Are all sins equal to God?
Is all sin “the same” to God? Yes or no.
Check out Matthew 5:21-28
Are lust and adultery equal?
How about hate and murder?
Let’s be clear: “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23) It appears that all sin leads to the same result spiritually. It leads to death, to hell. So yes, all sin is equal. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)
But surely God can’t look at the murderer the same way he looks at the kid who cheats on his test?
Yes and no. First of all, God loves us, even when we transgress. We don’t “behave” in order to earn God’s love. So God still loves the murderer and the cheat. But God is also grieved by sin. And sin deserves punishment. The penalty for sin is death. And we are locked into that consequence.
The good news is that Jesus took that punishment for us so that we might be reconciled to God AND live forever…and the new life starts NOW!. 2 Cor. 5:21, Jesus took that sin on him so that we might be the righteousness of God. 1 John 2:2, Jesus died to pay the penalty of all of our sins. Of course, we have to accept that free gift of grace through faith.
So for those who don’t…all have sinned…doesn’t matter what their sins are…they have the same spiritual result.
BUT THAT DOESN’T SEEM FAIR?
Hold on, I’m not done yet. Obviously, the earthly “everyday” consequences of sin is not equal. Lusting in my heart has a different consequence than being sexually promiscuous. Can’t get an STD from lusting. It’s still wrong and can lead to the next but in itself not every sin has the same consequence in this life.
Also, God really looks at particular sin and finds it “more reprehensible.” Jesus clearly finds hypocritical religious people to be disgusting (read Matthew 23!). And those who lead others into sin receive a special rebuke (Matthew 18:6).
So in short, all sin is rebellion against God and needs punishment. Jesus took that punishment for us, if we accept it in faith. Even so, the consequences of sin is clearly different. And of course, different kinds of sin may put into question whether we should be a pastor or in leadership of a church…but that topic will have to wait for another time.