Direct Answer
A church that believed this would treat sin as a deadly disease that needs urgent care. A person who believed it would take every sin seriously, even sins done without intent.
Support from the Message
- Early Christian words about sin were strict and uncompromising. Sin was a poison, a cancer, and a spiritual leprosy that spreads and destroys. - Irenaeus said Naaman's washing in the Jordan was a sign for us, because we are lepers in sin. - Sins committed without intent or knowledge still stain the soul, and sins a person is aware of strike and wound it. - Grave sins committed constantly form open sores, and the soul becomes addicted to the very poison that kills it. - Jason Willis says this passion against sin seems to be lacking in our time.
Discussion Follow-up
Which sin in your life have you been treating as a small mistake? How would you handle it if you saw it as a spreading disease?