Are All Sins Equal? What the Bible Says About Guilt, Consequences, and Grace

Can you really say “all sins are equal” and still take some sins more seriously than others? In this episode, we open the Bible and wrestle with what Scripture actually shows—from James 2:10 to Jesus’ words to Pilate about a “greater sin.” We talk about grace, justification, why consequences aren’t the same as condemnation, and how churches often spotlight certain “public” sins while overlooking others like pride or gossip. If you’ve ever felt crushed by Christian guilt, confused by church discipline, or unsure how to confront sin without becoming judgmental, this conversation will challenge you—and (we hope) free you.  Join the conversation + submit questions: 3chicksandabible.com 

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

00:00 Welcome to the Show
00:46 Are All Sins Equal
01:22 Bible Texts on Sin
02:49 Salvation and Justification
04:33 Earthly Consequences
07:35 Challenging the Premise
09:30 Grace Not Condemnation
12:28 Saints Not Sinners
18:27 Church Hypocrisy and Hierarchy
19:07 Public Sin and Leadership
21:36 Plank in Your Eye
23:03 Favorite Sins Trap
24:11 Grace Over Condemnation
24:29 Correcting Without Shaming
26:17 Labels and Judgment
26:52 Bear Burdens Together
29:16 Earn the Right
29:39 Invite Accountability
32:41 Public vs Private Rebuke
34:47 Sin as Toxic Addiction
37:44 Grace and Firmness
39:12 No Condemnation Clarified
40:30 Humility Parable
42:06 Wrap Up and Outro

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:05

Welcome to Three Chicks in the Bible, where we ditch the easy answers, roll up our sleeves, and wrestle with the hard stuff in Scripture. We're talking about the real questions, the messy parts, and what it looks like to follow Jesus. No fences, no filters, just three women chasing after truth, beauty, and the wild, untamable Christ. We are so glad that you've joined us today.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

My Bible, anyway. Just so you know, we have them here, we have them open. And today's topic is are all sins equal according to the Bible, or do we handle some sins differently than others? Um, which doesn't necessarily mean that they're not all equal. So it's a little um, you know, that's what our conversation is going to be today. And, you know, I guess we're gonna start in a place that it's kind of popular now. Many of us reassure people, you know, all sins are equal in God's sight. And yet, like we often treat sins, different sins, differently. So is there a biblical basis for that, or is that just our human need to categorize sins? James 2.10 says, for uh whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. So we're all sinners. Like we I think that that's our a great agreement place for all of us, is that for uh you know, like without checking specifically with Julian Stacy, I can say we agree that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, that we all need salvation. However, even in the Bible, um, Jesus even says in front of Pilate, um, Pilate said to Jesus in John 19, You will not speak to me, because Jesus was silent before him. Says, Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you? Jesus answered him, You would have no authority over me at all, unless it had been given to you from above. Therefore, Jesus says, He who delivered me over to you has the greater sin. So Jesus indicates that you know someone's sin was greater than Pilate's, which would sound like a little unequal thing. So if all sins are equal in God's sight, ladies, why does scripture prescribe different earthly consequences for different sins? And what does that mean for churches today regarding um issues like discipline or relational, you know, just dealing with people in repentance or even in unrepentant sin? Thoughts, actually?

SPEAKER_04 2:51

Um, I kind of uh in in thinking about this issue, I I thought about two different ways there can be different sin. Um, but it it really boils down to uh our relationship with God, number one, and number two, our relationship with uh others. And uh because with God, He's paid for our sin. First John 2.2 says um you know that he he paid paid for uh the sins of the whole world. So that the sin debt is paid, and the the guilt there is really uh uh exposed in, I think it's Romans 6. Sorry if I got that wrong, but um it's it's a judicial term.

