Sin Is Sin: Murder Or Telling A Lie

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A lot of us struggle with the concept that sin is sin.

Murder, stealing, telling a lie… we can all agree that those are sins.

But we tend to rate sins and say one sin is worse than another.

How can telling a lie be just as bad as murder?

There’s a verse in the Bible that really explained it for me.

Whoever keeps the whole law, but offends in one point, is guilty of all. James 2:10

Those words make sense to me. Law, offend/offense, guilty… I know those words from our legal system, so I can understand them.

The foundation of our justice system was created by men who understood the truths of the Bible. It mirrors God’s system of justice, and it demonstrates the truth that sin is sin.

1. In our justice system, we have a set of laws.

2. Now, it’s our responsibility to know the law and obey it in every point. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” I know this because the IRS told me that, but it applies to all, areas of the law.

3. And if we disobey the law, we’re guilty of “breaking the law,”

It doesn’t matter which law you break, you’re guilty of “breaking the law.”

If we kill someone, or steal something, we broke the law.

Maybe we just tell a lie.

If we lie in court, we broke the law.

Maybe we just whisper a secret.

Well, if it’s a government secret, we broke the law.

If it’s a secret about the stock market, we broke the law.

When we offend in one part of the law, we become law-breakers.

4. For there to be justice, law-breakers have to face the consequences for their actions. There is a penalty for breaking the law.

5. A judgment day is scheduled. And on that day, the judge will decide if we’re innocent or guilty.

6. You can have a lawyer to represent you. Your lawyer is somebody who knows all about the law, who can speak for you, stand up for you, be your advocate.

7. Law-breakers go to a place of punishment… jail/prison.

If we kill someone, or steal something, we go to jail.

If we tell a lie in court, we go to jail.

If we whisper certain secrets, we go to jail.

The law is the law, and if we break the law, we all end up in the same place.

Maybe I told a lie in court, but I’m sleeping in a cot next to a killer.

God’s system of justice is the same:

— God has a set of laws, and His law is the law.

— His laws are recorded, and we are responsible for knowing and obeying them.

— If we disobey any part of God’s law, we are law-breakers.

— There’s a penalty for breaking any part of God’s laws.

— A judgment day has been scheduled.

— Those who are guilty of breaking the law will go to a place of punishment.

BUT in God’s system, he made a provision to satisfy justice and save us from punishment.

There is only have one lawyer/advocate who can represent us. That’s Jesus.

If anyone sins, we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous one. 1 John 2:1

God loves us so much, he sent his son … to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

JESUS paid our penalty,

so God removes all record of our guilt

and adds Jesus’ righteousness to our record

as if it were our own righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21

So when the judge looks at our record,

we’re innocent through the sacrifice Jesus made to pay the penalty for us.

There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus… Romans 8:1

Justice has been satisfied.

The penalty has been paid.

All charges have been dropped.

You have a clean record.

We are innocent and righteous before God.

And we are safe to go home with Jesus instead of being separated from him in that place of punishment.

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A slight variation with an alternate ending:

God says, the penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23)… whether that sin is murder, or stealing or telling a lie.

Many of us struggle with this concept. We rate sins as the “bad” sins and the “not really so bad” sins. I also struggled with this until my kids came out of AWANA one evening with a Bible verse they needed to learn. The verse said, “Whoever keeps the whole law, but offends in one part, is guilty of all.” James 2:10

Those words made sense to me. I know those words from our legal system, our system of justice… law, offense, guilty. You know those words too, and you understand them, right?

Our own legal system demonstrates the truth that sin is sin. If you commit a crime, you are guilty of “breaking the law.” It may be murder, or stealing, or even telling secrets (if you tell government secrets it’s called treason, if you tell stock market secrets, that’s called insider trading), or even telling a lie in court under oath (that’s perjury).