Comparing Our Sins

I’ve written about comparing ourselves to others in the past—how it can make us feel “less than.” But it’s not just looks, careers, children’s behavior, pictures on Facebook and stuff we own that we use to compare ourselves to others.

We compare our sins to one another. Whether we do it consciously or not, it happens.

I’m not perfect, but I’ve never done that!

Wow, he had it all…till he got caught doing that. I’d never.

Maybe not those exact words, but we’ve heard similar comments, and possibly even spoken them.

We compare our sins to someone else’s, and if we determine theirs are worse, well, then we feel a little better about ourselves.

We compare as if there are degrees of sin. But, God says sin is sin. Period.

Our sin cannot be defined by comparing ourselves with others, but rather in comparing ourselves to God’s standard. When humanity is compared to the perfection of God, we are all found guilty. –Danise Jurado, Fulfilled

We try to make ourselves look better by judging and comparing one sin against another, but compared to God’s standard—we all fall short.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:23-24 NLT

It’s freeing, in a way…knowing, and confessing, that I am a sinner. I don’t have to try to live up to someone else’s expectations, and I don’t have to make sure my sins aren’t as bad as someone else’s.

God doesn’t compare us to one another—and He doesn’t compare our sins.

Perhaps we shouldn’t either. We are all in need of God’s forgiveness. We are all in need of God’s generous grace. {click to tweet}

We all need Jesus.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV

Jesus died for all sinners—for all of us.

My sins are not more or less serious than your sins. There are different consequences, but all sin hurts us and those around us.

Comparing and judging each other based on our sins, is, in and of itself, sinful. It leads us to think one is better than another. It puts us in competition with one another—as if we can earn God’s love and grace by our own merits.

And we can’t. We can only be made right with God through Jesus.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:22-24 NLT

Everyone who believes—regardless of who we are or which sins we’ve committed—can be made right with God through our faith in Jesus Christ.

While it might not be easy, let’s catch ourselves when we start judging our sins against someone else’s. We all need God’s grace and forgiveness…and we need forgiveness from one another.

Which means we need to extend grace and forgiveness to others, without judgment and comparison.

***

If you are reading Fulfilled, by Danise Jurado, with us, we are in the first week of the study with Chapter 1—Forgiveness. How are you doing with the reading? Have you tried the forgiveness homework?

I started with the intention of doing the first day’s work and then putting it away. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. When you open yourself to God’s healing, He keeps working, even when you’d like to stop. Hours after starting the homework, I went to worship. The sermon topic for that weekend? Grace and forgiveness. That’s right. God at work.

In Christ,

Laura  

Linking up with #RaRaLinkup, #TellHisStory, Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth, Blessing Counters, Faith Filled Friday, Weekend Whispers, Give Me Grace