unknown 3:32

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_04 3:33

And judicially, it's a position. And yes, guilt is guilt. Uh you're either innocent or you're guilty. There's no variance in that. And but uh the great judge, uh Christ, paid the debt for our sin, and so we have been justified. Our sin is paid in full, not just the sin that we did yesterday or today or even tomorrow. The sin is done in terms of what God does, because he's cast our sins as far as the east is from the west, because they were paid for. So we can't we can't go back and now have to get more payment. It's a done deal. We were wearing Christ's righteousness, it's never been about us and what we do, it's just about the grace of God. So that's one way that we're we're guilty. People who have not believed in Jesus still have that guilt, they're still under the curse of sin. But once we believe in him, then he gives us his righteousness and our sin is paid for. So that's one way. And we can't we can't do anything to change that once we're his. We have a spirit, we're a new creation and no longer a slave to sin. That's one. But then you've got the whole idea of guilt in terms of how it affects yourself and other people. Um, and you know, it it when we when we're sinning, we're turning away from God, we're not doing what he wants us to do. Missing the mark. I have a lot of different um definitions written down here on my paper, but uh it it's just basically we're we're not doing God's will. It's not, you know, anything that's not done in faith is sin. And so, but it hurts people in different ways. For instance, I'd rather have a child bullied in school than have him murdered because it's a whole different level, right? But that's in that's in you know how much damage that sin causes. But you know, Jesus kind of clarified that too, you know, instead you you're calling somebody Raqqa a fool, well, you're guilty of murder because in your head you do not value his life as anything, and and that lead can lead to murder. And so he defined that as you know, we can't just we even evil thoughts are sin. So, um, but you know, there's a big difference between thinking that guy's an idiot to stabbing him, literally. So there's that kind of guilt.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah, so it sounds so it sounds like you're saying, like, in terms of salvation, we're all guilty and we're all sinners. Like every sin is equal in terms of like if we break the smallest part of the law or the largest part of the law, we all need to be saved in Christ. So we're sinners, right? And sin, like even the term sin has fallen, like people don't sit around, you know, your everyday people don't sit around talking about sin, you know, like what you know, like even Christian subject sometimes trip over it, like to you know, trip over sin. So, but you're defining sin as defying God's laws or not obeying them or missing the mark that God, like the intention that God has for us to live, missing that mark. Um, but then you're but then on the other hand, you're saying even those who have accepted Christ and our sin is paid for, there um are consequences. There are still earthly consequences for us for and other people around us when we do sin, because we do still sin, and those sins have consequences.

SPEAKER_04 6:57

So you're is that a encapsulation of yeah, and I and I wouldn't even say they're punishments because Christ took our punishment. I think they're just consequences.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Yeah, I didn't say punishments, did I?

SPEAKER_04 7:10

No, you didn't, but I didn't want anybody to be confused that maybe they thought that's what you meant.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

I was like, did I say punishment?

SPEAKER_04 7:19

But there are there's things that he allows us to experience, the con direct consequences of sin, because he doesn't want us doing that because it's bad for us, you know, bad for people around us, it's bad for Christ's image in us. It's you know, there's so many reasons, and we're and we're submitting ourselves to slavery to sin again. You know, whoever you're obeying, that's who you're submitting yourself to. So there's a lot, a lot of consequences that maybe may not appear on the surface right away, but um God definitely lets us experience pain.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

Okay, so I might disagree some. I don't where does all sins are equal in God's sight come from? It's nowhere in the Bible. I mean, it's not there. So I can't even agree with the you know the pre premise of all sins are equal.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

Um nowhere in terms of salvation, though, even well, I I'm not even gonna go there.

SPEAKER_04 8:18

Yeah, it's it's a positional, it's a positional thing, right? A court positional thing.

