One of Saint Paul’s claims is that he was the worst of sinners. Since then he has been followed by a long chain of sinners who have become saints. In fact, more than one writer has commented on how sometimes the best saints come from thoroughly sinful stock. I suspect that it is because of the dynamic that Our Lord himself pointed out, that those who are forgiven much love much. It is as though that large chasm of sin in the lives of the worst of sinners is replaced to overflowing by an even larger ocean of grace. Mind you, as Saint Paul warns, this does not in any way mean that we should sin more so that grace may abound more. Rather, it is that grace always fills to overflowing (and beyond) those parts of our life that were mired deep in sin. The deeper the chasm, the more grace that our God gives.
But, I have also noticed–as have many–that the worse the sinner, the more likely that the person is to become involved in reaching out to others in practical ways, and yes, in evangelism. It is as though the ocean of grace that submerges totally their chasm of sin so changes their lives that they themselves become like refreshing rainstorms to others who are living through the same dry land from which they came. It is not like that for those who have not been forgiven much.
I suspect that some who are reading this are ready to jump in and say that we are all sinners and that all our righteousness is as filthy rags, so that in a sense we are all the worst of sinners. Well, there may be some theological truth in that, but that is not precisely how Scripture handles the subject of sin. There are sins which are unto death and sins which are not (1 John). There are sins which, if they are committed regularly, will keep someone out of the Kingdom of God, but there are those that will not so (Saint Paul). There is at least one sin considered unforgivable (blasphemy of the Holy Spirit). In other words, it may be theologically true that we are all sinful and unable to enter the Kingdom of God through our own works, but it is not true that therefore all sins are equal. They are not.
But that is all to say that I have noticed lately how when the worst of sinners begin to follow the Lord, they so often become the best of saints. Tomorrow I will have a story for you to illustrate that.
===MORE TO COME===
Father, Can you tell me how we can sin against the Holy Spirit? That scripture has always made me think about how that could happen. Also, from my Catholic background, I am familiar with different types of sin, (they would call it venial or mortal sin) but in Orthodox bible studies people laugh at that concept. Val
They should stop laughing at you. Saint Nikodemus the Hagiorite in his Manual classifies sin into various categories. See: (Nicodemus, , and George Dokos. Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession : a Book Most Profitable to the Soul : Containing Concise Instruction to the Spiritual Father on How to Conduct a Fruitful Confession, the Canons of St. John the Faster Meticulously Interpreted, Pleasing Counsel for the Penitent on How to Confess As One Should, and a Homily on Repentance Profitable to the Soul : Gathered from Various Teachers and Put into Good Order. Thessalonica: Uncut Mountain Press, 2006. Print.)
Saint Nikodemus has seven classes of sin:
1. Pardonable
2. Near the pardonable
3. Non-mortal
4. Near the non-mortal
5. Between the mortal and the non-mortal
6. Near the mortal
7. Mortal
He is not the only Orthodox saint who classifies sin. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov in his book, “A Word On Death” has a chapter titled Mortal sin. In it he says:
It has been said earlier that mortal sin of an Orthodox Christian, not being cured by repentance, submits him to eternal suffering; it has also been said that the unbelievers, Muslims, and other non-orthodox, even here are the possession of hell, and are deprived of any hope of salvation, being deprived of Christ, the only means of salvation. Mortal sins for Christians are the next: heresy, schism, blasphemy, apostasy, witchery, despair, suicide, fornication, adultery, unnatural carnal sins,* incest, drunkenness, sacrilege, murder, theft, robbery, and every cruel and brutal injury. Only one of this sins—suicide—cannot be healed by repentance, and every one of them slays the soul and makes the soul incapable of eternal bliss, until he/she cleans himself/herself with due repentance. If a man falls but once in any of these sins, he dies by soul: For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. (James 2:10,11)
The Orthodox Church may not have a formal doctrine of mortal sin, thus people are free to believe in two classes or seven classes, but those who claim that it is not Orthodox to believe in different types of sin need to read a little wider.
It seems to me that you are disagreeing with Jesus. He told us exactly why we go to Heaven or Hell. In Matt 25:31-46 He divided the sheep from the goats and told the sheep why they were going to heaven. He told the goats exactly why they were going to Hell. Neither explanation had anything to do with sin. My guess is because sin can be forgiven, but indifference can not. If this interpretation is correct, then this is the most important part of the Bible.