“Sin carries its weight in consequences because all sin invades, harms, destroys, and disrupts the good design that God so desperately wants for our world”, such a powerful explanation of sin shared by Heather Riggleman in her blog, Does God See All Sins as Equal to One Another?. 

Our sin separates us from God, yet through His free gift of salvation, we are granted forgiveness. But the question remains, “are all sins the same?”

What is the Definition of Sin?

Billy Graham defines sin in his article, What is Sin? Are All Sins Equal in God’s Eyes?, as any thought or action that falls short of God’s will. God is perfect, and anything we do that falls short of His perfection is sin.

In Answers For Everyone, we also find 2 interesting definitions of sin: 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sin as “an offense against religious or moral law; an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible; an often serious shortcoming; transgression of the law of God; a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God.”

We can find many passages throughout the Bible that describe sin. Perhaps the most succinct is 1 John 3:4 which reads “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” At a very basic level, sin is anything that goes against God’s Word. Sin is anything less than the perfection of God.

We were all born sinners. The original sin of our forefather Adam put a dent in the mold of our Nature if you will and sin is something we are bound to struggle with until God calls us back to his Kingdom. However, through His grace and forgiveness, we all have access to redemption if we so choose.

What the Bible Says About Sin

The Bible often holds the answers to questions we throw at God and to ourselves, such as “are all sins equal?”.

Is lying really the same as committing murder? What about the passages that speak to varying levels of punishment for varying levels of sin?

Nonetheless, Billy Graham reiterates that sin is something we do every day; as the Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Even when we aren’t aware of it, we commit sin by the things we do (or fail to do), or by the way we think.

While the topic of the equality of sin is subject to debate, we must understand that all sin deserves punishment.

Are All Sins Equal? 

Are all sins equal in God’s eyes? Yes and No. 

In severity and Earthly consequences? No.

In Penalty? Yes. 

In Forgiveness? Yes.

Got Questions answers this question with a rather straightforward approach.

There are degrees to the seriousness of sin. Some sins are worse than others in that they may cause more disruption to God's intended design, more harm to others or carry larger earthly consequences. For example if I am angry with someone I may ruin a friendship but If I kill someone I will likely spend the rest of my life in jail.  At the same time, in regard to both eternal consequences and salvation, all sins are the same. Every sin will lead to eternal condemnation (Romans 6:23) without Christ and no sin can keep you from eternal redemption with Christ.

Jesus said that anyone guilty of breaking one law is guilty of breaking the whole law.

Jesus equates committing adultery with having lust in your heart and committing murder with having hatred in your heart. However, this does not mean the sins are equal. What Jesus was trying to get across to the Pharisees is that sin is still sin even if you only want to do the act, without actually carrying it out. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day taught that it was okay to think about anything you wanted to, as long as you did not act on those desires. Jesus is forcing them to realize that God judges a person’s thoughts as well as his actions. Jesus proclaimed that our actions are the result of what is in our hearts (Matthew 12:34). All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 

In contrast

Marty Foord shares that Jesus said that he who handed him over to Pilate, was guilty of a “greater sin” than Pilate himself (John 19:10-11).

So, although these are both sins, that does not mean they are equal. It is much worse to actually murder a person than it is to simply hate a person, even though they are both sins in God’s sight.

Sins, no matter how small, are against God, and are worthy of punishment, Yet, there is no sin too big for God to forgive. We only need to ask for forgiveness, repent for our sins, change our hearts and live the way we should, in God’s eyes. 

Greater, More Serious Sins 

So what makes some sins more serious, more offensive to God? Here are three important factors amongst others, shared in the blog, Are all Sins Equal?, in The Gospel Coalition: 

1. The first is how much we know about God and his ways.

   The more revelation we have about God, the more responsible we are to God.

2. The second principle is the more we intend to sin, the more serious the offense.

   The Old Testament  Law meted out lesser punishments for a person who sins “unintentionally”, and greater punishments for those who sinned “defiantly” (Numbers 15:27-31).

3. Third, sins are more serious the greater effect they have and the more harm they cause to others.

   It’s far more serious to actually commit adultery than to privately fantasize about it. It is true, the more one privately fantasizes about adultery, the more likely it will actually happen. But the effects of committing adultery, as opposed to dreaming about it, are far worse.

We Are Granted The Gift of Salvation

“For the wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23) 

It can be difficult and dangerous to rank sin according to the degree of seriousness, yet we can conclude that all sins are equal in that they all separate us from God. This applies to all sin, whether in thought, word, or deed.

 Billy Graham further shared 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 repent and turn to Jesus in faith, our sins will be forgiven, and we will receive the gift of eternal life and find peace with God.

Accepting God’s gift of salvation is the only way we can receive forgiveness for our sins.

Our salvation is not determined by how serious our sins were in the past, because it remains a gift that is available for each of us, no matter what we have done if we choose to accept it.