Are all sins equal in the eyes of God?

It is a popular idea today among Christian circles that all sins are equal in the sight of God.
One prominent example of an area that we encounter this thought is in the discussion of homosexuality.
A lot of Christians may acknowledge homosexuality is a sin, but they will then dismiss condemnation of
it by asserting that all sins are equal to God so if you gossip or you are a glutton you are just as guilty as
they. Since we are all sinners then no one has any room to judge the sin of another.
Are all sins equal in the eyes of God? I dont believe so. I dont think the Bible teaches this. Yes, there are
verses that we will look at that are used to defend this belief, but I think the real origin of this belief is
not the Bible but rather is driven by an evangelical fervor to find common ground in a multicultural
society.
Thats one of the chief dangers of multiculturalism, of allowing multiple religions in a single society.
There is pressure to diminish the distinctions between them. When freedom of religion governs a
society each religion fights for converts. The politics required to win converts causes pressure to discard
any requirements that are difficult or uncomfortable such as the concept of sin. Evangelical Christians
are trying to win converts and they are competing with everything from Islam to atheism so the desire
to accept sin is strong. If all sins are equal then they can appeal to more people because they can come
across as not judgmental and compatible with different peoples lifestyles.
Going farther back in history, I think this idea also had origins in the Protestant conflict with the
Catholics. The Catholics believe in mortal and venial sins. They teach that mortal sins are sins that
separate us from the salvation of God, while venial sins are sins that are done in ignorance or are minor
and when committed by a Christian they harm the relationship with God but do not separate the
Christian from God. For example, when someone commits murder, even if he was already a Christian at
the time, the Catholics teach he would need to repent and would need to seek salvation again because
he would be separated from the salvation of God. But venial sins are sins like taking a pen from a banks
drive up window. Its stealing but you might do it by accident or you might realize you are doing it but
even though it is theft it is minor enough it doesnt separate you from salvation.
Now, Im not going to defend Catholic doctrine but again the conflict between different religious views
exerts pressure that can pervert understanding. Protestants carry a lot of doctrine that doesnt so much
come from the Bible itself as it comes from wanting to condemn the Catholics. Like I Timothy 4:3 where
it talks about in end time some will command to abstain from meats. It says this is a doctrine of devils. A
lot of Protestants try to pin this on the Catholic Church eating only fish on Fridays. Thats just silly, but
they do it because they have inherited a hatred of the Catholic Church born out of the conflict of the
Protestant Reformation.

So I think this idea was born out of the separation from the Catholic Church and has become useful to
the modern tolerance culture so thats the pressure that leads to this idea that all sins are equal in the
eyes of God. Now lets look at the verses people use to defend it. James 2:10-11

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is
guilty of all.
10

For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou
commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the
law.
11

Another passage used to defend all sin being equal is Matthew 5:27-28

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit
adultery:
27

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
28

And go back up to verse 21 for a similar idea.

Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
21

But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a
cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his
brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say,
Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
22

Ok, so what about these verses? Is it just as bad to harbor hatred in your heart as to actually commit
murder? Are we all equally sinful so there is no room for judgment of any kind? Are all sins equal in the
sight of God?
Well, thats not what the context of the Bible says and its also not actually what those people believe.
No one actually believes all sins are equal. Someone who says they believe that will use that argument
when something they wish to be tolerated is the subject of the argument but they will not apply the
same idea in other areas.
If all sins are actually equal in Gods sight then a lot more than just homosexuality is equal. Child
molesting would be equal with gluttony. Now, can you imagine being equally convicted by the Holy
Spirit of those two sins? Ask someone who proclaims this doctrine if they would feel equally bad about
eating a whole box of cookies and killing their next door neighbor. The thought is ridiculous.

Now if Gods word says its so it is, but the Bible tells us there are differences between the severity of
sins.
John 19:11
Jesus answered, 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.
11

Jesus says the Jewish leaders committed a worse sin than Pilate did.
Some sins are singled out as abominations to God which implies they are worse
than others. Examples of this include Lev. 18:22 and Deuteronomy 7:25
22

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Deuteronomy 7:25
The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the
silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therin: for
it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
25

Matthew 12:31
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
31

Here blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is said to be unforgivable unlike other sins.
Proverbs 6:16-19

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto
him:
16

17

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to

mischief,
18

A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among
brethren.
19

Here are sins listed as particularly despised by God, singled out from others.
Luke 12:47-48

And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
47

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be
beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be
much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will
ask the more.
48

