There Are No Little Sins
Refuse to believe the lie that sins are measured by size.
The truth is this: there are no little sins.
Paul takes direct aim at this concept when, after warning the Ephesian believers about the clear and present danger of sexual sin (Ephesians 4:19), he also exhorts them to resist the less apparent sins of lying, bitterness, and shouting, commanding they be “removed from you” (4:25-31).
He follows this same pattern in chapter 5, reminding the church that not one hint of sexual immorality should be named among them. But neither should there be any seed of greed. Wage war against both.
Essentially, Paul clearly and collectively groups both outward sin, what we often falsely refer to as “big,” with inward sin, what we unfortunately label as “little.” Both are deceitfully dangerous and destructively deadly and should be resisted equally. When we see sin in terms of size, assuming there are “little lies” or “quick looks” that don’t matter, we fall into the very trap Satan has set.
I suspect this may be how Adam and Eve fell for the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3). Convinced deceitfully by Satan that God wouldn’t carry out his promised punishment if they disobeyed (3:4), perhaps they reasoned to themselves, “It’s just one bite. Death seems harsh for such a small infraction.” But that one sinful bite plunged them, every person born thereafter, into death and depravity.
Seeing sin in sizes may be why Achan took some of the spoils from Jericho, even though the Lord clearly commanded every Israelite not to take any of the battle’s leftovers (Joshua 6:18-19). Perhaps he assumed it was just one simple nugget of gold. Just one nice garment. Just one handful of silver. But the next day, he and his entire family paid a large price for what he thought, at the time, was a small sin—death.
It’s no surprise, then, that James would write the following words about all sin: when it is finished, it brings forth death (James 1:14). Every sin is a noose from your enemy, the Devil. And there are no lifesaving nooses. Every one of them kills.
Today and this week, resist the temptation to categorize your sin as “big” and “little.” Refuse to think some matter, others don’t. See all sin as deadly, and commit to, by the power of God’s Spirit and God’s Word, killing it, not managing it.
Pastor Todd