SPEAKER_00 8:24

We have to decide what side of the cross we're on. Are we in the side of on the side of grace? Are we not? So sometimes we talk out of both sides of our mouth when it comes to sin. Yes, we talk about grace, but then we want to punish like we don't live in grace anymore. And so I have a serious issue with this. And where did this come from? I think it comes from Calvinism. I grew up in the Reformed Church, and you know, I could tell you what tulip meant, and I I can, you know, all this stuff, you know, and the original sin, we're born into original sin. I don't agree with any of that anymore. None of it. I've had to deconstruct that and reconstruct into grace, and um it's such a part of Christian ease that all sins are equal, that we just believe it. And I would had dinner with my Bible study ladies last night, and I said, Well, that's nowhere in the Bible. And they're like, What? That's not in the Bible? I'm like, that's not in the Bible. First, they were shocked because they've heard it all their lives, you know, that all sins are equal. And then they were relieved. They're like, oh, thank God. Because if you steal a pencil or you murder somebody, all sins are equal. And I go, what kind of dumb God do we worship if that's the case? I mean, come on, that's just immature thinking, trying to get people to feel guilty about themselves and repent. We're just um trading in guilt and manipulation. That's there's nothing Jesus about that. So I don't hold that view. I hold the view that um sin is um acting on your fleshly desires. And I get that from Romans 8. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires, but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. The mind governed by flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace. So are we living by our fleshly desires or are we living by the spirit? And sometimes I think we make such a big deal of sin. Oh my gosh, you know, that person is this or that, and I don't sin like that. Well, really, it's just, are you living by your fleshly desires? You can change that, do better. That's what Jesus taught the woman who was caught in adultery. He didn't condemn her, he um loved her. He showed the hypocrisy of the other people trying to condemn her, and then he said, Go and sin no more. Go and stop living by your fleshly desires. Make a change, you can do better. It's not this condemnation thing. And I don't even think it separates us from God, to tell you the truth. That is another thing that I've had to um break down and and build back up. Nothing separates us from the love of God. Nothing. Jesus said, Nothing, no one will snatch you from my hand. It's either no one will or sin will. Which one is it? So that's where I'm at.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

So how is that different than because we were saying, like, so you do you believe that everyone needs Christ for so everyone is in need of salvation? Sure. Sure. I'm not that crazy. Yeah. No, so that's why that's why I was like, I'm trying to figure out where you disagree with us because we like said I disagree with the premise.

SPEAKER_00 11:41

I disagree with the premise that all sin is equal in the sight of God. That's what I'm disagreeing with.

SPEAKER_04 11:48

Yeah, I taught uh in fifth grade in a Christian school, and um I was teaching, I don't even remember what the verse was that we were talking about, but I told the kids, I said maybe it was a sermon on the mount, but um, you know, I said it's it's you know, sin is sin, and and Jesus is trying to show people uh you're guilty, you know, whether you're thinking it or you're doing it or whatever, it's it makes you guilty. It makes you guilty. And so, and I said, you know, you're as guilty as someone who committed a murder. You know, that's it's well, wait a minute, let me finish. Yeah, go ahead. Judicially speaking, you're either innocent or guilty. Those are your two options, and got and the Bible tells us all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

And finish that verse. That's uh that's completely taken out of context in that verse. There's a the end of that verse, it's that's just a few sent uh words in that verse. All sin, chosen to live by the spirit of the flesh and fall short of the glory of God, and are all justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came through Jesus through Christ. Yeah, that's what I was saying. The thing is, you have to, but are we guilty if we're on this side of the cross? We are in grace now. Yes, because you've been justified. Because you've been justified. So if we keep telling people you're a sinner, we're not. Paul doesn't even call us sinners, he calls us saints.

SPEAKER_04 13:14

We entered the courtroom guilty, the debt was paid by Jesus Christ, his blood was paid for our sin, and we left the um courtroom justified. Okay, so now set us free.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

Okay, so now we live by if we go and live by our fleshly desire now, I make a choice to make you know to do something. Am I guilty?

SPEAKER_04 13:38

Not according to God. We're wearing Christ's righteousness now.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

Okay, so then what is what I've done?

SPEAKER_04 13:45

Well, we're we're going the wrong direction.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Yeah, we're not walking, you know, we're not walking according to right like Christ. We're not walking according to our own demise.

SPEAKER_04 13:56

Right, right because sin begets sin, and you know, it's we're not living up for slope, as we I hear all the time. Yeah, but yeah, but no, we are not my husband and I were talking about earlier, and he said, the sin that's water under the bridge, it's been paid for. You know, according to God, we're his. And and think about the prodigal son. The prodigal son, it's a parable, but you know, Jesus making a point, you know, he spent, he did terrible things. He took his father, the third of his father's estate, went and blew it all, and selfish living, and you know, and but finally he realized the only way he was going to survive was to go home and you know, expected the father to stick him in the you know, the bunkhouse with the other slaves. But instead, the father welcomed him, put a ring on his finger, robe on him. There was not a word mentioned about so what'd you do with the money? You know, he just was so forgiving, and that's the thing about grace, it's an endless supply. So it's it's just given to us, right? Right.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

