WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:05.919 Are all sins equal? Are there degrees of sin? This 2 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:07.919 is a great question. You know. There's a text in 3 00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:12.199 the New Testament, in Saint James's Epistle that confuses many 4 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:13.960 people on this subject. Let me read it to you. 5 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:17.199 It's from Chapter two, verse ten. Whoever keeps the whole 6 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:20.879 law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become 7 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.320 guilty of all. What does this text mean? And does 8 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:26.160 this mean that if you do a single sin that 9 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:29.640 you're guilty of everything. Well, the question can be answered 10 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:35.240 this way, Yes and no, Yes and no. From one perspective, 11 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:39.359 One single sin, one single violation of the law makes 12 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:43.000 you a transgressor of the law. It makes you a sinner. So, 13 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:46.880 in the sense of our all sins equal if the 14 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:51.359 reference is equal with regards to what If the reference 15 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:54.560 is equal in regards of making a person a sinner, 16 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:59.000 making a person subject to death, making a person in 17 00:00:59.039 --> 00:01:01.759 a condition in which he or she needs to be saved, 18 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:05.439 the answer is absolutely yes, all sins are equal. Whether 19 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:10.560 you commit one hundred sins a year or ten million 20 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:14.879 sins a year like me, we are absolutely equal with 21 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:18.359 regards to being in the grip of death and being 22 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:23.840 liable to terrible judgment for our sins. As Saint Paul says, 23 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:28.599 the wages of sin is death. He didn't say the 24 00:01:28.599 --> 00:01:33.920 wages of many, many sins is death. He said the 25 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:38.079 wages of sin sin itself. And unfortunately, for us, we 26 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:41.040 who do many sins, all of us, a single sin 27 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:45.519 makes us manifests the fact that we are sinners. We 28 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:50.519 are sinners, and death is our future unless we have 29 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:54.280 one above death, the conqueror of death, who is able 30 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:59.920 to deliver us. This text that James is referring to, 31 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:03.719 that he's mentioning and referring to, comes from Deuteronomy. In fact, 32 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:06.000 at the end of Deuteronomy. Remember that Deuteronomy the fifth 33 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.120 book of Moses, the God' Seer, the holy prophet in 34 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:11.039 God's her Moses, he is preparing the people to enter 35 00:02:11.080 --> 00:02:14.159 into the promised Land. They've completed their wilderness wanderings. They're 36 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:16.759 getting ready now to go into the promised land. And 37 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:21.319 he has them right the law in great detail. And 38 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:24.599 then he has the people standing between the mountains with 39 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:27.400 the blessings and the curses on both sides. And then 40 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:31.479 he reads the law, blessing those who will keep the 41 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:36.520 word of God and cursing, having the people participate in 42 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:40.520 this blessing and cursing covenant renewal to promise themselves that 43 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:43.120 they'll be faithful to God. Since you show your faithfulness 44 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:45.879 by obedience, love is shown by keeping the words of 45 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:52.000 God and cursing those who violate God's laws. And in fact, 46 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:54.759 in that text, in Deuteronomy twenty seven, verse twenty six, 47 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:56.879 you find these words curse. It is the man that 48 00:02:56.919 --> 00:02:59.840 does not confirm all of the law by doing it. 49 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.120 This is what James is referring to in chapter two. 50 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:06.759 Saint Paul also refers to this text in his Epistle 51 00:03:06.759 --> 00:03:09.680 to the Galatians, and he uses it in Galatians three ten. 52 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:12.639 For as many as are of the works of the 53 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:15.840 Law are under a curse, for it is written cursed 54 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:17.919 as everyone who does not abide by all things written 55 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:19.759 in the Book of the Law to perform them. Saint 56 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:23.599 Paul is making the point that there is no standing 57 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:26.719 before God. We do not have our standing. We're not 58 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:31.319 accepted into God's family, we're not justified, we're not put 59 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:35.639 in a right relationship with God by our own deeds. 