personal merit, or to the reward of hearing Him say, "Servant, well done."
As we step beyond personal satisfaction, avoiding self-aggrandizement, we find that our actions are, indeed, important.
One important aspect of the action we take is defined by the work we do, which gives substance to the measure and weight of the reward. The type of work we do is capsulated as a job description, which provides direction for the laborer as he pursues a desired goal. Work, however, is not conclusive. In and of itself, work is not the means to all ends.
Blood, sweat, and tears are precious by-products of work. Giving up your blood, sweat and tears should garnish a reward to make it all worthwhile. In Christendom, we are taught that we should work in the name of Jesus, for Jesus' sake. That's cute, but it's not the end.
Compensation in Equal Measure.
We work because we believe that a job, well done, will be compensated in equal measure — and sometimes with a bonus. No shame there. We sow seeds to raise a crop. We eat to sustain our bodies. We abide by the rules of our job to earn a paycheck. We believe that the crop, our healthy body, and a paycheck will surely come.
Believing that the desired results will come is a definition of faith. If we don't believe we will be paid, our work becomes hard, meaningless, and pointless. We must have something to believe in to make our work worthwhile. Otherwise, what's the point?
On the other hand, to have faith in something and to do nothing about it is a definition of nothing. Nothing from nothing is nothing.
"I believe," you say, "I believe!"
Well, now that you believe, what are you going to do about it?
"I'm going to sit right here and wait on the Lord."
OK. Sit there. Wait. But let me admonish you, faith without works is dead. Can you fathom the meaning? A dead faith is useless.
A Blockade to Our Just Reward.
A faith-filled believer works to be saved from sin. Sin brings destruction. The wages of sin is death. Living in sin creates a lifestyle contrary to maturation towards moral perfection. Sin blocks us from receiving our preordained and just reward for living a sanctified life.
What is sin? According to Paul in Romans 14:23 "...whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
Faith requires us to seek the kingdom. Sin is anything outside of faith. Don't we all sin? Haven't we all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? Maybe, you wonder, just maybe some sins are not as great as others in the eyes of God. Maybe the consequences of committing the little sins are not as great as the consequences of serious sin. Come now!
Look at it this way. Please allow this little story.
A Man Who Acted Outside
The Conventional, Accepted Faith.
In the year, 1590, Galileo Galilei, an early physicist, astronomer, mathematician, and all-around Renaissance Man, dropped two objects from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. According to legend, Galileo was trying to disprove Aristotle's claim that heavy objects fall faster than light ones.
According to an early biographer, Galileo leaned over the bell tower and dropped two objects of differing weight. As he predicted, they hit the ground at the same time. (Actually, air resistance would have caused the lighter object to land just after the heavier one, but Galileo's hypothesis was sound. In a vacuum, gravity draws objects downward at the same rate, regardless of their weight.)
Aristotle's theories, based largely on untested beliefs rather than logical reasoning, still shaped science in the 16th and 17th centuries, and they had support from the powerful Catholic Church. Anyone who challenged these authorities risked censure, torture, or death.
Galileo acted outside of the conventional and accepted faith of the church. He walked on the wild side, so to speak. Yet, he proved that two objects of different weights would hit the ground at the same time. So it is with sin. However big or great, however small or light, sin in a vacuum is still sin and is punishable by death. The wages of sin is death.
Now, listen. Some sins are greater than others when they are outside the vacuum. Within the trappings of religious mores, traditions and cultures, some acts bear greater significance.
To cuss, to mistreat someone, to lie, steal, or kill without cause: Yes, these are sins. They cause destruction to moral stability.
Are Some Acts Beyond Forgiveness?
Even so, a greater sin is to deny and betray the glory of God. Jesus said, "...therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." Here, Jesus spoke of Judas Iscariot. Judas denied the glory of God by denouncing the works of the Lord as worth only a few pieces of silver. He betrayed Jesus by telling the soldiers where they could find Jesus and his disciples. In this regard, Judas blasphemed against the Holy Spirit. His actions spoke the lie that Jesus was an imposter and not the savior of the world. His actions were unforgivable. Jesus said blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only thing that is not forgiven in this world or the next (Mark 3:29).
I'm not telling you that some of the sins you commit should be overlooked. Ask God to forgive them — all of them. One sin committed is one sin completed, but it will hit the ground at the same time as any other sin. Even so, it is punishable by death unless it is forgiven.
"Well, Rev'nd, if sin is sin, and I want to be free from sin, then, what must I do to be saved?"
I thought you would never ask. Let me tell you: You are already saved. All you have to do is claim your salvation. From that day forward, all you need to do is have faith and work according to the Christian's job description. You are not alone. You are working for a promise made by Him who does not break promises.
It's true! Here is the formula, tried and proven!
Confess and Believe.
You Will Be Saved.
Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and Savior. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. If God can raise Jesus from physical death, then certainly he can raise us from the death of sin. Now set your path on this journey to walk in love one for another, holding yourself above no other, and you will be saved.
Have faith: There is a reward! If you can dream and not make dreams your master, if you can walk with kings and not lose the common touch, if you can keep on doing the right thing when the wrong seems more promising, then the reward is yours!
.... and the boss man said, "Servant and believer, you did an outstanding job! You'll find a little bonus on your paycheck! And you can draw on it forever."
Look at this, in Revelation 3:21: To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Now that's a bonus!
Give God Some Praise!!!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Rev. Bingham
can be reached by E-mail at
jamesrbingham@juno.com.
His phone number in Memphis is
901.785.5691.