So I think that um, you know, John 3, you know, we all know for God so loved the world, he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. But that also says whoever believes in him is not condemned, so we're not condemned. Yes, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only son. Believing in it, you know, like by believing in Christ, we get the right to be called children of God. So we are once we come to Christ, we are in the family. Nothing that we do after that throws us out of the family. We are always still in the family. But there are, you know, that doesn't mean that everything we do is sanctified and justified and okay. That means you know, like we're justified before the throne of the Lord in terms of salvation. But when um Peter was treat, you know, was was showing distinctions between how he treated the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians and was, you know, clearly being wrong toward the Gentile Christians, Paul called him out on it. Paul said, That's not that's not how to live. That's you know, so he was sinning. He was sinning.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

There was missing the mark.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Yeah, he was missing the mark, he was sinning, he was not living representative to Christ. That doesn't mean that Paul always talked about correcting people gently, correcting people, you know, knowing that you too could fall. Yes, you know, Paul didn't correct him like I would never do something like that. He just said, brother, this is wrong, and you need to change it. So, you know, it's popular now to say all sins are equal. I think people, I think it I don't even think it comes from Calvinism, honestly, like the tulip stuff or everything else that you said. I'm like, I have no idea what you're talking about. But I think that like what? Like, um, like my husband's Dutch, so I know about it. But um that's where it comes from. Well, I think that um it's more American than anything else. I think that like our idea that we live in a society, we you know, that we're oh, I'm no better than you, you know, we're all equal, which is a good thing. But then when it comes, then we lay it on this and we try, you know, we try to make everybody comfortable, we try to make everybody everything's okay. And I think um, you know, we have to be careful with that because like, well, no, like, you know, yes, in terms of missing the mark, if I fantasize about being with another one that's not my husband, that's terrible. Um, and it's and it's wrong, and it is not living like Christ, but it but it would be worse to actually follow through and sleep with that person. That would be wrong, to you know, even more wrong to act on it. So there are, you know, even like in Leviticus, there are provisions for unintentional sins versus intentional sins, and they're you know, from right from the beginning of scripture, there's been this idea that like, you know, some of these things are worse. Teachers are held to a higher standard, people who teach the Bible are held to a higher standard. So I think that it's very clear through scripture that there are differences in um how we treat different sins. It's like more cultural that we've gotten sort of this idea that like let's make everybody comfortable. And some of it is comes from a loving place of wanting to be accepting and not doing this ranking thing where if I came to Christ when I was four, you know, or or you came to Christ after, you know, someone came to Christ after a life of while living, that there's something, you know, there is no difference between us in terms of being in the family of God now. Absolutely no difference. And that's absolutely true, and we need to continue to repeat that all the time. But after we come to Christ, then you know, there, you know, we certainly need to think about um the consequences of all sins, and we don't respond to all of them the same way.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

I I guess you have to live grow up in the Reformed Church to understand all how pervasive it is and how it does filter into everyday life and everyday Christianity. But so it what you're saying then, why are do we have a hierarchy of sin? Because there are I mean, Christians will look at, oh my gosh, that person's a homosexual. That person's living in sin with their partner, but the person that gossips over here, just tell her to stop. Or don't even just ignore it. Yeah, but just ignore it, don't do anything with it. So why you know what you're saying? Why do we do that? See, we're talking out of not us personally, I'm talking Christians. No, I know talk out of both sides of their mouths, you know. All sins are not equal. Okay, great. But yours is worse.

