Justifiable Sin

"If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." - James 2:8-10

Some people - Christians - are of the mind that a little bit of sin is - well - ok.  It is justifiable. You know that the Spirit convicts us of our sin - unless we quench the Spirit and then we are on the same footing as the unsaved - living out of the power of our natural self.  No longer walking and living after the Spirit.

If we can get a consensus that some sins are tolerable - they don't really impact on my spiritual relationship with the Father, then so much the better.  James uses the example of using "partiality" meaning that we are partial to some people over other people - more specifically - some Christians over other Christians. An example is racism.  How can anyone who has been born again believe that it is OK in God's sight? What does the Word say? 

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." - Galatians 3:26-29

There is no "spiritual" difference between Christians - skin color, economics, geography, language, customs may be different, and they are - but in Christ we are equal. And when we show partiality towards some which means to reject others - we sin. According to James to break one sin is to break the whole law. Why? Because God will have no part of sin - you can't come to the table with dirty hands - dirt behind your ears or dirty feet. No matter how much you imagine you can.

"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer," - 1 John 3:14-15

"If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." - 1 John 4:20-21

Hatred is running rampant - race - politics - it is a mess.  This is the time that the Church should be rising up and showing the world what love looks like.  But we continue to huddle - nod our heads when we hear the Truth and then continue to take sides - hating those who disagree with us.  God is not the author of confusion - so I would say that if it confusing, and it is, then God is not in it.

Ok, so those are big things. And, yes, many Christians are guilty and still attend church piously every Sunday or in front of a computer monitor. So don't you think God would cut us some slack for misdemeanors? Minor Infractions. Well, according to James that would be a no. God will have no part of sin. David had Uriah, the Hittite, killed so David could have Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. He had already had sex with her. So that is not minor - but in God's economy - sin is sin. David was confronted by the Prophet Nathan, (like the Spirit does us). David came under conviction of his sin and  repented. That is what Psalm 51 is all about.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You." - Psalm 51:10-13

No matter what the sin is, we should not act like it doesn't matter - it does. Oh and don't confuse church goers with Christians. Many people are religious but fall short in that like Nicodemus, they must be born again.  My point - don't use another church goer's sin as an excuse for you to continue in it. Like my mom - probably yours too, used to say - "If you friends jumped off a bridge would you do it too?" For many the answer might be - well maybe!

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone