Are All Sins the Same?

"All sin is sin - one sin is not greater than another and should not be condemned any more harshly than any other sin."

This is a popular concept in Evangelicalism today which I suppose we owe to the Baptistfication of theology, but I don't think it is wholly accurate. Certainly in both the OT and NT certain sins were singled out for more severe punishment or condemnation. While there was a whole lot of stonin' going on in the OT, the law did not require every sin to result in stoning. There were levels of punishment. In the NT, we have teaching about various sins and living righteously, but Christ indicates that some sins are worse than others and will even have graver eschatological consequences (Matthew 11:20-24).

Likewise, Paul denounces a whole host of sins, but not all sin was meant with expulsion from the assembly. Paul has a good amount to say about sexual sin, even taking place within the church, but a certain "kind" of sin Paul calls for expulsion (I Cor. 5:1). So, in the here and now, there is clearly a distinction of sin and punishment, and we even have hints of levels of suffering and reward in the hereafter (Matt. 11:20-24; I Cor. 3:10-13).Where all sin is alike is that it all leads to death. Theoretically if a guy's only sin in life is stealing a Snicker's bar and he doesn't have the forgiveness of Christ, then his sin condemns him just as sin condemns the hardened murderer who is also without Christ. But it's absurd to think that stealing a Snicker's bar is morally equal to child rape or armed robbery, even though all are sinful activities. I think I understand what people mean when they say all sin is equal in that all sin leads to death and all sinners need Jesus (i.e. all of us). But I'm not seeing anywhere in Scripture where "all sin is the same."

The statement above I am responding to took place in a Christian discussion forum I am a part of. The subject was homosexuality and the poster was trying to make a statement that while she accepted that homosexuality was sinful, it really isn't any different from any other sin. While I don't agree with that for reasons stated above, I'm not so sure homosexuality is all that much more terrible than many other forms of sexual sin. Most Christians who take a high view of Scripture can make many Biblical and practical cases against homosexuality. I find the gay-friendly theologies out there quite unconvincing, not because of inherent bigotry, but because they just don't convince.

But while conservative Christians speak out against sexual sin of all kind, none come under such hysteria as the homosexual issue. And the gay-lib theologians are correct in pointing out that the condemnations of straight sexual sins far outnumber those specifically directed at homosexuals. In fact, we don't exactly have mounds of direct references to homosexuality in the OT or NT-- but we do, however, have more than enough to build a case against the behavior, and I don't think it can just be limited to cultural considerations. But if we want to take the gay marriage issue, which for the record I do not support--can we honestly say with a straight face that gays are destroying the institution of marriage by their political activities aimed at obtaining basically secular "marriage" recognition? It seems to me that straight people did a fine job on their own of denigrating marriage, including more than a few married Christian couples.