SPEAKER_01 19:49

Part of that reason is that that happens is hypocrisy. Right. Some of it is sensational. There are um, there are certainly sins, you know, like you know, like why is it, you know, why do some churches um historically drag a pregnant woman in front of everybody to repent? Yeah, you know, while there's like other, you know, there are people in the congregation living together and they're not going, you know, join, you know. So some of it is that there are more, there are more easily noticeable sins. There are some sins that are become that are more public. Like I think it's wrong what you're talking about. That's condemnation. Right. Like you're, you know, like that, you know, but if a pastor sins or you know, a well-known believer sins, then then that the impact of that, the impact is greater than, you know, if I, you know, if I gossip to my neighbor, that is wrong. And I need to follow that up. I need to repent, I need to go to that person and try to chase it down. It's a nightmare and it's wrong. But if if if I have written books and a million people read them, and then I publicly sin, that impacts like people's faith, like millions of people's faith. That's a you know that so I think that like we we can use some wisdom, godly wisdom, when it comes to working through sins with people. And I don't, we don't like the well, I think the answer to what you're saying is we don't use godly wisdom. We look at sexual sins, like, whoa, that's it. I was very excited a couple of years ago, and I mean, I was I was wasn't excited that a pastor was set down because of his pride, but I was thrilled that a church took the pastor's pride and and acknowledged, you know, recognize you are so prideful that we now have to set you down. We're gonna ask you to step down. Your pride has become an impediment to ministry. That that church, I think, took a mature view of a sin that we sort of allow, we secretly allow. like pride in our leaders or you know like without confronting it and dealing with it because it's messier it's a lot easier to say I say you in that in that hotel with that woman that's not your wife than it is to say hey you know what your arrogance is really becoming an an impediment on our ministry team that's a harder conversation but it it it's just as important to have it's just as crucial.

SPEAKER_04 22:23

Yeah I don't know I'll let somebody else talk now well you know sermon you also get the the uh principle that Jesus said about dealing with other people's sin is you know the plank in your own eye you want you're working about the splinter in their eye and you don't see the plank in your own and and how we we do tend to um like the Pharisees did they they talked about what was sin and you know but they could keep those rules because of their lifestyle because of um where they were in society and so but you know like for instance cleanliness and all the rules that went with that well the shepherds were never cleanliness oriented because they were living out in the fields you know nowhere to wash their hands there and so and and so they had a really hard and they just belittled these shepherds who were doing an honest day's work. But that's the problem is we we tend to oh I don't have that sin so that's the one I'm gonna concentrate on and and it's also interesting that society tends to lead us in the pack um in terms of what we condemn and what we don't like uh speaking from experience as a kid um anybody who was divorced was a pariah and if you have if you're divorced you might as well have that big D on your forehead because you can't teach Sunday school you will never go out in the mission field you will you know and because you're divorced especially if you're remarkable married now you're an adulteress or adulterer and so you know and so they would that was it but then divorce became so prominent in our society people kind of let that one go and so then you know so it was always some new thing that oh that's the bad sin you know that's the worst one you know for the Pharisees catching the woman in adultery that was a crowning moment you know because that was one of the big sins but you know I think for the church right now it's probably any issue um in sexuality um uh as anything that's um uh away from a normal man-woman relationship there's so many different varieties of that but you know that's the thing that's gonna keep you know but Paul says don't put stumbling blocks to people who are trying to seek the Lord if you're saying that person's not going to darken the door of our church why are they at your church? They're seeking God and to to start you know pushing back and say oh no no no clean up your act first that's not what it comes repentance is turning to God if somebody's turning to him and seeking him far be it for us to stand in the way and condemnation will do that. I'm not trying to be political but I'm just saying we have our favorite sins and you know and we are totally justified in doing what it takes um to to condemn that but the problem is is we're we're losing what we are guilty of and Jesus said freely you have received that's grace that's forgiveness that's mercy freely give so you know we've got we've gotten so much and for us to condemn after what we have not been condemned for is ridiculous.

SPEAKER_01 25:34

Yeah yeah yeah and I I honestly I think that what you just described is the answer to Stacy's question of where do we get this idea that all sins are equal. I think the past sins of the church and you know current too where people are like your sin is worse than mine that's wrong. And then but then the overcorrection is to say you know all sins are the same and we can't you know like I'm not going to tell you that you're sinning because I'm still trying to get the you know the plank out of my own eye. We can spend so much time trying to get the plank out of our own eye that we're not willing to say you know what like it's not okay for you to sleep with someone else's wife that's not okay. You know it is like there's a difference between saying you know that's not you're not like what you're doing, that's not really you living up to your salvation in Christ. That's not that's not representative of who Jesus is. And I think maybe like that's a place for you to grow and change and repent. That's not condemnation. That's you know like unless I'm saying like I would never do anything like that and and I'm perfect and you're not like I think that it's it is okay to say oh you know what I feel like we've vent our conversations ventured into gossip now and I'm sorry that I've you know that we've walked there and I'm sorry for my part in it can we can we change what we're saying now that's not that's not condemning that's just acknowledging like oh we've just wandered into an area that's that's wrong.