60 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:41.039 Self righteousness has no place in the Christian life. Works 61 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:45.120 righteousness has no place in the Christian life. In fact, 62 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:48.919 if we start thinking that our relationship with God is 63 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:53.439 built upon us being pretty good people, we are manifesting 64 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:58.560 that we have a very, very fake and unstable relationship 65 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:01.560 with God. That kind of language, well, I'm a pretty 66 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:06.159 good person. Oh, May God help us to banish that 67 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:12.199 language from our vocabulary. May we never speak such words 68 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:17.639 of madness as oh, I'm a pretty good person. Really, really, 69 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:20.199 there's one who was good, He who is in heaven, 70 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:25.519 and he makes people good by his grace for sure, 71 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:29.560 and holy and beautiful and loving. But we dear ones, 72 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:33.759 we live by the mercy of God. So the answer 73 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:38.720 to the question all sins equal? Are there degrees of sin? First, 74 00:04:39.199 --> 00:04:42.199 the answer I think is yes, all sins are equal 75 00:04:42.199 --> 00:04:44.600 in the sense of all sins make us transgressors of 76 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.040 the law, in great need of the mercy of God, 77 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:49.160 liable to death, and in need of a savior. But 78 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:54.879 having said that with a different reference, this time comparing 79 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:58.759 sin with sin, the answer is absolutely not. All sins 80 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:04.680 are not equal, and there certainly is great difference between 81 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:07.000 this kind of sin and that kind of sin, or 82 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:10.399 even the manifestation of the same sin. Remember that it's 83 00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:15.160 one thing to let a sin start in your mind, 84 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:18.600 and this is where sin starts. An evil thought appears, 85 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:24.319 and instead of rejecting it because we're awake noetically and 86 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:27.160 we're watching and we're trying to live for God moment 87 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:32.639 by moment. Instead, sin begins by us coupling. We allow 88 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:36.759 ourselves to contemplate and start thinking about a particular sin. Hopefully, 89 00:05:36.920 --> 00:05:39.800 with the help of God, we recognize that that sin 90 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:41.759 is taking place, and we can repent right then and 91 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:44.240 cast that thought out and replace it by a thought 92 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:48.040 of beauty, of truth, and of goodness. If we don't, 93 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:50.839 then that thought will grow and it will begin to 94 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:56.399 manifests itself in action. And there are types of actions. So, 95 00:05:56.439 --> 00:06:00.240 for instance, let's take the sin of anger. Anger will 96 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:04.000 begin with a thought, usually of a fence. That person 97 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:08.600 has mistreated me, that person has not responded properly to 98 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:11.279 something that I did for them or to them, and 99 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:14.879 we begin to nurse a grievance in our minds. Maybe 100 00:06:14.920 --> 00:06:20.120 we've been treated terribly unjustly, and we allow ourselves instead 101 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:24.199 of embracing every trouble by faith and trusting that the 102 00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:26.639 contradictions that come into our life day by day are 103 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:29.879 from Christ, so that we can grow in love and 104 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:31.759 bear a little tiny croft that he's giving us so 105 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:34.160 that we can have some imitation of his own life. Instead, 106 00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:37.920 we we think we should be treated perfectly by other people, 107 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:42.240 and we get upset. If that grows, it can spread 108 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:45.199 from the mind to the mouth, and that anger can 109 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:48.040 be expressed and grumbling. That angle can be expressed in 110 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:51.879 slander or gossip, or even maybe saying terrible words to 111 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:56.519 the person who offended us. That is much worse. That 112 00:06:56.680 --> 00:07:02.560 is the sinful seed coming to evil fruit. And if 113 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:04.879 we don't cut it off there, if we allow it 114 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:07.759 to grow and fester and we meditate upon it day, 115 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:12.240 day after day, it can take more tangible expression. It 116 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:15.439 can go from words to deeds, and we can push 117 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:20.120 someone if we're very angry, or perhaps God forbids, strike them, 118 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:27.160 or maybe pick up something and throw it at somebody. 