Not All Sin Is Equal

Not all sin is equal.

1Ti 1:9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers 10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,

Isn't it interesting God didn't just say "the law was made for the sinner" and moved on? In fact God compares sins and shows their distinctions. Using the Greek, which He chose to have the New Testament written in, He shows us us these distinctions (see below). One example is that not all love is equal. Agape love is not the same as eros or brotherly love. We wouldn't say "love is love" would we? I don't know, maybe today's Post-Modern Evangelicals would. They do, after all, have an eros love for "Jesus" (they speak and sing of "falling in love with Jesus" and of Jesus as a love-sick suitor; Ann Voskamp promotes eros with "god").

When it comes to sin, God's justice demands He deal with each man's sin in proportion to that sin. His laws reflect this justice as in Ex. 21:23's "eye for eye" example of proportionate justice (out of proportion would be unjust). Not all liars are the same: some lie about that which doesn't involve another person; a perjurer lies in court against another, slanders him, and perverts justice. So not all lying is equal. Not all stealing is equal. Stealing bread to feed a starving man is not the same as stealing money from unbalanced scales (cheating a customer of his money):

Pro 11:1  A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight. 

Pro 16:11  A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; All the weights of the bag are His concern. 

Pro 20:23  Differing weights are an abomination to the LORD, And a false scale is not good. 

Pro 6:30  Men do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy himself when he is hungry; 31  But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; He must give all the substance of his house. 

Not all murder is equal. Murdering a parent is far worse b/c it goes against not only the Commandments but goes against God's creative order of authority. Even cursing a parent was worthy of death--how much more murdering a parent?

Exo 21:14  "If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die. 15  "He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. 

Exo 21:17  "He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. 

The intent of the heart is also weighed by God, not just the act.

Not all sexual sin is equal. Fornication is distinct from homosexuality, incest, and bestiality according to Scripture. 1Cor. 5:1 says that the "Christians" in Corinth were proud of their tolerance of the incestuous couple, something even the pagans would not tolerate. Sounds like today's Evangelicals. 

1Co 5:1  It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife. 2  You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. 

Rom 2:5  But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 

Rom 2:6  who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: 

Rom 2:7  to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 

Rom 2:8  but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 

Rom 2:14  For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 

Rom 2:15  in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 

There is no vagueness with God regarding sin or obedience. God is a God of precision. His Word is precise. His holy requirements are precise. His penalty for sin is precise. His prophecies are precise. His requirements for elders and deacons are precise. He deals with us in specifics, therefore we are too.

(Btw, Lev. 18 says that to have sex with an adopted sibling is sexual sin and depraved.)

In other words, those who say "sin is sin" don't have God's view of sin. He shows that even what they would call a "small sin" is heinous (ie, cursing one's parent earns stoning; lying to God and then to man earns death--Acts 5 with Ananias and Sapphira for example, or Achan's hiding booty God prohibited in Joshua 7). Instead, their aim is to remove the heinous nature of sin, NOT TO PROVE IT. They treat sin as no big deal and this is obvious in their claim to humanity (who's perfect? we all sin). They treat sin lightly, especially those sins God treats with absolute hatred. In other words to equate all sin as equal is to treat serious sin lightly and thus to treat God, His Word, and His nature lightly. Moreover, it necessitates that the punishment is to be softened for such heinous wickedness.