Are All Sins Equal?
August 19, 2001
Dear Friends,
This week we would like to answer the question – Are all sins equal?
Form time to time you may find yourself in a discussion that centers around the question of whether all sins are equal in the eyes of God. Although all sinners may be equal in the sight of God, namely “having no hope, and without God in the world”, all sins are not equal.
The proof for such a statement comes in terms of penalty and the ability to repent/forgive.
If we look at sins, particularly in the Old Testament, there are different levels of severity in punishment associated with particular sins. For example, if a person had knowledge of a crime and was called upon to testify, but did not do so, they had to offer a female lamb or goat from their flock to make atonement. (Lev. 5:1) Someone who blasphemed the name of God on the other hand was taken outside of the camp and stoned to death. (Lev. 24:23). Examples of the differing severity of the punishment in the Old Testament are too numerous to mention. We see in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 6 and Galatians 5 two lists of sins that the severity is such that it says those doing them will not inherit the kingdom of God. In both Old and New Testaments we have testimony that the severity of the punishment is commensurate with the severity of the sin.
Likewise, we have a similar pattern for repentance and forgiveness in both the Old and New Testaments. Most sins had a pattern to achieve forgiveness while some did not. This is not to say that the sins were beyond the scope of forgiveness as we will show, but that the sin was so severe that there was no prescribed way to forgiveness. Take King David’s sin with Bathsheba as a prime example. David had committed adultery and then murdered Uriah in an attempt the cover his sin. In Psalm 51, David acknowledges that there was no offering prescribed for sins such as this. “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” The Law stated clearly that the penalty for such behavior was death. We know that David was forgiven although he suffered severely for his sin. The point being that although all sins can be forgiven (even the “unforgivable sin” which we will talk about next), some sins are so heinous that there is no prescribed way to go about forgiveness.
In the New Testament, we have sins that also have no prescribed way to forgiveness. One sin is the so-called “unforgivable sin” of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12:31. This sin seems to be attributing the power of God to false gods. Why, one might ask, is this sin unforgivable? Perhaps the answer lies in the very definition of the sin itself. If a person does not acknowledge the power of God, they can never tap into that power which includes the forgiveness of sins. The rejection of God’s power is the rejection of the Gospel if we are to associate this sin with Romans 1:16 which says “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Therefore, if the person eventually does acknowledge God’s power, they can be forgiven of this sin.
The discussion is more than just an academic exercise when we think about our lives. Everyone sins, but not everyone is sinning with the same frequency or severity of sin. Some people are sinning in such a way that they shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.
The Bible likens us to being in a race for the Kingdom. We are told “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Sin, no matter how severe, does nothing but slow us down and tangle up our feet in the race for immortality. We need to cleanse our lives to the greatest extent possible of sin through the strength provided by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have a great week!
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