All Sins are Equal

[Pavel Mosko]

A Facebook friend posted this article and I thought it was pretty good so doing a thread on it.

"During my ordination, one of the questions that I was asked by a seminary professor was “Are all sins equal in the sight of God?” I hesitated. Not because I did not have a strong opinion on this, but because I was not sure what the answer was that he was looking for. Are all sins equal in the sight of God? My ordination may have depended on the answer.

It is very common within popular evangelicalism to answer this question in the affirmative. This was one of the main assumptions in a book that I just recommended last week. Most find this theological concept very appealing and accept it, I am afraid to say, without doing much homework.

I think this tendency to assume that all sins are equal in the sight of God comes by means of three influences.

1) A reaction by Protestants against the Roman Catholic distinction between mortal sins (sins that kill justifying grace) and venial sin (sins of a lesser nature that do not kill justifying grace).

2) A tendency within our evangelistic church culture to express common ground with unbelievers—i.e., if all sins are equal in God’s sight, then your sin is not worse than any other. This way we are not coming across as judgmental or condescending.

3) Some biblical passages that have been interpreted in such a way (discussed below).

I don’t believe, however, that all sin is equal in God’s sight. I believe that telling people all sins are equal to God does serious damage to people’s understanding of the character of God and of the seriousness of sins. There are many reasons for this, but let me start with a reductio ad absurdum and them move to a biblical argument."


Are All Sins Equal to God?

 

[Mark Quayle]

Even the same sin is not equal from one person to another, to God who looks on the heart to judge the deeds.

 

[Neogaia777]

Problem is, there are two different types, those who might need to be told that their sin is just as bad if not worse in some cases as everyone else's in the sight of God, and then those who might need to be told that their sin is "pretty bad" in the sight of God and that they could be playing Russian roulette with their saving or eternal life, etc, and both of these being told this would be for the saving of all or as many as we can in or by the end, from both isles and on both sides, etc...

Then there is God's judgement of an individual person versus man's, and all that needs to be taken into account, and I believe will be fully taken into account with God, in any truly just judgment, etc, and that man just does not have the capacity nor capability to fully know/see, not by a long shot, etc...

I know this, God hates pride/haughtiness/egotism/high mindedness above almost everything else and all the kinds of sins that come from or stem from that above almost everything else, etc, and would much rather have a truly humble sinner, who is willing to fully humble themselves, over a very proud, or overly proud supposed self-righteous saint, etc, because that was/is/still is, etc, the same sin(s) as/of the Devil, etc...

The Pharisee and the tax collector, etc...

The Pharisees were near perfect outwardly, but Jesus called them the (true) "children of the Devil", and did not ever say so about all the other quote/unquote "worse people", etc...

It's the sin of the Devil, and those following and/or walking in it/them are the true "children of the Devil" because Jesus said so, etc...

Or do you truly want to argue over what or which God hates more, etc...?

Because to me, it would seem to be those committing the very same sins as the Devil, etc...

Jesus came to set this right and set this straight, and show true "justice", etc...

Now you either believe Him, or you don't, etc...

Because the tables were quite literally turned, etc...

And it was called/declared "true justice", by God the Father, and God the Spirit, etc...

God Bless!

 

[Torah Keeper]

No. Some sins are so minor there is no penalty for them. Others are so bad the death penalty is the punishment.

It is true that even the tiniest sin separates us from God, but that does not equate to all sins being of equal harm.

The "all sins are equal" doctrine is used to justify one person's sins as being just as bad as anyone's. For example, cold-blooded murderer can say to a child that stole a cookie "See? You sinned too! You are just as bad as me in God's eyes!"

Nope. Doesn't work like that. Different punishments for different crimes in the Bible.

On the other hand, having a "holier than thou" attitude is not the way to treat repentant sinners.

 

[dzheremi]

I think there can be a distinction made between what sin is (in the sense of hamartia; 'missing the mark') and a kind of grading of sins, as found in the RCC or other churches within the western theological orbit. I mean, we do not entertain a mortal/venial distinction, but if you've ever been to confession I'm sure you know that some things will weigh on you differently than others, or might call for different transformative acts to get yourself back on track, or however you might think of it. Sin is very personal in that way, as has been noted by Mark in post #2.

So, yes, all sin is the same, and no, all sin is not the same.

 

[Sabertooth]

I can only think of four passages that speak to exceptional sin.

1. The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit [Matt. 12:31-32],
2. Apostasy #1 [Heb. 6:4-6],
3. Apostasy #2 "A seared conscience..." [see below] &
   
4. "A sin that does not lead to death..." [1 John 5:16-17].*

"Now the Spirit expressly says that
in latter times some will depart from the faith,
giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
speaking lies in hypocrisy,
having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,..."

