Are All Sins Equal?

As humans, we like to determine right and wrong based on our standards. The reason for this is because of the fall of man: Genesis 3:1-5, "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (NIV)

The serpent last told Eve, "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Isn't that what we like to do? God has determined right and wrong because He is the standard of good... so He can determine what is wrong. However, we as sinners, try to be like God in the sense that if we personally deem something as good or bad, we don't like when another has a different point of view.

As an example, what do you think is the more morally wrong scenario:

Stealing: You keep a pencil that you borrowed from a friend that they never told you it was okay to keep.

Lying: You have a friend write your name on an attendance sheet at school/an event, but you not being in attendance.

Regardless of what you think, someone else probably thinks the other option is worse. What about God, the One who determines right and wrong... are all sins equal?

When we sin, there is a wrong that is done towards God, the other individual(s), and ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:18). In Luke 17:1-2 Jesus uses imagery here to describe what it would be better for if someone causes a child of God to stumble, which may have more consequences than that of a different sin. Reading John 19:11, Mark 12:40, and Hebrews 10:26-31 all use language that could infer there is a scale that God uses to determine the punishment of sins and therefore judging justly and righteously.

A child abuser and shoplifter are guilty of one thing… sin. However, these sins are completely different regarding levels/degrees of sin. Both the child abuser and shoplifter are given an option to trust in Jesus, meaning because of what He did on the cross, all sin is paid for. If the person who shoplifts accepts Jesus’ sacrifice for themselves, the sin is covered and the individual is not charged with the sin. If the child abuser does not accept Jesus’ sacrifice, they are charged with sin and spend eternity in hell. The same is applicable and vice versa for the child abuser. We may not like that, but since Jesus paid the price for all sin, it means He paid the price for all sin... not some or certain sins.

Summary: The payment due for sin is the same: death (Romans 6:23), which is why Jesus provides His life as a ransom in which a person decides to accept Jesus' sacrifice or pay for their sins in Hell, where Scripture points to varying degrees and punishments depending on the sin that has been committed.