It’s a common belief among Christians that all sins are the same. This is true in one sense (as we will soon see) but it’s an incomplete understanding of sin. Most of the time, it’s an incomplete understanding arrived at honestly due to confusion or a misunderstanding. But…
Sometimes, the “all sin is the same” sentiment is expressed as a shameless attempt to deflect attention from the person saying it. “Yeah, I struggle with X, but look at So-So. They struggle with Y and Z. So there!” or “Sure, I have a problem with A but I’m sure that So-So struggles with B. Therefore, leave me alone.”
Yeah, that’s not going to work with God. As the old saying goes: “That dog won’t hunt.”
Those who claim that all sins are the same will sometimes cite verses like “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10, KJV).
That settles it, right? Seems pretty cut and dry. Break one law and you’ve broken them all, right? Well…
Many students of the Bible believe James is referring to the interconnected nature of the Law of Moses. Others say he’s pointing out that to fall short of God’s standard in even one area means you’ve fallen short of it completely. I believe the first explanation is plausible and the second is 100% correct.
If you violate just one law, you are ipso facto a lawbreaker. If you sin (no matter the type of sin), you are a sinner. Period. And that means…
Anyone who sins (no matter how “minor” the sin), that person has fallen short of God’s perfect standard of holiness.
In that sense, all sin is the same.
However, let’s not miss the points James is hitting in his wonderful epistle. I encourage you to read all of it and to get a contextual understanding of chapter 2 and verse 10, study and meditate on all of chapter 2. You’ll find that James is taking hypocrites to task as well as those casual “Christians” who pick and choose what parts of God’s law they are going to take seriously.
I can only imagine what James would say if he were writing an epistle to the 21st-century Christian community in the United States of America.
We must also remember that sin is multi-dimensional. There is the spiritual nature of a sinful offense — namely how that offense impacts our relationship with God. There’s also a psycho-spiritual dimension, namely how that sin affects the sinner. And then there’s how that sin impacts the world around you — especially the people in your life.
So, while any sin violates God’s righteousness, it’s nevertheless still true that some sins are more grievous and harmful than others.
David sinned when his observation of Bathsheba on her rooftop turned to lust. That sin was bad. But any sane and reasonable person knows he crossed an important line when he summoned her and effectively power-raped her. 🙁
David’s sin of lust was a violation of Bathsheba’s privacy. He was also focusing his mind on someone he shouldn’t. What you feed your mind with will indeed impact your relationship with God and your relationship with the people in your life. For example, a man who lusts after another woman is hurting his marriage. So, the sin of lust is bad. No question about that.
Nevertheless…
The act of taking Bathsheba to his bed was not simply a violation of her privacy. It was a violation of her in just about every conceivable manner. It violated her marriage (to his friend Uriah), her Israelite citizenship (she was supposed to be protected by her king not exploited by him), and her personhood!
On David’s part, he committed an egregious, horrible abuse of power. He also committed rape and adultery. And then murder to try to cover it up. This entire saga brought terrible suffering to not only Bathsheba, Uriah, and himself – but the entire nation!
All sin is serious but some sins are more grievous, more painful, and more consequential than others.
Jesus addresses this issue of degrees of sin (at least in part) when He tells the parable of the Faithful Servant and Evil Servant. You can read the full parable in Luke 12:35-48. For our purposes, let’s focus on verses 47 and 48…
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Luke 12:47-48 (KJV)
These verses indicate that God’s judgment lands harder on those who know His will and yet refuse to live by it than those who are less knowledgeable of or aware of God’s will. Everyone is still accountable for their actions, and will still be judged for them. But the judgment will be more merciful or gracious for those who lack knowledge or understanding.
I once watched a Western that was very loosely based on Christian themes. I enjoyed the movie even though it was theologically “off” to say the least. Nevertheless, there is one line from that movie that I remember — and liked:
“The Creator’s tough but He ain’t blind!”
We must trust that God is not only a Judge. He is an all-knowing, all-wise Judge.
None of this, of course, is meant to suggest that it’s okay to commit “minor” sins. On the contrary, one of the lessons that is quite apparent as you read through the Bible is that comparatively “minor” sins have a way of evolving, mutating, and growing into bigger sins. Once you start on the sin path, it’s hard to get off that path. Better to not start down that path in the first place!
Ultimately, we are all servants of God. We are all accountable to Him, but let’s not forget that God is a righteous Judge and a gracious, loving Father.
God bless you.
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