The terrible condition of man's heart will never be recognized by people who assess it only in relation to other men. Romans 14:3 makes plain that depravity is our condition in relation to God primarily, and only secondarily in relation to man. Unless we start here we will never grasp the totality of our natural depravity.
--John Piper
We tend to compare people to people, and can get a "too generous" assessment, as this old story goes:
There were two scandalous brothers who oppressed the people of their town by various means. One of the brothers died. The surviving brother sought out the pastor the day before the funeral and handed him a check for the amount needed to finish paying for the church's new building.
"I have only one condition," he said. "At his funeral, you must say my brother was a saint." The pastor gave his word and deposited the check.
The next day, at the funeral, the pastor did not hold back. "He was an evil man," he said. "He cheated on his wife and abused his family." He went on in this vein for a small time, and the surviving brother was clearly fuming in his seat.
"But," the pastor concluded, "compared to his brother, he was a saint!"