119 00:07:27.800 --> 00:07:31.839 This is a much more grievous expression of anger. Anger 120 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:35.600 would start it in the mind, progress to the mouth, 121 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:38.160 and now is being expressed by the fists. And then 122 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:42.399 God forbid, if we don't stop, then, if we allow 123 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:49.240 the passion of anger to this nasty drug to make 124 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:52.680 us intoxicated by the passion, as though we are on 125 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:57.720 some sort of terrible drug trip, which is exactly what 126 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:00.240 happens when we give into anger. We can kill someone. 127 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:05.839 We can kill someone. That murder compared to that initial thought, 128 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:10.720 very different, very much more grievous, as we've allowed the 129 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:15.199 sin to mature and deepen, so its culpability has increased 130 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:17.800 and it has become a much more grievous sin. And 131 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:20.560 that can be That paradigm can be applied to any 132 00:08:20.839 --> 00:08:23.519 temptation that we face into, any sin that we give into. 133 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:28.720 That's just reality. Just think, if you are a husband, 134 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:31.439 would you rather have a wife who has a temptation 135 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:37.000 to let's say greed or acquisitiveness. Let's say that she 136 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:40.320 has a thought of going shopping, and you don't have 137 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:42.240 any money for her to go shopping because you have 138 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:44.600 a growing family and you have to pay the bills. 139 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:48.600 Would you'd rather have your wife have a thought, a 140 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:53.080 greedy thought about going to Macy's or to actually go 141 00:08:53.159 --> 00:08:56.879 to Macy's and to spend your entire house payment on 142 00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:01.519 dresses and shoes and purses. Which would you rather have? 143 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:04.519 Or let's flip it, if you're a wife, would you 144 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:08.279 rather have your husband have a lustful thought about another woman, 145 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:14.120 or commit adultery with the woman in his workplace, which 146 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:17.960 is more grievous. Obviously, we know tangibly on the ground 147 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:21.840 that not all sins are equal, and that there are 148 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:27.360 certainly degrees of sin. There are multiple factors that play 149 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:30.799 into the degree of sin. In fact, so many factors 150 00:09:31.399 --> 00:09:36.320 that no one can measure a sin except God and 151 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:39.320 those who must measure these sins, those that God has 152 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:41.960 appointed to be the shepherd of our shepherds of our souls, 153 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:46.320 spiritual fathers, father confessors, those whom God has given to 154 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:50.039 us to care for our souls. They have to measure 155 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:52.600 these types of things because, just like in the realm 156 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:56.159 of physical medicine, there are degrees of disease and sickness, 157 00:09:56.159 --> 00:10:01.600 and measuring the degree is key for a sol We 158 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:05.519 have a common mortality. Yes, we all have diseases, but 159 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:08.039 some have cancer, and some have stage one cancer or 160 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:10.840 stage two cancer, or stage three cancer or stage four cancer. 161 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:16.480 And the treatment follows the diagnosis of the degree of 162 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:19.879 the disease. And that's exactly the case in spiritual life. 163 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:23.679 Doctors of the soul, spiritual fathers and fathers, confessors study 164 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:26.399 and they want to know all sorts of things. They 165 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:29.559 need to know how sins work and how they grow 166 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:33.360 and what affects them. This is why confession is such 167 00:10:33.399 --> 00:10:36.080 a serious business and why it's so important. Some of 168 00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:38.799 those factors that contribute to the measure and the degree 169 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:41.480 of a sin are besides the degree of expression that 170 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:47.639 I already mentioned, thought words, actions are intentions, hidden intentions, 171 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:52.399 secret thoughts, the general strength or weakness of a person 172 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:55.519 in their spiritual life, the level of knowledge or of 173 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:58.519 ignorance that the person has. Right for a person who 174 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:02.519 is illumined, a person who has had a long life 175 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:04.559 of growing in the knowledge of God, to commit a sin, 176 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:06.240 it's not the same as for a young person or 177 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:08.639 a new person, a new convert, to commit that sin. 178 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.799 Just think of the Holy Prophet Moses again. Think of 179 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:14.799 Moses at the end of his life, just after he 180 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:21.440 was penning the Book of Deuteronomy and describing these commandments 181 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:25.039 that we've been discussing, he