Little Sins

There is a perception among most that sins have degrees. Now, some Christians would argue against such a notion, but I'm not one of them. I think it is true, demonstrably true, that some sins are worse than other sins.

The best place I find this is in Jesus's words.

Then He began to denounce the cities where most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you" (Matt 11:20-21).

Note here two things. First, the point I'm trying to make: "It will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for ...". That is, for some it will be less tolerable. There is more intense judgment for some than for others. Thus, some sins are worse than others. Second, note what Jesus considered the worse sin. Tyre and Sidon were idolatrous nations. Sodom was idolatrous and licentious. That whole "homosexuality is a sin" thing? Yeah, they had that going on big time. And while most Christians are aware that this is a sin, it wasn't this that was the worse sin to Jesus. No, the worse sin wasn't idolatry or homosexuality, but failure to repent.

So, let's just say that, as appears in this passage, some sins are worse than others. What do we conclude from that? Well, the standard conclusion is, "See? I'm not so bad!" Unfortunately, that conclusion only goes so far. "Not so bad" may be true, but how bad, then, is it? According to James, "Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" (James 2:10). That's the standard. One transgression = total failure. So, while some sins may be worse than others, the smallest infraction is justly due eternal damnation.

There is a secondary conclusion. If failure to repent was worse than homosexual behavior or worshiping false gods, what makes us think we can figure out the "lesser sins"? I don't think we have a firm grasp on that at all.

The final thought, then, is this. While some sin is worse than other sin, all sin deserves punishment, so don't think "I'm not as bad as ..." gets you any less damnation. And, bottom line, it's not wise to lay such important matters on your ability to determine what is less sin than another. You're just not that good at it.