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Right. And that happened with me and you one time at a a retreat and I took up your offense to something and I have apologized to you I'm so sorry I took up your offense. I was fighting a battle that didn't need to be fought I am so sorry that was that was wrong. I'm sorry that's just wisdom. Yeah yeah that's not like oh my gosh you're a sinner right you notice in the in the Bible Jesus didn't call people sinners he used the word when someone else did or he used it as a group term but he never called someone a sinner ever and so we need to I think be careful about that and label I think the condemnation is when you label somebody something that's when you're making a judgment on them and we're not supposed to make that judgment that's that's God's but we can say hey have you thought you're taking up my offense you know that probably not a good idea and that's not condemning.

SPEAKER_04 28:07

You know and I I was uh the editor for Rise Daily Devotionals for many years and uh the one thing I really stress with people is if you're putting yourself on a pedestal get off that you know get knocked we're here we're here to walk side by side arm around each other's shoulders and together we're going to work on whatever the the issue happens to be and I and and I'm getting that from Galatians is it five five six two the Galatians bear one another's burden yeah you know having so being concerned for someone who is uh exhibiting the kind of sinful behavior that can really damage things like a marriage or a church you know that deserves us coming alongside them and saying listen you know I'm a sinner you're a sin we're all we're all a mess we all blow it we all make choices according to the flesh of course God gave us the righteousness of Christ so thank goodness we're not depending on our own righteousness thank god but you know I'm really concerned because I'm seeing this thing in you and I'm afraid what it might lead to do you mind if we talk about it for a couple minutes or but not in a way that's going to be condemning or setting yourself higher than someone else yeah um you know and and it's it makes a difference how we approach somebody but I don't think we are we are supposed to be the judge and jury for anybody I think we Christians in the same boat walking the same path you know uh having the same kind of struggles maybe not that exact struggle but you know choosing ourselves over God we all do that and so you know just that kind of an attitude whereas I'm not condemning you but I'm also telling you this is a kind of scary thing and you know I just wanted to express some concern I don't know I don't know I'm not the greatest counselor in the world but you know I just know how you approach someone but we don't every time we see somebody in sin we don't need to do that because we also have the Holy Spirit at work in each one of us and the Holy Spirit is convicting the world that's his job. So we don't really need to convict anyone he's doing the work but if we lend some you know kind words some uh concern as a fellow sojourner then you know that'll that'll maybe help the person but um I see too many people preaching at people rather than yeah taking that kind of a role yeah and I think it needs to be done in community you don't just walk up to somebody on the street no because they're you know it needs to be done in this community you mean they don't hold up signs at parades you know probably not I don't think that's the best way to do that but is that that's really not I think that turns people off. Well I've always said you have to earn the right to be in someone's life and that takes time and effort and history.

SPEAKER_01 31:06

Well I also think so flip side I think when I came to Christ like in me I I want to be more like Christ that doesn't mean that I like I've had some you know whopper sins and I still like there are so many things that the Lord's still working on in me and that I you know like you know the love of money or greed or pride or all those things like are still you know the Lord is I'm not done yet I want to be open I want people to tell me what do you see in my life I don't want it to have to be like that someone has to be so careful about me that they don't at um a church that I was in um a young woman had come to Christ and from another faith and we were studying something and she was like wait a minute it like that was wrong that's a sin like all of you saw me do this for the longest time why didn't anybody nobody said this to me and she was really hurt like that nobody had said anything to her and so you know because she was like I like don't you guys why don't you guys love me enough basically to tell me that that was wrong you have to wait for me to read it like I can't read the whole Bible fast enough that's that's the spirit that we should have when we come to Christ is like I want to be more like Christ and and because I am forgiven I don't have to get my shackles up or my backup about the fact that someone said you know what you're doing is sin. Like they're not there they shouldn't be saying and even if they are you know condemning me I should be going to the Lord and going oh man that's sin show me how to stop doing it but it it should be that uh personally I think it should be that simple for those of us who love Christ we shouldn't make it so hard. Right and we should and personally I think you should have give two you know two or three mature believers permission to walk into your life anytime and say you know tell me when you think I'm doing the wrong thing. I don't want to do it. That's not my intention but I certainly can be led astray by my own flesh. Of course I agree.

