Views on what makes a sin terrible or acceptable.
The congregation had it's own view on what sins were terrible, and what wasn't so bad.
They saw divorce, homosexuality and immorality as being almost unforgiveable.
One day Paul and Gill (names changed) started to attend the church, and everyone was pleased to see two new faces in the congregation.
Everything was going well, but then they said that they were remarried, and an awful silence descended on the church!
It was just too much for the congregation to cope with. It broke right into their taboo area.
Everyone was 'accepted' as long as they stayed out of the 'taboo area', which in this church was divorce, homosexuality and immorality.
The new couple had broken the rules - even though it had happened years ago and had been worked through with each other and with the Lord.
Paul and Gill could never be truly accepted into the church family, so after a while they left.
The fact of whether they had been forgiven by God or not, wasn't the issue for this congregation, it was solely that they had been divorced.
There may have been greed, anger, jealousy, etc, within the rest of the people, but in their eyes, these things were not so bad.
There are several verses to remember in situations like this:
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
1 John 1:8-10 (NIV)
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
"I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name."
1 John 2:12 (NIV)
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