I have enough waywardness and self-deceptions to know that it's hard to truly accept the purifying fire of God's love. To live "in Christ" is to be between the hammer and the anvil, forged into an entirely new creature. But there is no safe place in the Universe except "in Christ."
Mrs. Don-o, Thank you for a sensible reply.
Many are prone to lumping all of any ilk of sinner into a huge mixing bowl and calling each the same.
I agree that there is a substantial difference between those who flaunt their sins and those who repent (again and again and again) of their sins. Paul lamented that he kept finding himself doing the evil that he would not do and not doing the good that he would do - even those who had contact with Jesus (pre and post Resurrection) could not fully resist Satan's temptations.
I actually feel a bit sorry for those who "condemn from high" because I know they are fooling themselves about their own purity because they have "worse cases" to judge themselves against. They do not seem to recall, that under the original 10 Commandments and the Old Covenant, the wages of any sin, however large or small, was death (eternity aawy fro the Lord) and without Jesus, we would all be hopelessly condemned because He didn't just tidy up the basically good, He washed away all our sins; past/present/future and God told Jeremiah that when the New Covenant came, He would forgive our wickedness and recognize our sins no more - many seem to have trouble grasping it.
Anyway - thanks for your response.
How does that parallel a sin the supplicant uses as an identity?
I actually feel a bit sorry for those who "condemn from high" because I know they are fooling themselves about their own purity....
Pot...kettle.
Have you ever read the Bible for yourself? There were many more than Ten Commandments in the Old Testament, not all of which were punished by death.