Here is a parable given by Jesus in which He describes greater punishments for those who were aware of
their sin than those who were not when God returns.
Matthew 23:24
24

Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

Christ compares the Pharisees sins to a camel while calling the sins they
condemned in others a much smaller gnat.
The verse just before says this
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and
anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment,
mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
23

The weightier matters of the law implies there are parts of the law that carry
more importance or severity.
And of course Gods law itself proscribes different punishments for different sins.
Obviously not all sins are looked at as equal in Gods sight.
So what is James and Matthew talking about? The law fundamentally is love of God and your neighbor.
So every sin is a violation of that. Hatred is a violation of that law just like murder and ultimately both
are rebellion toward God and both can result in Gods condemnation. But just because every sin is at its
core rebellion does not mean they all should be treated the same. In fact the law itself tells us to treat
different sins differently. But Christ was talking to self-righteous people who thought they were
perfectly righteous because they kept the letter of the law. Christ was telling them they were not
perfect. They werent even righteous. They were violating the Spirit of the law and deserving of Gods
condemnation.
God as the judge of the heart will condemn many that we may not imagine and redeem others that we
wouldnt think He would. But that doesnt mean every sin is equal it just means we can violate the law
not just by the letter but by the Spirit as well.
James 2:1-10

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory,
with respect of persons.
For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly
apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
2

And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto
him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or
sit here under my footstool:
3

Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil
thoughts?
4

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world
rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that
love him?
5

But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you
before the judgment seats?
6

Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
8

But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the
law as transgressors.
9

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is
guilty of all.
10

See the context of James 2 is people using the law to favor one over another for their own advantage.
They are using the law, not obeying the law. And James is just denying that they are earning
righteousness from the law.
Let me give you an example of what I think God is telling us here. How many here hated Bill Clinton?
Wished ill on him? I assume most did. If all sins are equal as Matthew 5 tells us then we might as well go
out and murder him. It really makes no difference. But of course we know it does make a difference. It is
not that the sins are equal. It is just that hatred is also a violation of the Spirit of the Law. We are sinning
through hatred. Christ was not telling men that if you lust after a woman you might as well go all the
way because youve already done it anyway. He wasnt tell people the sins are equal. He was just saying
lust is a sin as well.
So yes, we are all sinners, but that doesnt mean all sin means the same to God

II Kings 14:1-3

In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah
the son of Joash king of Judah.
He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and reigned
twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan
of Jerusalem.
2

And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David
his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did.
3

See heres a perfect example. God looked on Amaziah as good. He was a good king. But God didnt think
he was as good as David. He put a difference. Practically what this means is we should avoid selfrighteousness. We are sinners, all of us. But that does not mean we treat all sin as equal. A society that
does that becomes anarchy. It destroys the society and that is exactly what is happening to our society.
Should a society treat murder the same as not going to church on the Sabbath or eating lobster? Of
course we shouldnt. The law doesnt tell us to and its ridiculous to imagine doing it. But no one should
get smug simply because he hasnt committed any blatant crime. God knows the heart. He knows our
Spirit.
Matthew 7. One last passage that is used to push a tolerance of sin is Matthew 7.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
2

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
3

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine
eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
4

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt
thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
5

Ironically this passage talks about beam in your eye while its only a mote in your brothers eye. So again
its telling us there are greater and lesser degrees of sin to God. But Judge not that ye be not judged.
Should we never judge sin?
James 4:11-12

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his
brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the
law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
11

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou
that judgest another?
12

This is saying the same thing but it also mentions that there is a lawgiver that does have a right to judge.
Now is it ever right for one man to judge another?
If you are sitting in a restaurant and a child is skips his dinner and only eats his desert is it okay for you to
correct him? It depends on whose kid he is doesnt it? If hes your child you have an obligation to govern
him. If hes someone elses you have no right to judge him. Why does a parent have a right to judge their
children? Romans 13 says all power comes from God. God is the lawgiver and authorities derive their
right to judge from Him.
So there are times when men have a right to judge others. The government has a proper role in judging
men. It is supposed to punish murderers. It is supposed to punish theft.
We are supposed to judge those that are under our authority, our families, our church should offer
correction to us. But those who are not under our authority are not ours to judge.
Now this does not mean we should become tolerant of sin. It does not mean we should become blind to
sin. We should not judge, but we still have an obligation to be a watchman, to be a witness. We
shouldnt judge. We shouldnt condemn. We should always act out of love, but understand love means
warning someone when they are harming themselves.
Run into a homosexual shouldnt act out of hatred and disgust, but should not avoid the issue either.
Zach on shame