25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
-Luke 15:25-32 (NIV)
The story of the prodigal son is one of the earliest parables I remember learning about in Sunday school. Since I was basically a good kid, I remember feeling a kind of kinship with the older brother in the story. I knew I wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t do anything “major” wrong. Sure, if a teacher asked me, I knew that the “right answer” was that the older brother had the wrong attitude. But I felt like, under the circumstances, who could blame him?
My experiences indicate that in churches today, many people see some sins (usually those done by others) as particularly serious, and other sins (usually the ones we’re doing) as less so. What are those opinions based on? Are some sins more serious than others? If so, what, if anything, do we do about it?
Possible readings:
J.I. Packer, All Sins Are Not Equal.
David Neff, Are All Sins Created Equal?.
Thomas Aquinas, THE SUMMA THEOLOGICA, Prima Secundæ Partis, Question 73, On the Comparison of One Sin With Another.
C.S. Lewis, MERE CHRISTIANITY, Book III, Chap. 8, The Great Sin
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4 comments:
Thanks to everyone who came on Sunday night. It was an interesting discussion! Please think about this week's question and let's start the discussion!
A question, not a comment: Can new people jump in if they've missed the first week???
Thanks!
Annie
Annie -
To your question: Absolutely. Each week is stand alone, though certainly we will probably reference previous conversations!
I feel that both the church and the world are blind to sin. The church can easily focus on 2 sins, abortion and homosexuality, which the world totally doesn't see.
I was appauled to hear that after Hurricane Katrina some Christian radio people said Katrina was God's judgement against homosexuals.
I didn't see God's judgement at all in that situation. I saw His mercy, in showing us the sin of poverty and neglect in our wealthy country.
Unfortunately, many of these thoughts surface during national election years.
I had one person tell me years ago that he thought there was one political party closer to God. I asked him to show me the scripture that validated this.
I feel that by choosing sin we dislike we become easily identified as naysayers. Although it is right to stand up and say no to sin, it is also right to spread the love of Jesus.
I also feel by focusing on only a few sins, that we don't see others.
For instance, isn't national debt ( deficit) a sin?
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