So You Think You Are Bad

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:28-32

These warnings from Paul are a poignant reminder of the danger of "rating" our sin. To think that you only gossip a little-that's not so bad- well, Paul uses that in the same sentence as "God-haters." Notice what Paul is doing: he is listing sin without categorizing it. He is making no comparisons, no contrasts, no arguments- except that sin deserves death.

It's amazing how we have allowed the devil such a foothold in this area. Not only does he tempt us with sin, into sin, but he also fools us into thinking we are still ok, because we aren't as bad as so-and-so, the murderer/slanderer/wicked one.

But you see, Paul is showing us that all sin is deplorable in God's sight. And sin should become deplorable to us too. We should be disgusted with sin, and with ourselves when we give into temptation.

I am often led to the smallest part of myself, where I realize and recognize the true wickedness within me, and feel such guilt and despair. My prayer is that I will develop a larger sense of myself, where I quickly and easily recognize my weaknesses and areas of temptation, and want so much of God that I refuse to settle for anything less. As we look through Paul's writings, especially here in Romans, I believe this was his prayer.

John 3:30 records John the Baptist's prayer,"He must become greater; I must become less."

As He becomes greater in our lives we have less tolerance for sin of any kind, "big" or "small." So I echo John as I pray tonight: "He must become greater; I must become less."