Are all sins considered equal?

Question

Isn't being a greedy person worse than being a lazy person ?

Answer 1

Jesus told Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin" (John 19:11).

If there is a greater sin, there must also be lesser sins. Luke 12:47-48 teaches that the servant who knew His master's will and did not do it is worthy of more stripes then the one who did not know the master's will. He must have committed the greater sin. I believe that Matthew 11:20-24 teaches that the cities where Jesus ministered were guilty of greater sin than cities like Sodom, Tyre and Sidon in the past. God considers some sins to be greater and therefore other sins to be lesser in deserving punishment.

Sins are also greater or lesser in the harm that they cause. Some sins bring greater reproach to God (2Samuel 12:14). Others bring more harm to others (1Thessalonians 4:5-6). Others are greater or lesser in their natural results. All sin is evil. However, the Bible definitely makes a distinction between sins many times.

Answer 2

It's not how bad the sin is, it is the condition of the heart that concerns God. Being greedy is bad, and so is being lazy. Is one less a sin than another? Depends on the effect to the heart. Perhaps the only thing the lazy person need do to atone for his "sin" is to get up and get moving, and the greedy person needs to recompense some people to atone for his "sin".

Perhaps the greedy person is that way because they've lived in absoloute poverty, and while they have many other fine characteristics, including love, they have this one little "sin" that bogs 'em down. While the lazy person may just be a spoiled rotten person. Who knows? Only God.

Answer 3

All sin is equal in the eyes of God as far as punishment goes. That is, the punishment for all sin, regardless of what it is, is the same. It's spiritual death which is eternal separation from God.

However, God does say that some sins are particularly abominable in his eyes. So God does say that some are worse than others. But the punishment for them is the same.

In your example I would say: Isn't being greedy the same as being lazy? Being greedy means you are selfish. Being lazy is being selfish (or greedy) with your time. I see them as really the same thing, selfishness. They just manifest in a person's life differently.

Answer 4

In Matthew 5:21-28, Jesus equates committing adultery with having lust in your heart, and committing murder with having hatred in your heart. However, this does not mean the sins are equal. What Jesus was trying to get across to the Pharisees was that it is still sin even if you only think about or want to do the act. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day taught people that it was okay to think about anything you wanted to, as long as you did not act on those desires. Jesus is forcing them to realize that God judges a person’s thoughts as well as their actions. Jesus proclaimed that our actions are the results of what is in our hearts (Matthew 12:34).

So, although Jesus said that lust and adultery are both sins – that does not mean they are equal. It is much worse to actually murder a person than it is to simply hate them – even though they are both sinful in God’s sight. There are degrees to sin. Some sins are worse than others. At the same time, in regards to both eternal consequences and salvation, all sins are the same. Each and every sin will lead to eternal condemnation (Romans 6:23). All sin, no matter how “small,” is against an infinite and eternal God, and is therefore worthy of an infinite and eternal penalty. Further, this is no sin too “big” that God cannot forgive it. Jesus died to pay the penalty for sin (1 John 2:2). Jesus died for ALL of our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). Are all sins equal to God? Yes and no. In severity? No. In penalty? Yes. In forgivability? Yes.

Recommended Resource: Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie.

Answer 5

I don't think they are all equal. In Proverbs 6:16-19 there is a list of seven things that God hates. Sins related to these 7 things are probably worse than those that God is just not pleased with.

Answer 6

Loki I love this question by the way.

This is my perspective as a Christian.

In a way consequences the effect sin has on our lives make them different. However Sin cuts us off from God and all sin does that no matter what it is and this is because God is absolute righteousness and can't look on sin. That's why when Jesus was on the cross he asked why the Father has forsaken him. So at that time Jesus has the whole of the worlds sin that existed and will exist upon him. He in his humanity could only feel this great gulf of separation between them. That gulf that Jesus felt was the gulf that his death filled like a bridge for us to walk over when we accept Jesus as Lord.

Answer 7

I have been researching this myself but have yet to come to a conclusion.

I will say this -- in man's eye a greedy person is worse than a lazy person (I guess), but in God's eye it's all sin. How do we know? Because he names all the sins and transgressions in the Bible.

So it doesn't matter if you are greedy or lazy or a murderer -- if you don't repent, you're going to hell. Period.

Answer 8

Sin is about what you do or don't do, not about what you are. Don't look for comfort in thinking that your sins are trivial compared to someone else's. Just make sure that you are doing your best, even if you are greedy and lazy.

Answer 9

Depending on the gravity of sin one is punished differently.

SB 6.1.8 P The History of the Life of Ajamila
The dharma-sastras like the Manu-samhita prescribe that a man who has committed murder should be hanged and his own life sacrificed in atonement. Previously this system was followed all over the world, but since people are becoming atheists, they are stopping capital punishment. This is not wise. Herein it is said that a physician who knows how to diagnose a disease prescribes medicine accordingly. If the disease is very serious, the medicine must be strong. The weight of a murderer's sin is very great, and therefore according to Manu-samhita a murderer must be killed. By killing a murderer the government shows mercy to him because if a murderer is not killed in this life, he will be killed and forced to suffer many times in future lives. Since people do not know about the next life and the intricate workings of nature, they manufacture their own laws, but they should properly consult the established injunctions of the sastras and act accordingly. In India even today the Hindu community often takes advice from expert scholars regarding how to counteract sinful activities. In Christianity also there is a process of confession and atonement. Therefore atonement is required, and atonement must be undergone according to the gravity of one's sinful acts.

Answer 10

All sins or any sin is enough to be thrown into hell. However all sins are not equally heinous. Some sins in themselves and by reason for several aggravations are more heinous in the sight of God then others. An example of an aggravation would be doing a sin presumptively.