Do Christians REALLY believe that lying and murder are the same?

Question

Come on. Do you REALLY believe that?
If God sees lying and murder as the same thing, why should we punish criminals? IF the all knowing, all wise creator has just as much problem (or non-problem) with liars and killers, then we should be the same! Why should there be punishment for people who kill, but are clearly no danger to society.
Like, If I wanted to kill my spouse because he cheated on me, just the thought, some say, is just like doing it. But him lying to me about the mistress is just as bad as me killing him for it, so why should I have to go to jail?
It's not like I would kill anyone else.

Answer 1

You can't lump all people into believing exactly the same thing.
Obviously if all christans believed that, christian societies wouldn't have made laws with different penalties.

Answer 2

That is what it says in the Bible and when literally taken is misinforming.It is one of those verses that when read allows God to see inside of the readers soul deeply to measure where they are in their belief in Him.This helps Him tell how much the reader can handle within the realms of endowing wisdom,faith,lessons,understanding; gifts from Heavenly places,how far He can exist in the believers mind makes Him put forth the proper plans for them.The point of saying that lying is equal to murder brings about a wonder in the readers mind that evaluates their own personal relationship with Him by their asking of whether or not the God they know would be capable of an equal punishment for both sins.
I personally believe the God I have studied so long to know would not bring anyone lying to the same Hell that a murderer would suffer but different Hells that would suffice in the teaching of lessons.
Sometimes,in some cases it is seen moreso than others, by following the trail or marks that are made through a family,neighborhood,or society by the ravages of a lie...these intruding sinful lies meant purposely to hurt others can be almost as devastating as murder to people...even a spiritual murder.Killing anothers spirit or breaking someones accomplishments of the heart down is like a spiritual death for them.
So this is why we need to watch the words and intentions that come from our mouths.
God be with you always.

Answer 3

On the surface most christians do believe this doctrine. However if you get right down to how they act, they do not. However, from a biblical standpoint, God does see these as equally heinieous. As for punishment on these issues. If you were to look in the old testament you would find that most of the punishments we have for murder are remarkably similar to those of the Deuteronomical law. God set up the severity of the punishment in the first place not us. Also these sins are equal in Gods eyes but they do not have the same ramifications in our world so the punishments should be different because murder is worse to us than say lying.

Answer 4

It is always difficult and dangerous to attempt to list sins according to their degree of seriousness. In one sense, all sins are equal in that they all separate us from God. The Bible's statement, "For the wages of sin is death ..." (Romans 6:23), applies to all sin, whether of thought, word, or deed.

At the same time, it seems obvious that some sins are worse than others in both motivation and effects and should be judged accordingly. Stealing a loaf of bread is vastly different than exterminating a million people. Sins may also differ at their root. Theologians have sought for centuries to determine what the essence of sin is. Some have chosen sensuality, others selfishness, and still others pride or unbelief. In the Old Testament, God applied different penalties to different sins, suggesting variations in the seriousness of some sins. A thief paid restitution; an occult practitioner was cut off from Israel; one who committed adultery or a homosexual act or cursed his parents was put to death (see Exodus, chapter 22 and Leviticus, chapter 20).

In the New Testament Jesus said it would be more bearable on the day of judgment for Sodom than for Capernaum because of Capernaum's unbelief and refusal to repent at His miracles (Matthew 11:23-24). The sins of Sodom were identified in Ezekiel 16:21 as arrogance, gluttony, indifference to the poor and needy, haughtiness, and "detestable things." When Jesus spoke of his second coming and judgment, he warned that among those deserving punishment some would "be beaten with many blows" and others "with few blows" (Luke 12:47-48). He also reserved His most fierce denunciations for the pride and unbelief of the religious leaders, not the sexually immoral (Matthew 23:13-36).

However, remember that whether our sins be relatively small or great, they will place us in hell apart from God's grace. The good news is that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and the sins of the whole world at the Cross. If we will repent and turn to Jesus in faith, our sins will be forgiven, and we will receive the gift of eternal life.

Answer 5

The Bible does not teach that all sin is the same. In fact there are several verses that list off specific sins that God hates, such as cowardice. Which is where we get the phrase God hates a coward. Sins have varying levels of punishment. If God thought all sins were the same he would not have instituted varying punishments to be enacted in Israel. However it is true that all sins are the same in the sense that all sin is sin. It's like saying all dogs are basically the same even though breeds vary widely. The sameness of sin has to do with its nature, not its effects.

Answer 6

I hope that didn't happen to you but killing him would be revenge. So there is a whole lot more to this. Cain murdered his brother and God would not let anyone harm him. So you have adultery, fornication, lying, murder, hate, anger, revenge. Then you have the feelings of self pity, jealousy. Remember to turn the other cheek, forgiveness and all that. It's all me, me, me. Oh course murder is different, the old testament you would pay for that sin with your life. But Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins. It doesn't matter what it is, He took care of that. Only Jesus knows our heart, whether we are truly repentant or not. By the way adultery is such a horrible sin, it not only ruins a marriage, it hurts the children. It does terrible things to children.

Answer 7

that's why we are not God.. our thoughts is not His thougts, our ways is not His way.. for me whatever sin you have committed it's all the same to Him.. sin is the transgression of law and lying which is a sin and murder which is also a sin is a transgression of the law of God (for sure you know that, both those things are in the 10 commandments) so it means that lying and murder is not the same but it has the same value because they are both sin which is the transgression of the law.. and sin always starts on the mind and once you act upon it then it will be another sin and sin at the end will bring forth death..

and everything that is happening about in our lives is a test.. it's whether you trust Him that He knows what He is doing or blame Him for everything that is going on with your life which wont do anything good to you nor to the situation you are in now.. and btw, when you married him are you sure you did that in accordance with His will for you or you trusted yourself that you know what's best for you?

Answer 8

jane l,
Okay! Hold on, you are referencing two different veiwpoints. Me a human, sees that here is a great difference between murder and lying. They ae no where near the same, unless the lie actually purposely gets someone killed.

But we are not God. To God, it's ALL a symptom of sin. And sin is going to get wiped out. So to Him, it might as well all be the same. He won't treat it any different.

Answer 9

In a sense, they are the same thing: they are both forms of theft. Murder is stealing someone's life. Lying is stealing someone's right to the truth.

Answer 10

Humans judge the quality of sin based on how it makes them feel. God bases sin on the sole fact that it is sin. Wrong is wrong no matter what you did. The point that Christians are trying to make is that no matter what you should be careful of the things you do. Wrong is wrong. People try to justify themselves of wrong doings by comparing it to what they consider a worse crime. God is saying not to compare yourself with others. Consider your sins.