Does God View All Sins the Same?

If you have gone to a Bible-preaching church for a length of time, you’ve probably heard the concept that God sees all sins as the same. This notion says that we categorize sin while God does not. There is some semblance of truth here, but I believe it is an incomplete picture. God views any sin as sin and God hates all sin. But does He view every sin the same? Let’s find out.

Universal Truths

All sin is an affront to God, and He stands opposed to all forms of it, no matter how small. Why is this? The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). James echoes the end result of sin as well: “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust (sinful desire), and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15). Rather than face death, God wants us to experience life, and that more abundantly (John 10:10).

We often define death as the cessation of physical life (heartbeat, breathing, etc.), but the Biblical understanding is that death is separation. That’s how you can have such a concept as death (eternal death) in hell, contrasted with “eternal life” in heaven in Romans 6:23. Physical death is separation from our loved ones and separation from this world, for we are no longer present in it. “Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord (in heaven)… We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (II Cor. 5:6, 8). Simply, “the body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:26). At death, our physical body and spiritual soul are separated.

Now that we know that sin produces death (separation from God), we realize that death is opposed to the eternal will of God. God’s desire through the ages is unending, intimate fellowship and union with human beings.

Why This Idea Is Taught

I’ve heard good preachers say that God views all sin the same. Again, there is some truth to that statement. Where do we find such an idea in the Bible?

In the Old Testament, we learn that God does not see sin quite the same way we do. When King Saul disobeyed the clear word of the Lord, the prophet Samuel was sent to rebuke him. God commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites completely, but he saved alive the king and kept the spoils of war (I Sam. 15:18-21). Samuel then says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (v. 23). It would seem that God views stubborn disobedience the same way He sees communicating with the demonic realm.

Let’s look in the New Testament. Jesus stunned His listeners as He uttered the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus turned the current-day religion on its head, proving what righteousness really looks like in God’s eyes. He told them what the Law said (or how it was understood at least), then He condemned the socially-acceptable sins of the day that edged so close to the prohibitions of the Law. We’ll consider two particular instances. First of all is the command to not kill, which comes directly from the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:13). Jesus expands on this, equating anger with murder (Mat. 5:21-22). Murder often springs from anger. Then He deals with adultery. Of course, everybody knew the seventh commandment. But Jesus shows that the same root sin is involved in a lustful look as the physical act (Mat. 5:27-28).

Furthermore, James 2:10 states, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” This surely sounds like all sins are the same in the eyes of God. But the next verse clears up the meaning, showing us that one sin brands you “a transgressor of the law.” One sin is all that’s required to earn us eternity in the lake of fire (Romans 6:23). It doesn’t matter how many sins you’ve committed or even what sins they were — the end result is the same for those who break God’s law, and everybody breaks God’s law (Romans 3:23). This is illustrated by a person hanging high off the ground by a chain. How many links must fail for him to fall? Of course, just one. Even if fifty of the links broke at the same instant, the result is the same.

As we’ve seen above, God views certain “lesser” sins similarly to more egregious sins. So why would anyone say that God views different sins differently? The answer is two-fold.

Why This Idea Is Incomplete

1. God does not punish all sins the same.

If God viewed all sins equally, then why does He punish them differently? First John 5:16 says, “There is a sin unto death.” In other words, there is a particular sin, unknown to us, that will occasion a believer’s death. For Saul, it was consulting the witch at Endor. For Achan, it was the theft of war spoils.

In the Mosaic Law, God required captial punishment for certain crimes (murder, rape of a married woman, kidnapping, idolatry, witchcraft, etc.). We all know the same punishment was not to be inflicted for lying or theft. The Law prescribed different means of remediation for those sins.

There are sins of commission and sins of omission. One is a sin of action and the other of in-action. Would God weigh not reading your Bible today the same as the crimes of the likes of Hitler?

It seems that the only logical options are that God views different sins differently or else He must punish all sins the same.

2. God declares specific sins that He hates and finds abominable.

To learn who God is and what He is like, we must search the Scriptures. Observing creation displays the glory of God and shows His handiwork (Ps. 19:1), but doesn’t teach us much more about Him. So what do the Scriptures teach us? As we’ve already seen, God hates sin — any sin and all sin. It would then seem unnecessary to state that He hates specific sins. Yet, God says there are many that He hates.

“Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the Lord thy God hateth” (Deut. 16:22). Other sins He hates are child sacrifice (Deut. 12:31), sacrificing stolen property to Him (Isa. 61:8), devising evil against your neighbor and not keeping your promises (Zech. 8:17), and divorce (Mal. 2:16). Furthermore, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Prov. 6:16-18). Here the writer of Scripture ties the thoughts of what God hates to abominations.

