The Second Greatest Sin Ever Committed

As man, we tend to rank sin.  I don’t believe God does.  Missing the mark, breaking God’s laws, big sin, little sin … it doesn’t matter … sin is sin.

But even so, I’ve been thinking about what I believe may have been the two greatest sins ever committed by man.  I’m not sure how to rank them as first and second.

So I’m going to say that the sin committed by Eve, while  she was still in the Garden of Eden … by virtue of being the first sin which resulted in the fall of man spiritually, gets to claim that honor or dishonor as it may be.

Also, another outgrowth from that original sin, gave Satan … as Eve’s tempter … the power to become, "the god of this world." 

Looking next for the second worst or second greatest sin ever committed by man is a relatively easy choice at least for me.  He’s the one person that Jesus said in Matthew 26:24 … "it would have been better for this man had he never been born." 

This man is … Judas.

Part of the Judas story of betrayal is found in John 13:2-30 … "And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him ..."

"Having now put betrayal into the heart of Judas" …  The meaning of this passage is that Satan "inclined" the mind of Judas to do this, made him feel willing or favorably disposed to sell Him out ... Satan tempted him to betray the Lord.

Satan can tempt no one unless there is some inclination of the mind, some natural tendency or propensity; a disposition to behave in a certain way, something naturally born in our flesh that he can make use of.  Satan can present temptations of all types fitted to the propensity that he already knows about in each individual's soul, which is tied closer to the flesh than to the spirit; and because he is already under the influence of a strong inherent inclination to do so … then man yields to this personal temptation.  

In the case of Judas this propensity was … the love of money … and it was necessary only to present to him the possibility of obtaining money, and it found him ready and willing to "betray" Jesus.

Satan's end game in this temptation was to work upon Judas "to betray" Christ into the hands of His enemies, in order to put Him to death.  All of this was known by Jesus, which He prophesied to His disciples that one of them would betray Him; yet it was an action which one would think, could never have entered into the heart of Judas … had not the devil put it there.

  

Judas was an apostle of Christ's; and from this we should all learn even the highest office, and greatest gifts, cannot keep men from the temptations of Satan.  The manner in which he tempted him was this … Satan "put" which means "cast" a fiery dart into his very heart (thoughts or mind); which shows the access Satan has into, and the influence he has upon … the minds of men. 

Wasn't this temptation of Judas just about the same as Satan's temptation of Eve in the Garden 4,000 years earlier?  With both, he planted new thoughts and lies in their minds.  Satan’s game plan hasn’t changed in 6,000 years.  He is still temping man in the very same way today as then. 

When men can sin, knowing that God sees it all, it shows that the heart is fully set in them to do evil, and there is nothing that will restrain them from sin.  God will not interfere with a man's choice, with a man's free will.  This is why there is so much evil in the world today, just as then.  

Judas was "free" to do his evil deed ... and he did.