Are some sins worse than others?

[JohnB445]

For example, idolatry/cursing God seems to be a very grave sin in the Bible. Lying and deceiving others is another one, it warns about people who decide to become teachers even though some may not know they are spreading a false gospel i.e (Be baptized in this water and get saved by water baptism).

The 10 commandments vs sins in the Bible?

 

[Not David]

Probably sins done with intention.

 

[eleos1954]

For example, idolatry/cursing God seems to be a very grave sin in the Bible. Lying and deceiving others is another one, it warns about people who decide to become teachers even though some may not know they are spreading a false gospel i.e (Be baptized in this water and get saved by water baptism).

The 10 commandments vs sins in the Bible?

James 2

10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

 

[Basil the Great]

The Catholic and Orthodox Churches firmly teach that certain sins are more serious than others. The Catholics appear to be even stricter than the Orthodox in this regard, especially in terms of the requirement to attend Mass every weekend and on specific Holy Days of Obligation, as well as their opposition to the use of artificial birth control. Logic and tradition from the Early Church would seem to dictate that certain sins are more grave than others. I am not Catholic or Orthodox and yet I certainly accept this teaching, though I disagree sometimes on what constitutes a grave/mortal sin.

 

[Northbrook]

Of course some sins are more serious than others. There is even an English word, "peccadillo," that means "small sin." Or, take what Orson Welles said about gluttony, which is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. He said, "Gluttony is not the gravest of the Seven Deadly Sins. It is merely the most difficult to conceal"

 

[Doug Melven]

Some sins are worse than others. For instance there is only one sin that God actively resists, and that is pride.
But, any sin committed by anyone not in Christ will be enough to keep them from eternal life.

 

[Rescued One]

Luke 10
10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.

Luke 12
47 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. 48 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.

John 14
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

There is no sin any worse than others. God's judgment will be solely based on people's attitude to Christ - whether they have accepted or rejected Him. Everything else is a non-issue. One sin will condemn a person, while one decision for Christ will save him.

 

[1am3laine]

Yes, there are sins that are worse than others. Since there are sins that can't be forgiven which is any blasphemes against the Holy Spirit. (matthew 12:31-32, mark 3:28-30, luke 12:8-10)

 

[AvgJoe]

For example, idolatry/cursing God seems to be a very grave sin in the Bible. Lying and deceiving others is another one, it warns about people who decide to become teachers even though some may not know they are spreading a false gospel i.e (Be baptized in this water and get saved by water baptism).

The 10 commandments vs sins in the Bible?

Q: Are all sins the same in God's eyes?
A: It is always difficult and dangerous to attempt to list sins according to their degree of seriousness. In one sense, all sins are equal in that they all separate us from God. The Bible’s statement, “For the wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23), applies to all sin, whether in thought, word, or deed.

At the same time, it seems obvious that some sins are worse than others in both motivation and effects, and should be judged accordingly. Stealing a loaf of bread is vastly different than exterminating a million people. Sins may also differ at their root.

Theologians have sought for centuries to determine what the essence of sin is. Some have chosen sensuality, others selfishness, and still others pride or unbelief. In the Old Testament, God applied different penalties to different sins, suggesting variations in the seriousness of some sins. A thief paid restitution; an occult practitioner was cut off from Israel; one who committed adultery or a homosexual act or cursed his parents was put to death (see Exodus, chapter 22 and Leviticus, chapter 20).

In the New Testament Jesus said it would be more bearable on the day of judgment for Sodom than for Capernaum because of Capernaum’s unbelief and refusal to repent after witnessing His miracles (Matthew 11:23-24). The sins of Sodom were identified in Ezekiel 16:21 as arrogance, gluttony, indifference to the poor and needy, haughtiness, and “detestable things.”

When Jesus spoke of his second coming and judgment, he warned that among those deserving punishment some would “be beaten with many blows” and others “with few blows” (Luke 12:47-48). He also reserved His most fierce denunciations for the pride and unbelief of the religious leaders, not the sexually immoral (Matthew 23:13-36).

However, remember that whether our sins are relatively small or great, they will place us in hell apart from God’s grace. The good news is that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and the sins of the whole world at the Cross. If we will repent and turn to Jesus in faith, our sins will be forgiven, and we will receive the gift of eternal life.

www.billygraham.org/answer/are-all-sins-the-same-in-gods-eyes/

 

[HTacianas]

For example, idolatry/cursing God seems to be a very grave sin in the Bible. Lying and deceiving others is another one, it warns about people who decide to become teachers even though some may not know they are spreading a false gospel i.e (Be baptized in this water and get saved by water baptism).

The 10 commandments vs sins in the Bible?

The Roman Church definitively classes sins as mortal or venial. It similar to secular law where crimes are classed as felonies or misdemeanors. 1 John warns against mortal sin:

1Jo 5:16 - If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which doesnot lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

1Jo 5:17 - All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leadingto death.

So yes, some sins are worse than others.

 

[sunshineforJesus]

There is no sin any worse than others. God's judgment will be solely based on people's attitude to Christ - whether they have accepted or rejected Him. Everything else is a non-issue. One sin will condemn a person, while one decision for Christ will save him.

I believe the same as you,Sin is Sin in Gods eyes no matter how small.