was forbidden to enter into 182 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:30.279 the Promised Land. Why all, because when the people were 183 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:35.039 protesting against him and attacking his character and being disobedient 184 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:38.519 for the what one millionth time, And though he had 185 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:42.320 endured them patiently for all of those years, for forty years, 186 00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:45.720 and the Lord told him speak to the rock and 187 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:49.240 I'll cause water to come out. And Moses, in his anger, 188 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:51.559 hit the rock instead of speaking to the rock. He 189 00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:54.399 was forbidden from entering the Promised Land. Can you imagine 190 00:11:54.559 --> 00:12:00.120 to us, one tiny, little sin, one little careless disobeyed 191 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:02.639 excluded the Holy profit in God's hero Mosis from the 192 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:05.080 Promised Land. Why because he was a man who lived 193 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:09.840 with God. He had been given such a high level 194 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:11.919 of life, and he had acquired such a high level 195 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:13.840 of life that the standard for him for him to 196 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:17.080 commit one small act of disobedience is not the same 197 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:18.919 as for those who are at the bottom of the hill, 198 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:22.200 for instance, to commit a sin. So the level of 199 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:26.279 knowledge and ignorance, the amount of spiritual experience that a 200 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:29.919 person has had, contributes to the degree of seriousness of 201 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:33.080 a sin, whether they have committed that sin previously or not. 202 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:35.440 To have committed a sin that you've never committed before 203 00:12:35.480 --> 00:12:37.960 and then have done penance and found God's mercy and 204 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:39.759 healing through that, and then to do it again, Oh, 205 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:43.720 that's high handed from God's perspective. Right to repeat something 206 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:47.080 that you have already experienced, You've already tasted the dregs, 207 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:49.639 so to speak, and have been healed by the mercy 208 00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:52.200 of God, and then to do it again. This is 209 00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:56.200 a far more grievous situation, a far more serious sin. 210 00:12:56.519 --> 00:12:59.919 Second falls are worse than first. Thirds are worse than sin. 211 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:06.279 Seconds failure to amend, the degree of the sinner's sensitivity 212 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:09.759 to pain, the presence or absence of comforting realities that 213 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:13.799 could counteract temptation, a person's age, family condition, et cetera. 214 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:17.720 All of these are factors that contribute, from God's perspective 215 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:20.679 into the degree of seriousness of a sin, and just 216 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:23.240 how terrible a certain sin is. What should we can 217 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:28.080 conclude for this? Well, conclude this live by the mercy 218 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:31.799 of God, you know, Saint James says, after he makes 219 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:34.720 it clear that those who want to live by the 220 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:38.639 commandments of God have to hold to them all. He says, 221 00:13:39.559 --> 00:13:46.039 but mercy triumphs over judgment. He's trying to teach us, 222 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:48.759 He's trying to treat us that in all of our dealings, 223 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:52.559 let us always stay in the proper position as those 224 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:55.519 who have received the grace of God, those who have 225 00:13:55.919 --> 00:14:00.039 who cherish God's mercy in our life, shown in the 226 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:03.360 Salvation that has been graciously worked and given to us 227 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:07.759 by our Lord Jesus Christ, God's only Son, and let 228 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:10.639 us offer that same mercy that has been given to 229 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:14.480 us despite our disobedience. Let us offer that same mercy 230 00:14:14.600 --> 00:14:16.600 and let that be the norm for all of our 231 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:19.879 relations with everyone, especially those who have offended us. Let 232 00:14:19.960 --> 00:14:22.039 us be generous and share the same mercy that God 233 00:14:22.039 --> 00:14:25.519 has given to us to everyone else. This is how 234 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:30.879 we can conquer self righteousness and works righteousness, and in 235 00:14:30.919 --> 00:14:34.240 fact live in the joy of the Kingdom of God, 236 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:38.480 which is a kingdom of mercy. Thanks for tuning in, 237 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:41.360 dear ones. May God's strengthen you in your quest for 238 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:44.720 the Kingdom of God. Hey everyone, I hope you've downloaded 239 00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:47.799 the Patristic Nectar app on your phone. It is a 240 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:52.360 treasure trove of soul nourishing content, and I hope you'll 241 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:56.200 consider becoming a regular donor to Patristic Nectar today.