You deserve to die, and not peacefully in your sleep. No, you merit a lingering, conscious death, overflowing with pain, blisters, acrimonious regret, and bitter cowering. You should suffer from intolerable thirst with a desert-dry mouth. You should have to dodge the bared teeth of your fellow criminals as you wail in angry sorrow, minute after minute, days upon days, years without end.

Make no mistake; this is what you rate.

Here's why. From your first coherent thought, you've been a rebel and a lawbreaker. You've defied your parents, you've wished ill upon your enemies, you've betrayed your friends, you've cheated your children, you've stolen time from your employer, and you've declined to help those in need. You've lied, you've gossiped, and you've taken revenge. You've taken what's not yours, you've wanted what others have, and you've delighted in others' misfortunes. It's your very nature. Denying it? Really?? Liar.

But all that is just the maggoty appetizer. That's just the human-on-human stuff. Your most egregious crimes are directed upwards. From your first coherent thought, you've been a rebel and a lawbreaker. You've made your own morality, you've determined what's good enough, you've argued with God, and you, a mere creature, have tried to lock the creator out of his throne room and take his place. You consider yourself to be the judge of yourself.  It's your very nature.

But I sound like I'm judging you. I'm not. I don't know you, and even if I did, I am not qualified to be your judge. Besides, I'm even worse. But if I were your judge, I'd make sure that you get what you deserve, and then I'd make sure that I get some ice cream.

It's perhaps a good thing for both of us that justification of either of us depends upon neither of us.

Labels: justification, sin, sinners