1 Timothy 4:1-2 NKJV​

*It is widely debated as to what that phrase actually means, but it represents some form of exceptional sin.

 

[Sketcher]

I believe the Biblical way of looking at it is all sin is bad enough to merit condemnation, but not all sin is equal.

One might claim that's not fair. But, I also believe that not all punishment for sin is equal either (Matthew 10:15, Matthew 11:24, Luke 10:12). 4/10 pain for eternity is bad, you don't want it, but it's better than 10/10 pain for eternity.

 

[Sabertooth]

"A sin that does not lead to death..." [1 John 5:16-17].*

*It is widely debated as to what that phrase actually means, but it represents some form of exceptional sin.

I believe that it is any activity that is contrary to the Wisdom of God, but is never spelled out as explicit sin. It would still have consequences in this life.

An example would be going into unnecessary debt in purchasing an otherwise acceptable item.

 

[Silverback]

No...they are all the same in the eyes of God..."we have all sinned, and fall short of the glory of God"

This belief does nothing but burden us with the law. All our sins are washed clean in the blood of the lamb, God chooses to remember them no more.

All this line of thinking does is allow people to say "yes, I'm a sinner, but at least I'm not as bad as that guy" which separates the body of Christ, and further divides the church.

 

[Neogaia777]

No...they are all the same in the eyes of God..."we have all sinned, and fall short of the glory of God"

This belief does nothing but burden us with the law. All our sins are washed clean in the blood of the lamb, God chooses to remember them no more.

All this line of thinking does is allow people to say "yes, I'm a sinner, it at least I'm not as bad as that guy" which separates the body of Christ, and further divides the church.

And unwittingly causes them to fall into the same kind of sin as the Devil, etc...

(See my edited post)...

Whether they are or not, is not for man to know or judge with any other man this side of life, but only God later on, etc...

And I 100% fully agree with you that this line of thinking/reasoning just makes one into a true child of the Devil, etc...

Thinking you are better than anyone, does not profit anyone at all, most of all the one doing so, etc, and will only make you into a true child of the Devil in or by the end, etc...

After all, it is only "pride" that does this, etc...

Now if you want me to tell you what I would have to say to the other party, or other side, then just "ask", OK...?

God Bless!

 

[Neogaia777]

The Bible also says that we were all (equally) deserving of death also, etc...

This is the NT, NC way...

And if you are not brave enough to fully walk in it, then you should "get out of the way", etc...

I do not recall not one single Apostle or Disciple after Jesus and after receiving the Holy Spirit, etc, that ever considered themselves any better or greater or higher than anyone else, or more deserving of more or better than them, or anyone else, etc, that did not instantaneously fall into sin instantly if and when they did, etc...

It is not "the way", etc, but is the false way of the Devil, etc...

God Bless!

 

[Neogaia777]

Or let me put this another way, we have, all of us, racked up enough bad/evil deeds, thoughts, actions/in-actions, or words in our life, to all equally outweigh the/any good ones, to the point to where we are equally deserving of death, or even an eternity in hell, etc...

And this we all have "in common", etc...

And if you cannot admit this to yourself "right now", etc, then you both are not, and have not even begun walking in the true NT/NC way, and should "get out the way", right now, for good, etc...

God Bless!

 

[mindfulzen]

I can only think of four passages that speak to exceptional sin.

1. The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit [Matt. 12:31-32],
2. Apostasy #1 [Heb. 6:4-6],
3. Apostasy #2 "A seared conscience..." [see below] &
   
4. "A sin that does not lead to death..." [1 John 5:16-17].*

"Now the Spirit expressly says that
in latter times some will depart from the faith,
giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
speaking lies in hypocrisy,
having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,..."

1 Timothy 4:1-2 NKJV​

*It is widely debated as to what that phrase actually means, but it represents some form of exceptional sin.

I do not understand this, apostasy 1& 2? And what is this about a sin that does not lead to death, being an exceptional sin? Bit lack of context here. Could do with an elaboration and personal interpretation.

 

[Jesus is my Superhero]

The sins of rebellion and pride, (see Satan), are not equal to others. How can a rebel be corrected if that rebel refuses to submit?
We as Christians are admonished to be obedient to earthly authority as well, as long as it doesn't oppose God. All earthly authority is instituted by God according to scriptures. There will be no rebel in the Paradise of our God.

Saul's life is a primary example of this. His consulting a medium was compared to the sin of rebellion in his story.

 

[Sabertooth]

I do not understand this, apostasy 1& 2?

Those are two verses that speak of permanently abandoning God after having been Saved. That condition is called "apostasy." They are no longer convicted of sin, nor do they care to repent.

In 1 John 5:16-17, John uses the phrase, "a sin that does not lead to death."
We don't know for sure what he means, but he makes it clear that it is different than sins "that lead to death," which we presume to mean the bulk of sins that we are aware of excluding items 1, 2 & 3. I gave my opinion of it in post #8.

