Are All Sins Equal?

We’ve heard it said many times: “Sin is sin. All sins are equal. Your sins and mine are different, but they’re the same before God.”

Like most things, this statement has the ring of truth, but it’s not entirely biblical. That also means it’s not entirely unbiblical. The last thing I want to encourage is a hierarchy stating, “Which sins are the worst sins.” Arguing over whose sin is worse only fuels our self-righteousness. And overlooking the differences between sins permits an accidental ignorance regarding the nature of sin.

Sometimes sins are so close in nature and effect they are like comparing a red apple to a green apple. At other times it’s like comparing oranges with tomatoes. Both are rightly categorized as fruits, but the differences end there. Sin is sin. That is true. But that does not mean they are all the same.

How Sins are Equal

All sin is equally wrong and sinful. Sin equally condemns the sinner, because even the smallest of sins is an expression of rebellion against the Holy God. When we help students understand what sin actually is, then we’ve helped them understand that sin, at its core, is rebellion against God’s sovereign goodness.

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10

Consider Matthew 5:21-30 as an example: throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus affirms the Old Testament Law while pointing to where the guilt of sin resides - in the heart. Therefore, Jesus consider the man who is angry as one who is guilty of murder, and he who lusts has spiritually commiteed adultery in his heart. All sin leads the sinner to stand “guilty” before our Holy God.

How Sins Are Different

All sin is equally wrong, but not all sin is equally bad. I would rather be robbed than murdered. Both are equally illegal, but I don’t know anyone who would say they are equal. This is especially clear regarding sin against other people. In the Old Testament some offenses brought about the death penalty, others were along the lines of “an eye for an eye,” while others carried a punishment or repayment of some sort. The Old Testament Law spends much time instructing Israel how to deal with the earthly results of sin and crime.

1 Corinthians 6:18 is particularly clear about the serious nature of sexual sin, “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” It’s important to note this passage doesn’t differentiate between different types of sexual sin, but it does clearly state that sexual sin is different from other sins. Therefore, we should make every grace-fueled effort to flee from it rather than finding arguments to permit it.

All the Bible’s teaching about the way sins are equal are given to rebuke the self-righteous from trusting in their righteousness. None of those verses are attempting to equate sins as if they’re identical to one another. Similar to the Pharisees who brought the adulteress before Jesus, he responds in a way to make everyone confess their own sin before they judge others.

Why Does This Matter?

I appreciate the good motives behind saying, “All sin is the same.” But there is a false assurance in it that encourages us to treat sin lightly. If sin cost the Son of God his life, we should not be flippant or casual about understanding what it is and why it’s a big deal.

In our day, this comes up most frequently in discussions regarding sexuality. It is true, we are all sexual sinners in our hearts, and Jesus would tell us to take the plank out of our own eyes first. Same-sex sexual sin and heterosexual sins are different. These implications deserve a longer article to unpack, but it’s enough for now to simply help students think biblically about these important questions.

Ultimately, sin should never be talked about in a way that minimizes its offense against our Holy God. At the same time, we should always keep our eyes fixed on the love and grace of God that saves sinners through Jesus Christ. Talking about sin in a biblical and straightforward manner will require some hard truths, but it also requires a posture that reflects the love and grace of God that lays at the heart of the gospel. Many of us are tempted to lean more fully on either the “hard truths” or the “love and grace” side of things.

Let us prayerfully shepherd our students in these challenging and sensitive conversations with truth and love.

(note: article lightly edited March, 2024)