Are all sins equal?

Question

Would stealing a car be worse than stealing a pencil?

Just to clarify, I'm not asking whether or not stealing a penny is a sin? I'm asking whether a sin like murder would be any worse than a sin like cheating a homework assignment from a theological perspective.

Answer 1

No, they are not all equal. Common sense tells you that. If you listened to your heart you would know that some sins are more serious than other sins.

There is a passage in the Bible that indicates that the consequence of committing sin, any sin, is that you are unworthy to live with God. So, in this one sense all sins are equal. Any sin will keep you out of heaven, even the least of the sins. But there is the contradiction. How can Jesus speak about the least of the commandments if some sins are not more serious than other sins?

How can some commandments be greater than others, yet equal in that all are important? Is this like the book Animal Farm, where all animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others?

Murder is a more serious sin than stealing a candy bar from the store. The law recognizes this. So does God. Each sin will keep you out of God presence, but consider the differences. You can make restitution for stealing a candy bar. You can go back to the store and pay the man four times what the candy bar is worth. But, how can you restore a man to life after you have taken his life?

There are some sins that leave a deeper hole in your soul. Some are more addictive. Some have greater consequences in terms of other souls that you have damaged. The Bible recognizes that not all sins are worthy of death.

There is an unpardonable sin, the sin against the Holy Ghost. . We cannot remove any sin from us, and God can forgive any sin except the unpardonalbe sin. But for some sins God expects more effort on our part to obtain forgiveness than he does for other sins. In this sense all sins are not equal.

Answer 2

Sin is sin and there is no question about that, but there are degrees of sin. Which is worse, if you steal a penny from a multimillionaire, or if you steal the very last dollar from a person who has nothing else? Can you see the degree here? Both are stealing, thats true but they are not equal.

Answer 3

All physical sins are equal and are forgiven with the acceptance of Jesus as Savior. There is the unpardenable sin and that is rejection and damning of God and Jesus.

If you steal a penny or a billion dollars the sin is equal in the eyes of God, not man. If you murder with malace it is the same as stealing a penny.

We will all, everyone on earth in the past, now and in the future will someday stand before God and EVERY knee will bow before him to be judged and we will all fail and be subject to anguish in Hell for ever. No one can escape God's law. However by the simple acceptance of Jesus Christ, He will be our advicate and say our sin was forgiven by His death upon the cross. We will then enter heaven to live in the mansion Jesus is now prepairing for those of us who have accepted Him.

Those of you who do not believe this, someday you will know the truth, but it will be too late, your fate will be sealed.

Answer 4

Are all sins equal, maybe, maybe not. Some have more devistating consequences than others i.e. adultery, stealing; where as lying only hurts those that it is directed against.

Each person has to look and see what a sin means to them and how devistating it can be. I, myself, look at lying to be the worst because it takes something out of the soul and it can't be returned.

Answer 5

No.

The Bible is clear that some sins are "stronger" than others. This is why the Catholic Church classifies some sins as "venial" and some as "mortal."

The mortal ones, as you can imagine, are the worst ones.

See 1 John 16:17. (That's one of the letters toward the end of the New Testament -- not the Gospel of John, which is a different work.)

Answer 6

That's a very good question: All sin is sin I believe but I also read in the Bible that when Jesus returns a second time he will have his reward with him to give unto everyman according to his works. It would be hard to believe that Hitler would get the same punnishment as someone who commits adultery or steals. I think in his fairness and love the wicked will get what they deserve not more not less. All will receive his just reward as Jesus says that EACH individual will, he didn't say all sinners will get one punnishment he singled out each individual. That's what I think.

Answer 7

Sin is created in the heart, that is what Jesus kept trying to get across to us.

That's why He said that "you've heard (from the old Testatament) it's a sin to commit adultery, but I say to you, a man who commits adultery in his heart has already committed the sin".

It also says that God does not see sin, it is all blackness to Him, which I guess is a way of saying that no matter whether you steal a cookie from the store or commit adultery or murder, the black stain is there on your soul.

Answer 8

The bible says so. It's not my call, but I sure have a hard time equalizing child molestation with shoplifting a candy bar. I think what we need to remember is that it won't be us doing the judging, and He will judge by the heart, which we can't do. So basically, I leave it in his hands, since I'm apparently not unprejudiced about certain sins, like serial killers and child molesters. Luckily, we're not suppose to be perfect or we wouldn't need saving in the first place.

Answer 9

No. But if you break one commandment, you're guilty of breaking them all.

Murder is not the same as stealing nor should the punishment be the same. However, a sin, no matter how big or small, is still a sin.

Answer 10

No - blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. It is the only one though. So otherwise, a lie is as horrible as a murder in the eyes of God, only mankind ranks sins in degrees. God doesn't forgive sins in degrees either, it's all or nothing. He cast them all away forever when you ask him into your heart, not a license for you to continue in your sins, but to turn from them, even though we will still sin in our humanness. But when the Holy Spirit convicts you of your need for Christ, don't turn it away.