 

[stephen pollard]

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
John 19:11
Though concerning justification you cannot categorise one sin as worse than another in order to believe this will aid you to be better acceptable to God, if all sin is equal/the same to God, why were there different punishments for different sins under the old covenant? Some far more severe than others

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
John 19:11
Though concerning justification you cannot categorise one sin as worse than another in order to believe this will aid you to be better acceptable to God, if all sin is equal/the same to God, why were there different punishments for different sins under the old covenant? Some far more severe than others

There is going to be only one item on the Judgment agenda - acceptance or rejection of Christ.

 

[stephen pollard]

There is going to be only one item on the Judgment agenda - acceptance or rejection of Christ.

I agree with you. However, though most Christians would accept anyone with imperfections as members of their church, I doubt that would stretch to certain sins.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I agree with you. However, though most Christians would accept anyone with imperfections as members of their church, I doubt that would stretch to certain sins.

Although none of us are perfect because we are on the developmental road to sanctification, there is a big difference between continuing to fulfill the lusts of the flesh as per the Galatians 5 list, and working to keep our bodies in subjection so that we can continue in the fruit of the Spirit later on in the same chapter.

The lusts of the flesh are deliberate behaviours, and if they are seen in the church, then we need to follow the procedure that Jesus told us to follow - go to the person privately, and if he won't listen, take another person or two with you, so that your concern will be backed up by two or three witnesses. If he still won't listen, he is to be excluded from fellowship until he decides to repent. Paul says that when we correct a person we should do it with gentleness, knowing that we could be just as easily tempted.

What tends to be overlooked in Churches is party spirit, outbursts of anger, jealousies, envy, and selfish ambition. These can be hidden by the excuse that the person says he is using "righteous" anger, and that he is better qualified for the role, saying that some members are "not part of our social group", or hindering someone from a leadership or responsibility role out of jealousy or envy, overselling or promoting oneself to "get ahead" in the church and try to have the pre-eminence, having a controlling spirit, forbidding the use of spiritual gifts because of one's own prejudice against them, having a "holier than thou" attitude, pressuring young single ladies to enter into a closer friendship and relationship than they want in the guise of "God told me to be your boyfriend/husband", refusing to fellowship with Christians of other churches because "they don't belong to our denomination", teaching their church as "the only true church", referring to their church as "the local church" in the city and requiring other churches to unify themself with it under the threat that "they are not part of the body of Christ" if they don't, outlawing books and tapes that don't agree with "our theology", accusing member of not being in the body of Christ when they have disagreements with the leadership.

All these are works of the flesh which are inconsistent with the fruit of the Spirit and quenches and grieves the Spirit in any church. This is probably the reason why in many churches we don't see much evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

[stephen pollard]

Although none of us are perfect because we are on the developmental road to sanctification, there is a big difference between continuing to fulfill the lusts of the flesh as per the Galatians 5 list, and working to keep our bodies in subjection so that we can continue in the fruit of the Spirit later on in the same chapter.

The lusts of the flesh are deliberate behaviours, and if they are seen in the church, then we need to follow the procedure that Jesus told us to follow - go to the person privately, and if he won't listen, take another person or two with you, so that your concern will be backed up by two or three witnesses. If he still won't listen, he is to be excluded from fellowship until he decides to repent. Paul says that when we correct a person we should do it with gentleness, knowing that we could be just as easily tempted.

What tends to be overlooked in Churches is party spirit, outbursts of anger, jealousies, envy, and selfish ambition. These can be hidden by the excuse that the person says he is using "righteous" anger, and that he is better qualified for the role, saying that some members are "not part of our social group", or hindering someone from a leadership or responsibility role out of jealousy or envy, overselling or promoting oneself to "get ahead" in the church and try to have the pre-eminence, having a controlling spirit, forbidding the use of spiritual gifts because of one's own prejudice against them, having a "holier than thou" attitude, pressuring young single ladies to enter into a closer friendship and relationship than they want in the guise of "God told me to be your boyfriend/husband", refusing to fellowship with Christians of other churches because "they don't belong to our denomination", teaching their church as "the only true church", referring to their church as "the local church" in the city and requiring other churches to unify themself with it under the threat that "they are not part of the body of Christ" if they don't, outlawing books and tapes that don't agree with "our theology", accusing member of not being in the body of Christ when they have disagreements with the leadership.

All these are works of the flesh which are inconsistent with the fruit of the Spirit and quenches and grieves the Spirit in any church. This is probably the reason why in many churches we don't see much evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit.

I pretty much agree with your view of justification and the Christian walk. A Christian is solely justified by faith in Christ, that is the only thing that can make them acceptable to God/righteous in his sight. In this sense, degrees of goodness or badness do not decide who is righteous in God's sight. However, if a homicidal maniac were to become a Christian, I'm sure you would agree with me, those tendancies would be the first dealt with for the new convert as they begin their work in progress that will go on for the whole of their Christian life. Sins that if not dealt with will utterly dominate the believers life, and stop them crossing over from being a slave of sin when they come to Christ, into a slave of righteousness leading to holiness, will be given priority.
Once we accept justification is solely based on faith in Christ, that still allows us to accept that certain sin is greater in God's sight than other sin. IE. You may say an unkinds word to someone, and quickly apologise for it, but if you committed murder the result of that would have far more severe consequences on your life, spiritually and otherwise