Q.
I’m confused about this whole matter of whether some sins are worse than others. Please comment.
A.
In one sense all sin is equally bad in God’s sight. It is falling short of His perfect standard, and it is a stench in His nostrils. But in some ways distinctions exist with regard to consequences.
First, in one sense the sin of rejecting Christ as Savior is the worst sin of all. The consequence of that sin is eternal separation from God in the torments of Hell. I could cite other sins that have worse results than others, as well. Also, 1 John 5:16 notes the “sin leading to death,” which is the Lord’s having to cut short the life of a wayward believer before he would otherwise die.
The punishment of the unsaved in Hell has its degrees too (Luke 12:47, 48). And when Pilate questioned Jesus and suggested he had the power to crucify Him, Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above”; then He stated that those who had delivered Him to Pilate had “the greater sin” (John 19:11) because they had more light than Pilate. However Pilate was guilty as well.
The important facts to grasp are that God hates all sin and that we ought to, by His grace, stay away from it.
This article appeared in the “Q & A” column of the Baptist Bulletin (July 1999) by Norman A. Olson.
