Does God show favoritism to those who are saved compared to those who are not yet saved? Is this just?
Questions:
There are scriptures that seem to indicate that before we become Christians, it really doesn’t matter how much we sin–whether we sin much or little, we die spiritually, and become lost. For example:
– Adam and Eve sinned only once and they died
– Paul says in Eph 2:5 that “we were dead in our transgressions”, he speaks all inclusively about mankind, and doesn’t specify how many transgressions we need to commit to become dead.
– In Rom 5:14 Paul says that death ruled on those people who did not sin in the likeness of Adam. Again, it seems like one sin is enough to cause spiritual death.
– The famous Rom 3:23 that “all have sinned and are in want of the glory of God”, again looks like God doesn’t care how much a person has sinned, all have sinned, all are unworthy of God.
– The other famous scripture Rom 6:23: “The wages of sin is death..” again it seems like no matter how much we sin, we’re done.
– Jesus said that no one can go to the Father except through Him, again it looks like something separates us from the Father without Jesus, and we can assume from the other scriptures above that it is sin.
However, there are scriptures that clearly indicate that only the continual sinful lifestyle results in spiritual death:
– Jam 1:15 “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
– Heb 10:26-27 “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
How can we reconcile these seemingly contradictory verses? I can only reconcile them by assuming that outside of Christ even one sin is fatal, but in Christ we have the gift of the blood of Jesus, so only many sins lead to spiritual death. But the problem is that it leads to another contradiction:
– Jesus said in Lk 12:47-48 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
– Other passages say that God will judge without favoritism, and that favoritism is sin. So he can’t condemn a non-Christian person more severely because he’s non-Christian, and show favoritism to another person who is a Christian.
I believe that God is harder on people who are non-Christians (who don’t know his will), because God condemns them for even one sin, but He’s more tolerant with Christians (who know His will), and they are condemned for deliberately and continually sinning only, then this contradicts Lk 12:47-48 and the favoritism passages. I don’t see clearly in this matter. Do you know an explanation for this problem?
Answer:
I can see that you have thought this question through on your own very carefully and put a lot of time and energy into it. I want to commend you, both for your desire for truth, and for your willingness to put in the time and energy to pursue it.
Your first point seems to be well-taken. The Bible never actually says in those exact words that one sin will result in our losing our eternal relationship with God, but all the passages you quote, and others as well, seem to imply that this is the case. Anyone who sins is a sinner, and anyone who breaks even a single law is a lawbreaker (James 2:10)
Then you found two passages which, to you, seem to be at odds with this clear picture. The first, James 1:15 is stated in broad terms and may not be a precise prescription we can use to establish a doctrine, as it is talking about what leads to sin, generally, and where sin leads us to, generally. This passage is not a good proof text either way. It does not prove that even the first sin we commit creates damnation. Neither does it prove that we get to commit a few sins, and when these sins become “full grown,” it is then that we lose our saved state. Could this “full grown” sin be the first one we commit, or could it be something that follows soon thereafter? I am not sure. Therefore this is certainly a relevant passage for your question, but its meaning is not absolutely certain. Proper hermeneutics leaves us a bit uncertain on the precise interpretation of James 1:15.
But the other passage you mention, Hebrews 10:26-31 (I am expanding it a bit) IS a passage which clearly states that it is not the first sin which condemns us. This can be seen as a contradiction of what was said above, so it needs a response. The answer is this, and it is fairly clear. This passage is a reference to the sins committed by a saved person. Such a person has been washed if his/her sins in the blood of Jesus. 1 John 1:7 and many other passages tell us that Christians are saved and are forgiven, not only of sins committed before baptism, but also of sins committed after baptism. The passage in Hebrews 10 is describing what we often call “falling away.” In fact, this phrase is found in Hebrews 6:4-6. A person who has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus is capable of losing that salvation if they 1. Willfully and 2. Continually sin. This is NOT a contradiction to the passages you list above because they concern out state with God before we are saved. Hebrews 10:26-31 concerns people after they are saved. I can see from your comments that you are already inclined to see it this way.
If we stick to the letters, this remains a seemingly straightforward doctrine. However, in the gospels Jesus occasionally said things in parables or even in his direct teaching that can be confusing. Luke 12:47-48 is one of those passages. It seems to imply that the intensity of our consequences of sin in hell are dependent on how many sins we have committed, or on the amount of knowledge we have of God’s will when we sin. Jesus said things in the parables, such as the Parable of the Talents, which imply that there may be different levels of reward in heaven as well. This comes in parables mainly, and is not fleshed-out in the letters, so I think we will have to remain somewhat vague on exactly what this means.
However, what is biblically clear is this: There is a “place” of reward, and a “place” of punishment. All of us want to be in the place of reward, and we want as many as possible to be there as well. None of us want either ourselves or those we know and love (and even those we do not know) to go there. That there seem to be levels of reward and punishment makes sense, from the point of view of justice, but that it is left somewhat vague by the Scriptures is something we will need to accept. These passages do not contradict, but they give different kinds of information.
Your last comments concern favoritism on the part of God. You notice that God appears to judge the non-Christian more harshly than the Christian, and to you that is favoritism, which is a sin. I can see how one might see it this way. But then again, simply the act of offering salvation to ANYONE can be seen as favoritism. True? God is God, and he is the judge. God also offers salvation, but not everyone chooses to avail themselves of this grace. I suppose we can think of salvation as favoritism, but I do not see it that way. God has offered us the opportunity to be saved. When we are saved, there is a definite advantage!!!! For example, not only are our sins beforehand punished, but our sins after being redeemed are also forgiven, provided that we do not fall away (Hebrews 6:4-6) and do not willfully and continually sin (Hebrews 10:26-31). It is not crazy idea for you to call this favoritism, I suppose, but when we are saved we become God’s adopted children, and any parent offers favored status to their own children. Parental favoritism is not sinful. This is not the sin of favoritism, which is to have two people is the same theoretical situation, but to favor one over another for arbitrary reasons. Again, you can call salvation favoritism if you like. It is not an outlandish use of vocabulary! But I prefer to use different language and I will not accuse God of favoritism on Judgement Day. I say thank you to God for favoring me with salvation.
John Oakes