An abomination is something that is repulsive, disgusting, and abhorrent. It’s like finding a fly in your mouth as you take a bite of soup. As you spit out the soup and fly, you realize it provokes an immediate and strong reaction — it is abominable to you. You become disgusted and lose your appetite. So when God calls a particular sin abominable, be sure that He hates it.

So what is abominable to God?

He lists many sexual sins in Leviticus 18. All the sins of this chapter are abominations before God (see vs. 26, 29, 30), which are…

  • marrying a close relative,
  • seeing the nakedness of any of your relatives (i.e. sexual relations),
  • taking two sisters as your wives,
  • bestiality,
  • adultery,
  • and child sacrifice.

Homosexuality is summed up in one verse in this chapter: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” (v. 22) and is reiterated in 20:13 – “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” See also I Kings 14:24.

God lists other abominations in Scripture:

Other abominations are often repeated, such as committing idolatry, committing adultery and eating unclean animals. (Note that the ceremonial law was done away with when Christ died on the cross. We’re no longer held under the dietary laws, nor in keeping the feasts of Israel or the sacrifices.) While the ceremonial law was done away with, the moral law stays consistent through time.

So God singles out many sins, which goes against the idea that He sees them all the same.

Conclusion

To sum it up, God views all sin as sin. It’s all evil and it all works death (separation) in us (see Isa. 59:2). When you choose a particular sin over another, it’s the same as “picking your poison” — it leads to separation (death) from God. Any one sin is enough to render us unfit for heaven. Thus, the eternal impact of any sin has the same impact: eternal death.

But certain sins have different consequences. Consider another example: divorce renders a man unfit for the position of pastor or deacon (I Tim. 3:2, 12). There is a sin unto death, as Achan and King Saul found out. For the sins of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, they were told they would receive greater punishment in hell (Mat. 23:14). If every sin looked the same in God’s eyes, necessity would dictate that they must all be punished alike.

Still, the stronger point is that God declares certain sins to be ones He especially hates and finds abominable. If all sins were the same, why would He single out particular sins and not the rest? So there is some truth to the idea that God sees all sins the same, but the greater truth is that He does not consider them all alike.

Romans 6:23
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Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
James 1:14-15
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Jam. 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
John 10:10
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John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Romans 6:23
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Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
II Cor. 5:6, 8
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II Cor. 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
II Cor. 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
James 2:26
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Jam. 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
I Sam. 15:18-21
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I Sam. 15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
I Sam. 15:23
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I Sam. 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Exod. 20:13
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Ex. 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
Mat. 5:21-22
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Mat. 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Mat. 5:27-28
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Mat. 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
James 2:10
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Jam. 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
James 2:11
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Jam. 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Romans 6:23
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Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 3:23
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Rom. 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
I John 5:16
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I John 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
Ps. 19:1
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Ps. 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. [p]The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Deut. 16:22
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Deut. 16:22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.
Deut. 12:31
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Deut. 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Isa. 61:8
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Isa. 61:8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Zech. 8:17
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Zech. 8:17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
Mal. 2:16
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Mal. 2:16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
Prov. 6:16-18
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Prov. 6:16 ¶ These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Leviticus 18
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Lev. 18:1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.
3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
4 Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.
5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.
6 ¶ None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.
7 The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
10 The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.
11 The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.
13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.
14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.
15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.
17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
19 Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.
21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:
27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)
28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.
29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 18:26, 29,...
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Lev. 18:26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:
Lev. 18:29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
Lev. 18:30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.
Lev. 18:22
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Lev. 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
Lev. 20:13
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Lev. 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
I Kings 14:24
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I Kin. 14:24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
Deut. 18:10-12
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Deut. 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
Deut. 22:5
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Deut. 22:5 ¶ The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Deut. 23:18
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Deut. 23:18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Deut. 25:13-16, Prov...
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Deut. 25:13 ¶ Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.
14 Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small.
15 But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
16 For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Prov. 11:1 ¶ A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.
Prov. 20:10 Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.
Prov. 12:22
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Prov. 12:22 Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
Prov. 15:8-9, 21:27,...
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Prov. 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.
Prov. 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?
Isa. 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Prov. 16:5
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Prov. 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
Prov. 17:15
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Prov. 17:15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.
Prov. 28:9
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Prov. 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Ezek. 8:17
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Eze. 8:17 ¶ Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
Eze. 18:10-13
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Eze. 18:10 ¶ If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,
11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,
12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,
13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.
Isa. 59:2
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Isa. 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
I Tim. 3:2, 12
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I Tim. 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
I Tim. 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
Mat. 23:14
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Mat. 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.