I’ve never really written about my Christian faith in any of my articles thus far, but I figured why not today. I am a Christian man raised by Christian parents and I am proud to be one. Christianity, like many religions, provides me with solace throughout my life and lifts me up when I’m feeling low. With that in mind, after a conversation I had with my little brother I was inspired to write about one aspect of Christianity that we both love: Equality.
Christianity is the ultimate promoter of equality amongst us all. Throughout my life, I’ve seen many Christians who feel that their devotion to their faith gives them a sort of high ground over other people. Anyone who’s familiar with Christianity knows the type person I mean: The type to hold an arrogant tone toward anyone they perceive as a less devoted Christian than themselves. The type constantly watching, judging, and tallying score about what a sinner other people are as opposed to themselves. It’s something everyone has done to some extent at some time, but, as my brother and I agreed, we shouldn’t.
The bible is a very big book, so it’s easy to forget some of what was written in it, but one thing that’s obvious is that sin is a part of human nature. Remember that week you didn’t commit any sins at all? Of course you don’t. We’re all only human and, as the Bible says, being human comes with the inherent nature to commit sin. Sin, for all of us, is unavoidable. From the person who goes to church every day to the person who attends on a sporadic basis, we all sin the same.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we shouldn’t try our best to live lives free of sin, but the point here is that WE ALL SIN. Every last one of us. We’re all equal in that regard; no amount money, no amount of possessions you own, and no difference in looks sets you apart in this regard. Only one man ever lived his life free of sin and his name was Jesus. So unless you’re God himself, there’s no reason to “high road” anyone or look down on each other.
On the contrary, the notion of human equality in sin should unify us and help us to work with each other to live better lives. We all go through the same struggles, we all deal with the same pitfalls, and we’re all just trying to get by. Prejudice, hate, and judgement all become moot under this light.
That’s why it’s so important for Christians to remember to not to be too critical of other people. In fact, try not to be too critical of yourself either. No one is perfect and you’d die trying to be, but we can all just try to be the best versions of ourselves.