SPEAKER_04 33:25

The problem with sin is that we just um if we if we do something often enough believe the lie tell the lie we start to actually believe it and it can lead to a hardened heart. Yes and so you don't want you don't want someone to get hardened because then that's got real extremes you know and anybody in their sphere of influence is going to think things about God that are a lie. You know and so it's just it's just that kind of thing where you just got to look and and and I and I agree with you when we talked about the people with big names and all that kind of stuff that's that's a sphere of influence and depending on your sphere of influence the worse it is when you're leading people astray by your example. So there's reasons to confront sin because in concern for the other person. But so yes I agree with that Lori.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

Yeah because I think like what you know I think that's what Paul did Peter was a leader in the church. His sin was public it was very clear to everybody and so Paul corrected him publicly so that's one way for the more for most of us everyday sinners who are not you know like leading or you know we're not selling million dollars books or what you know millions of books or something but like like like most of us you can pull me aside say you know you're doing this you know but if I'm if I'm sinning in some public way and I'm and I've put myself out there as a public believer then it should be fair game to correct me publicly. You know it's not painful it's not painless it's not pretty but like it you know like that's part of like you know because other people should see that okay what Lori's doing is not representative of Christ like you don't you know like if you don't like the word sin that's fine you could just say like that's not representative of someone who lives like Christ.

SPEAKER_04 35:16

And here's where it says in his word how you should be you know how how it should be don't forget the Matt Matthew 18 principle though you know you start with one-on-one and if the person won't respond then you bring another person along yeah you know and and in public is kind of the last resort um because you want them to have every chance to correct themselves and then you know and not lose their dignity or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 35:46

Love that Julie yeah so it's it it is you know God's not anxious to condemn anybody no matter of fact he did a lot so we wouldn't be condemned so we wouldn't yeah exactly yeah yeah and and Jesus you never see Jesus like condemning he does he did speak harshly he spoke harshly to the Pharisees because they were powerful astray yeah they're blasphemy the Holy Spirit not you know and and they were horrible and people were following them they were the leaders we do what they say well it was pretty hard on Peter when he you know like like the behind me Satan you know there was but when he denied him there was forgiveness like there's forgiveness right away in Christ and yet there's still like we just I guess I I guess for me like taking this taking my sin on him then now like I want sin gone. Sin to me for me sin is like like our problem with like someone who's been addicted to fentanyl they they're so convinced that they need fentanyl that they've forgotten that they weren't designed to have fentanyl in them and those people who are outside of them are like no like it's actually destroying who you are and there was a time when you didn't have fentanyl in you and and and the goal would be to get rid of it and they'd be like well how much fentanyl can I have none zero and that you know that's what how I see sin. Like it is toxic to who God designed me to be it destroys the beautiful design that he made in me or in Julie or in Stacey. It destroys us and so when someone is saying to me that sin, like whatever their issue is if they're feeling better than me or condemning me or whatever, I'm gonna go, oh, have I still got more fentanyl in me like because I'm pretty addicted to sin. I really do feel like I need it but I but I know by faith I don't so thank you for like oh all right I gotta I gotta pay attention to that and I gotta bring it to Jesus and have him take you know help me get rid of that. Does that make sense? Like I don't see this we've turned this into a whole like judgment and you're this and you're that but we don't have to overcorrect by prep pretending that it's nothing.

SPEAKER_00 38:07

Right. And I I don't know if I think that way I mean I can see how you think that way I on the other hand a lot more um gentle with myself because I have been so like I've got to fix this and you know I'm gonna rip it out by the root and it causes all kinds of damage. So I allow the Holy Spirit to move gently I mean he's sometimes he he yanks me by my chain you know and says okay enough but I'm much more gentle about it. I don't think of myself addicted to sin or addicted to fentanyl I think I'm living in this life that we have you know we still live with the flesh and fleshly world and a spiritual world and we're going back and forth and we're constantly fighting it but I'm a lot more gentle on myself than I used to be.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

So I would I would correct you I don't think I try to rip it out I can't rip it out.