Each point has a link to a its relevant Bible verses except #3, which is given in the post.

 

[eleos1954]

A Facebook friend posted this article and I thought it was pretty good so doing a thread on it.

"During my ordination, one of the questions that I was asked by a seminary professor was “Are all sins equal in the sight of God?” I hesitated. Not because I did not have a strong opinion on this, but because I was not sure what the answer was that he was looking for. Are all sins equal in the sight of God? My ordination may have depended on the answer.

It is very common within popular evangelicalism to answer this question in the affirmative. This was one of the main assumptions in a book that I just recommended last week. Most find this theological concept very appealing and accept it, I am afraid to say, without doing much homework.

I think this tendency to assume that all sins are equal in the sight of God comes by means of three influences.

1) A reaction by Protestants against the Roman Catholic distinction between mortal sins (sins that kill justifying grace) and venial sin (sins of a lesser nature that do not kill justifying grace).

2) A tendency within our evangelistic church culture to express common ground with unbelievers—i.e., if all sins are equal in God’s sight, then your sin is not worse than any other. This way we are not coming across as judgmental or condescending.

3) Some biblical passages that have been interpreted in such a way (discussed below).

I don’t believe, however, that all sin is equal in God’s sight. I believe that telling people all sins are equal to God does serious damage to people’s understanding of the character of God and of the seriousness of sins. There are many reasons for this, but let me start with a reductio ad absurdum and them move to a biblical argument."


Are All Sins Equal to God?

Sin is the transgression of the law.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

No...they are all the same in the eyes of God..."we have all sinned, and fall short of the glory of God"

This belief does nothing but burden us with the law. All our sins are washed clean in the blood of the lamb, God chooses to remember them no more.

All this line of thinking does is allow people to say "yes, I'm a sinner, it at least I'm not as bad as that guy" which separates the body of Christ, and further divides the church.

Oh I think the same kind of charge can be said of your position. Your position makes people not take theosis / Christofication, sanctification and personal responsibility seriously. They can just stay status quo "sinners saved by grace" perpetually.... and not really graduate into more of the meat of Gospel.

Besides that you get into areas such as God's Economy where certain things go more at the heart of that than others.

Economy (religion) - Wikipedia



I noticed years ago, that there are some definite problems if you really run with the notion that thought sin is the same as sin in deed because the damage inflicted on one's neighbors and society is certainly different between one verses the other. Sin in deed, does indeed, multiply much bitter fruit in other people as far as tangible physical affects (injury, monetary damages, death etc.), and many other more psychological ones such as: personal grudges, depression, anger with God because X happened etc.

 

[parousia70]

No. Some sins are so minor there is no penalty for them. Others are so bad the death penalty is the punishment.

It is true that even the tiniest sin separates us from God, but that does not equate to all sins being of equal harm.

Really?
Does the unbeliever who does good all his life gain salvation over the Murderer who has repended and Believed?

I don't think so.

The unrepentant Cookie Thief gets tossed into the same Lake of fire as the unrepentant Murderer.

Sins arent the measuring stick.
Belief is.
Sins dont prevent salvation nor do lack of sins earn it.

ALL Sins are equal in their irrelevance to Salvation/Damnation.

 

[Saint Steven]

A Facebook friend posted this article and I thought it was pretty good so doing a thread on it.

Thanks for this interesting topic. Very thought-provoking.

I did find the last paragraph of the article a bit disturbing. Even though I have problems with Evangelicalism, I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that Evangelical Seminarians should not receive their ordination.

"I answered with the above answer during my ordination. I was relieved when I saw the approval of the ordination committee. They were all concerned that I might be one who, even with seminary training, retained this belief that most Evangelicals have. I have often wondered whether or not they would have passed me if I had answered according to today’s Evangelical folklore, saying that all sins are equal in the sight of God. I would hope not."

 

[RDKirk]

I think the premise should be flipped.

All sin is equal to God, but all sin is not equal to man. No sin is acceptable to God--they are all equal in their unacceptability.

But let's take, for the sake of the argument, the Catholic concept of mortal and venial sins. A Christian (and we have to talk about Christians here, because non-believers are condemned by their unbelief, not by their sins) who commits the sins defined as "mortal" have moved farther from faith than a Christian who has committed the sins defined as "venial," and he will have a farther and more difficult path back to faith.

OTOH, it has to be acknowledged that a Christian can become so comfortable with his venial sins that he sears his conscience and no longer feels a need to confess of them and repent...and it may be even more difficult to return to faith from a sin that is denied.

Ultimately, they are all dangerous, and the debate is fairly irrelevant. A venial sin is like a baby cobra--it's venom can still kill.