SIN: IS ONE SIN GREATER THAN ANOTHER?

SIN

IS ONE SIN THE SAME AS ANOTHER?

I have really been contemplating this lately. Actually, I have believed it for 25 years! But, the more I study God's Word, I no longer to believe that to be true. Funny how we can change our beliefs that we thought were true by just digging into Scripture!

Are all sins the same in God's eyes? by Billy Graham 
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.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel" (Matthew 23: 23 – 24).

In Matthew 7:3 Jesus mocks someone who struggles with great sin but takes it upon himself to "fix" another person who commits a less serious sin. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" Basically Jesus said that those who commit and struggle with worse sins ought not to "nit pick" those with lesser struggles.

Clearly, Jesus used an example of two things not equal in size or severity to each other when he compared a "speck of sawdust" and a "plank."

All sins deserve God’s judgment, but not all receive the same judgment. We face danger, however, in attempting to justify our sins by their size. Every sin will lead us to hell if we don’t have the grace and forgiveness of Jesus.
by Billy Graham

If we believe all sin is equal, then we tend not to take it very seriously.  For example, if all sin is equal, then my overeating is the same as killing an infant.  If one is as bad as the other, then why do we react in horror over one, and not so much the other?

All sin is deadly, but there are many passages in the Bible where different types of sin are spoken of as being particularly grievous:
Numbers 15. This chapter differentiates between sins that are unintentional and sins "of the high hand," meaning sins that are intentional and rebellious. (Think: middle finger to the sky.)
Deuteronomy 18:12, 27:15. In the Mosaic Law, certain sins are listed as being abominations, meaning these sins are an offense to God (e.g. sexual sin, improper worship, idolatry).
Proverbs 6:16–19. Seven things are listed as sins that God hates (and they’re not the seven deadly sins as most people know them).
Matthew 12:31, Mark 3:29. Blasphemy against the Spirit is said to be an unforgivable sin. (For a good treatment of this subject, listen to Acts 29 pastor Sam Storms’ sermon "So close, yet so very far away.")
Luke 20:47. Jesus says that the Pharisees will receive a "greater condemnation" for their sins of religious pride (yikes!).
John 19:11. Jesus tells Pilate that Judas has committed the "greater sin."
1 John 5:16–17. John differentiates between sin that leads to death and sin that does not lead to death.
In one particularly striking New Testament passage, Paul speaks of sexual sin as being different from all other sin because, "Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body" (1 Cor. 6:18). Bible commentators are fuzzy on what the phrase "against his own body" means exactly, but it doesn’t take a Bible degree to see that Paul is urgently, passionately warning his hearers to avoid sexual sin at all costs.

Why does it matter?
 All sin is deadly, but there are some types of sin that are so serious that they warrant an extra-impassioned warning, a sterner rebuke, a more drastic plan to avoid temptation. Additionally, some sins are worse than others in terms of their immediate effects. If someone steals a candy bar, sinful as that may be, it does not have the same effect as when someone molests a child.

I am convinced that use of the claim "all sin is equal in the eyes of God" is inaccurate and unhelpful. It is inaccurate because it does not line up with what the whole of the Bible teaches. It is unhelpful because it downplays just how serious the problem of sin really is. Sin, by its very nature, is never satisfied. It grows from bad to worse and leads to death (James 1:15). As the great English preacher John Owen put it: "Every rise of lust, if it has its way reaches the height of villainy; it is like the grave that is never satisfied. The deceitfulness of sin is seen in that it is modest in its first proposals but when it prevails it hardens mens’ hearts, and brings them to ruin."

When we believe that all sins are equal, it often causes us to not take the problem of sin seriously. This attitude then leads us to not take seriously the biblical command to put our sin to death by the power of the Spirit.

The cross, the cross, the cross
 The good news is that regardless of what sin we have committed, forgiveness is found at the cross of Jesus Christ. And when someone sins against us, we can find cleansing and redemption in Jesus. On the cross, Jesus took the beating that we all deserve for our sins. It might not be truthful to tell someone that all sins are equal in God’s sight, but it is very truthful to tell them that all sins can be forgiven because of Jesus’ death on the cross. We can confidently proclaim forgiveness for any type of sin because Jesus rose again on the third day to prove that he was God and that he was able and willing to forgive sinners. What an amazing Savior!

Are you in Christ? Then God has forgiven you for all of your sins—past, present, and future. Jesus Christ shouted from the cross as his final words in triumphant victory, "It is finished!" At that moment, sin was atoned for and sinners were forgiven
~~
We all say it:  "God treats all sin the same", "No sin is worse than the other sin".  In the Old Testament, different sacrifices had to be offered for different sins.  Different sins received different punishment.  Premeditated murder and adultery required the death penalty.  For instance, if you don't forgive others, God will not forgive you.  Matthew 6. 
In the Book of Acts, God also punishes those who sin differently. Some He rebukes (7:51–53; 8:18–24); some He strikes blind (9:7,8; 13:8–11); some He strikes dead (5:1–10; 12:20–23).

I do, however believe that if you steal a penny, it is the same sin as stealing $1000.  Or, killing a newborn child is the same as if you killed a 99yr old man.    It is not the amount, it is the heart behind it.  The act or action of actually stealing something.  So I don't think that stealing a penny is the same thing as murdering someone.  It all goes back to the heart issues.