Are All Sins The Same?

Are All Sins the Same?

A servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

Luke 12:47-48

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.

James 3:1

What do you think is worse: borrowing a dollar and not giving it back or robbing a bank at gunpoint? Is it worse for a Christian leader to lie on his or her tax return than for someone who makes no claim of Christianity to do the same thing? Are all sins the same?

Well, it depends on what we mean by the same. All sins break our relationship with God, which is a serious issue. All sins are forgivable only on the basis of the death of Christ. But that doesn’t mean all sins are exactly the same. And all sins are not the same in their effects or their judgment.

Jesus said that a person who lusts has committed adultery in his or her heart. In terms of being an offense against God’s holiness, having impure thoughts and cheating on a spouse are the same. However, the sin of lust in your heart does not have the same effect on you or other people as the sin of physically committing adultery. Some sins have far more devastating consequences and greater punishments. And some sins are more serious because of who commits them. People in positions of responsibility and those who have had more exposure to God’s Word are held to a higher standard by God.

But the good news is that in the Bible we can’t find one instance where God refused to forgive a truly repentant person, no matter how serious his or her sin was. God’s forgiveness is big enough to cover any and all sin.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

The Bible tells about people who were forgiven for lying, murdering, committing adultery, and even killing Christians. Can you tell about some of those people?

What sins can you think of that have more serious consequences?

What do you think it means in Luke 12:48 that “when someone has been given much, much will be required in return”? What has God entrusted to you for which he will require much in return?