SPEAKER_00 39:00

I can't no I'm saying I would yeah yeah no no no I'm not saying you I'm saying I that's how I did it I gotta get the sin out of me darn it I don't want the sin in me I gotta fight this right right and as I get gotten older and been more experienced with Jesus it's like it's a lot more simple and easy. Stacy have you noticed this oh I gotta deal with that one. Stacy you snapped at your mom what was the reason behind that and I go and do the work with it you know so it's a lot more not I'm so addicted to sin you know like some people not you I'm not saying you oh I was gonna say I hope that's not communicated no but anyway so I'm just more gentle than that because I'm all um you know Jude tells us to contend for the faith well what's that faith the gospel of grace and you know if erring on the side of grace is wrong then Jesus swam in a sea of sloppy agape because he was all about it.

SPEAKER_01 40:01

And yet yes I mean but he didn't shy away from saying and and don't and don't say anymore.

SPEAKER_00 40:08

Look how he did it. Right look how he did it. He tried to get people to see the truth and then when they didn't he was a little more firm you know but he we talk about the Pharisees being so horrible and everything but he those are the ones he went to because he wanted he loved them he didn't talk to the Sadducees he went right to the Pharisees and said hey you guys got this you've got all the scriptures you've memorized it all the one thing you don't have is grace. I want to teach you that and so he was constantly working with them on that.

SPEAKER_04 40:41

And when they hardened their hearts that's when he got a little perturbed so well you know hardening your hearts that's that's building a wall between you and truth yes you're believing a lie and you can you cannot hear it. And we've all known people like that.

SPEAKER_01 40:59

They can't hear the truth and you know that's when the Holy Spirit really has some work ahead of him right you know to convict but yeah this is a big topic and um you know I want like one thing I want to distinguish is that like in I believe that in John when it says you know the word condemnation you know there and in Romans 8 where it says there is no condemnation. Yes like we are not like condemnation in my understanding of scripture as those who are condemned already that means eternal separation from God. Like so there's a difference between like like you um Julie was talking about um positional kind of stuff condemnation there's a condemnation that is positional with the Lord once we are that's why he says once we're in Christ there's no condemnation we are not at risk of um spending eternity separated from God um there's also a condemnation a condemning attitude that we need to get rid of that's you know so that's there is a condom there are people who are condemned because they haven't come to Christ that's not a judgment that we make on them that is a position that they are in and so um you know it is wrong for us to have a condemning attitude or condemning demeanors that make sense or I don't even worry about that I don't even I totally let that one go to God and he he's in charge of that one.

SPEAKER_00 42:33

I don't even stress or even think on it.

SPEAKER_04 42:37

But and I think too love and humility have got to go hand in hand when we're dealing with people. Yes I remember the parable that Jesus told about a Pharisees and a uh tax collector and and uh Pharisees prays and says you know thank you I'm not like them and you know I do this I do that but the tax collector he's sort of different distance he was even scared to like try to look God in the face he wouldn't look up to heaven but he beat his breast and said God have mercy on me a sinner and Jesus said this I tell you this man rather than the other went home justified before God for all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Yeah yeah and if we take that principle that he was teaching there I think it's a pretty good guide to how we do need to look at people in sin.

SPEAKER_01 43:26

Yeah no I love that for the grace of God go I right and our brothers and the brothers and sisters who came before us I know I'm guilty sometimes of go of like being like oh I'm so glad I'm not like judgmental like like the church was right instead of like understanding that they were trying to figure it out too and then like well if I'm not being judgmental am I being you know am I still delivering the truth in love you know so yeah and am I prideful about like oh I'm so full of grace that I'm amazing more amazing than the other Christians that went before me. Right. So it's, you know, it's all about um remaining in Christ and listening to the Holy Spirit and yeah, and finding the freedom that he gave us. Yes. Yep. Yes, ladies. Stimulating. Yeah, it was fun.

unknown 44:16

All right.

SPEAKER_01 44:18

See you next time. All right. Thank you guys. Thanks for coming.

SPEAKER_03 44:24

You've been listening to Three Chicks and a Bible. Don't stop now. Keep asking the hard question. Check out our website at threechicksandabible.com where you can respond to this episode, find out more about the three chicks, and submit questions for a future episode. Subscribe to our show from anywhere you get your podcasts. As always, thank you for stopping by.