Are All Sins the Same?

An idea often presented is that all sins are the same through the eyes of God. The problem with this is that it goes much deeper than that. Let’s examine the word of God… James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (NIV). The phrase “all sins are the same” likely came from this verse. The question of whether all sins are the same or not lies in the usage of the word, “sin.”

James explains that if you are a Law breaker (meaning, if you break one of the 613 commandments found in the Law of Moses), then you have sinned against God, thereby placing yourself in need of salvation. Jesus even takes these commands further and says that if you look at a woman with lust in your heart, then you are guilty of adultery (breaking the 7^th Commandment; See Matthew 5:28). Again, in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus explains that murder (breaking the 6^th Commandment) gets the same results as being angry with someone and calls him or her a fool or holds them in contempt will be in danger of Hell fire (See Matthew 5:21-22). So then, sin is itself, a heart thing, and not just something requiring action in order to obtain a sin nature.

Consider a child stealing a piece of penny candy from the local candy store in contrast with a vile, sadistic murderer. God sees both as sinners (Exodus 20:13, 15), but do their sins carry the same weight? Even in the eyes of God?

We have already seen that once someone sins, they are considered a lawbreaker (sinner). But the thing is, there is a subtle difference between the words “sin” and “sinner” All sinners are breakers of God’s Law, but sins definitely have a different value, even to the Lord.

Let me explain something here before we go any further. Once you sin, you are a sinner in the eyes of God. Once you are a sinner, you need to be saved from your sin. So logically speaking, the moment you sin, you need to be saved. The difference between sin and sinner is that a sinner is someone who has broken a Law of God and a sin is a Law of God that was broken by someone. There is indeed a difference.

Let’s examine Luke 12:47-48:

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

One can see from the text that a person who doesn’t know that they are sinning will receive lesser punishment. This makes sense, because “from the one who had been entrusted with much, more will be asked.” In other words, the more equipped one is, the more he knows what is good and right. This is the same reason “Not many of you should become teachers, because teachers will come under a harsher judgment…” according to James 3:1. Because teachers by their sheer position of teaching claim to know what is right and good, and lead others to do the same. The idea here is that because someone doesn't know that he is doing something deserving punishment, he receives a lesser punishment. This is because not all sin is the same (see also Luke 13:1-3).

Though definitely not equal, the different value of sin is regarded by humans as well as by the Lord. As the comparison in the example above, there is no question of whether or not they carry the same weight in one sense. In another sense, murder is much worse of a sin than stealing candy. What kind of judge would say they are equal in the sense of punishment? No one would say to a 4-year-old who stole a piece of candy from a gas station that they were going to serve a life-sentence in prison. Jesus would also think this is ridiculous. John records Jesus telling Pilate that “those who handed Him over to him are guilty of a greater sin” (John 19:11; emphasis mine). These examples do not take the fact away that once someone sins, they are a sinner in need of God’s grace.

Not All Sin is in the Same Boat, but All Sinners are in the Same Boat

The unpardonable sin (found in Mark 3:28) is not accepting Jesus as one’s savior before one dies. This blasphemy against the Holy Spirit causes someone to be guilty of an eternal sin. Romans chapter one explains that men are without excuse because of the creation that lies before them. In other words, The Designer had to start it all, and because we see the design, we have evidence of the Creator. Secondly, men today are without excuse because they have the biblical account (the gospels) that reveals Jesus to us, who is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Therefore, we have more than enough evidence to understand the need for repentance. A thorough reading of the gospel of John will further explain this evidence and reveal to its readers “the Light of the World.”

In conclusion, all sin is equally condemning, but not all sin is equally devastating. As with the serial murderer or the small child stealing penny candy, they both are acts of breaking God’s law. Once you sin, you become a sinner who is in need of God’s grace. This is what James is talking about (James 2:10). You may as well have broken all of God’s laws once you have broken one. This does not give us the excuse to go on sinning because we are held accountable, but it is simply making a point of needing grace. In any event, all sins are the same in that they carry us to the place of needing grace through Jesus, but not all sins have the same level of affliction.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." ~1 John 1:9

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~Romans 6:23

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