Perhaps I should clarify, it occured to me in God's word that he says, that no sin is greater than another, so would that mean that lying about your homework is just as bad as bombing Pearl Harbor? They say sin is the same, but some have greater consequences, and I believe that, but there's another side to it. Does that mean that bombing Pearl Harbor is just as innocent as telling a lie? It's the same really, only measuring up to different sides, posotive and negative. If a lie is as BAD as a bombing and a bombing is as GOOD as a lie, how can we measure our sin. Some say it is imeasurable. But God measures it doesn't he. Everyone's a sinner, therefore we all deserve Hell. Sin is equal. God himself says so. So then why does he kill Saphira and her husband for a small lie, and let others' lies go unpunished? Why does he destroy Sodom and Gomorah when our country is just as sinful. Grace? or is it mercy? He also says that to any who make another turn away he will punish in the end far worse than any other. How can we find a balance between what's a consequence of sin, what's a punishment, and whaat's not? The amount of people it affects?
One day a man killed a woman down the street. Her husband found out and turned away from God and his children. His wo kids, a girl and a boy felt uncared for. The boy commited suicide and the girl ran away. The husband of the dead wife was even more mad and killed the man who killed his wife. This man also had a wife and one child. The wife was very angry and shot herself in the skull, the child, watching his mom do this, lived with his uncle and was horrified at what he'd seen, The girl who ran away eventually died of hunger, and the boy's uncle died. The boy, when he grew up, killed the man who killed his father and started killing for the fun of it. Those innocent people also were angry and sad and 28 of the commited suicide, 13 of them starved from running away(mostly kids), and the rest lived a bitter life ful of discouraging others.
So, did the man who started it all by killing the man's wife as guilty, more guilty, or less guilty than the man whose wife he had killed?
Is sin equal?
Responses (5)
Proverbs 6:16-19 states "There are six things that Jehovah hates; Yes, seven things that he detests: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, A heart plotting wicked schemes, and feet that run quickly to evil, A false witness who lies with every breath, And anyone sowing contentions among brothers".
We can see that according to the Bible both lying and murder are included in the list of things Almighty God hates.
There are others practices that will prevent us from inheriting God's Kingdom and they are listed in I Corinthians 6:9, 10 (please read). The Bible is very clear about these acts and does not approve of them under any circumstances. Listed in your question are several examples of actions taken by individuals who were affected by someone else's actions. If you read the cited scriptures, you will see how Jehovah feels about the acts that were committed and mentioned in your question.
It is true, there are consequences that result from our actions. This is in harmony with Galatians 6:7 which states, in part, (We will reap what we sow).
We all are sinners because we inherited it from our fore parents, Adam and Eve. However, God made provisions for our sins to be forgiven. He did this by sacrificing His only begotten son, Jesus, to die for our sins. So, by taking in knowledge of Jehovah and of the one whom He sent forth His son, Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to have everlasting life. (Read John 17:3). What a wonderful hope we have!
So you would say that a person who murders several people is just as bad or as good as a person who argues with his brother? This mindset could result in terrible, almost dangerous outcomes
The father, or originator, of lying is Satan the Devil. The first lie was rooted in selfishness and wrong desire. All other malicious lies told since that time have likewise been a reflection of selfishness and wrong desire. People have told lies to escape punishment, to profit at other's expense, and to gain and maintain certain advantages, material gain, or the praise of men.
Another thing that is especially serious has been religious lies, they involve the lives of people deceived by them.
God's view of malicious lying, as reflect in the Law , has not changed. Those who want to gain God's approval cannot engage in the practice of lying. They cannot be living a lie. For playing false to the Holy Spirit by lying Ananias and his wife lost their lives.
However, persons who are momentarily overreached in telling a lie do not automatically become guilty of an unforgivable sin. Take the case of Peter, in denying Jesus three times. This illustrates that if a person is truly repentant, God will forgive him.
This seems to answer another one of my questions...
You are absolutely right Sin is Sin ., but keep in mind their are reprecussions for Sin but when it comes to gross sin the consequences are detrimental. Lying is a sin, and we know the originator of lies is Satan the Devil. But can we say lying and murder has the same consequences? Only our Dear Heavenly Father is the judge for such actions. Our merciful forgiving God always gives us the opportunity to genuinely repent and turn away from such sin and he will show forgiveness. Remember no sin is to big for Jehovah to forgive. We have many characters in the Bible who committed many sins, from lying to murder, did our loving forgiving God forgive them? He sure did. Nehemiah 9:17 says,”You are a God ready to forgive, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in loyal love.” Yes don’t matter the sin, if we are truly sorry and repentant our Grand Creator is willing and ready to forgive us. Keep in mind a person who is planning to sin and a person who made a mistake are two different cases. You see a person planning a Sin has already committed the sin in his heart but a person who makes a mistake and sin is not planning that sin, and so regrets his actions and cannot live a life of sin, so he turns to God for forgiveness and accepts that there will be discipline. On the other hand a willful sinner and one who continues in their sinful course refuses to turn to God for forgiveness and does not accept discipline and refuse to right the wrong. Psalms 32:5 the Psalmist said,”Finally I️ confess my transgressions to Jehovah.”And you pardoned the error of my sins.
So your question of whether a small sin of lying and if murder any difference? Yes it is if it’s willfully or a mistake, depends on the individual and God himself. For God is the only one who can read hearts and knows the intentions of the heart and the outcome of each of our sin.
Put in a nut shell if we know it’s wrong and still does it, it’s a sin and we are guilty for such actions.
So, are you saying that sin is equal, but it shouldn't matter because forgiveness can cover it all? And that the worldly consequences could vary but it changes nothing?
So, are you saying that sin is equal, but it shouldn't matter because forgiveness can cover it all? And that the worldly consequences could vary but it changes nothing?
We must interpret the statement that sin is equal or it is not greater than another by realizing that all sins are bad. It does not mean that the level of each sin is the same but all sins will take us down the path, away from God, away from salvation and liberation. Therefore why should we sin? It is because we want to win. Why do we want to win? It is because of our ignorance. Don’t we realize we bring nothing and take nothing, then what is the reason to sin or to win? Why don't we realize God in the temple of our heart? Why don't we realize what is the true purpose of life? Then there is no need to sin and no need to even wonder whether all sins are equal, because when we don't sin, it hardly matters.
So he detests them equally? Why doesn't he use the same methods of punishment then?