Growing up in a pastor's home and being in church since 9 months before I was born, I have always heard Christian people say that no sin is worse than another. All sins are equal in the eyes of God. 

One mistaken and unfortunate trend in many parts of the contemporary American Christian church is the propagation of “Christian” clichés that are neither Christian nor true. One of these is this very idea: no sin is worse than any other sin.

Sin is sin they say. Before I discuss some problems with this view, I first want to point out what is right about it. It is true that because God is perfectly holy, He detests all sin. It is not as if God takes murder seriously but merely gives theft a wink and a nod. God is morally perfect, and His heart is grieved by all sin. We should expect no less from a morally perfect and holy God who is worthy of all of our worship. God’s perfect character requires that He abhor all sin. As followers of Christ, as people who aspire to exemplify His character in our daily living, we should pursue holiness and avoid all sin.

It is true that no matter how great or small, all sins separate us from God and require forgiveness in Christ. The consequence of sin — any sin — is spiritual death. All sins leave us in need of redemption. 

James 2:10-11 For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point is guilty of breaking the whole law. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,”[b] also said, “Do not kill.” Now if you do not commit adultery, yet you kill, you have become a lawbreaker.

Simply put, that scripture tells us that if we break just one of God's laws or commandments, its the same as if we broke them all. So in that sense, yes, all sin separates us from God and we needed Jesus to dies as a substitute for our sin, But that does not mean that all sins are equal in His sight in the sense of consequences or punishment.

It is clear that there are degree of wrongdoing. The idea or belief that murder is morally equivalent to stealing a pack of gum is absurd for many reasons. For example, the level of harm is vastly different. If someone steals a pack of gum for me, that's not good, but I'm not dead....hello?!

The right to life is fundamental. It is the most important right we possess. So murder is a morally worse act than stealing gum. The two actions are not morally equivalent, nor are they the same in the eyes of God. All sin does not have the same effect. 

There is a very strong biblical case that can be made against the claim that all sins are the same in God's sight. 

Let's read Matthew 23: 23-24 Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone. You blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

In this passage, Jesus rejects the claim that no sin is worse than any other. He told them that justice, mercy, and faithfulness are more important than giving tithes. And just for the record, He is NOT talking here about social justice. That's a podcast for another day.

The point of this passage is the the scribes and Pharisees focused on lesser matters of the law while neglecting the more important. Jesus did not hold that all sins are equal because His teachings here directly contradict this view.

In Luke 20: 46-47, Jesus teaches that there will be some people who will receive a greater condemnation or punishment than others. The scripture reads, "Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation."

And who did Jesus have in mind when he warned of hell’s greatest levels? We might think it would be Hitler or Stalin, but instead, Jesus tells us that it will be respectable religious people. In this passage it was directed at the most religious teachers of the law. 

Matthew 11 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who is exalted toward heaven, will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the Day of Judgment than for you.”

On the last day, he tells us, the judgment will be “more bearable” for Tyre and Sidon, and “more tolerable” for Sodom, than it will be for the citizens of these Galilean cities.

Tyre plundered Jerusalem after Babylon had laid it waste (Ezekiel 26:1–2), but better to be a marauding Tyrian on judgment day than to be a citizen of Chorazin. Sidon exulted with Tyre over the destruction of God’s chosen city (Isaiah 23:4, 12), but better to be a proud Sidonian on judgment day than to be a member of Bethsaida. The men of Sodom nearly battered down Lot’s door in order to commit homosexual acts (Genesis 19:4–9), but — can it be? — better to be a lecherous Sodomite on judgment day than to stand with the city of Capernaum.

As far as we know, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were not renowned for their wickedness. These were small Galilean cities, neighbors to Nazareth. Capernaum was even Jesus’s “own city” during his ministry. The residents of these places were likely synagogue-attending, Torah-memorizing, Sabbath-keeping Jews. How could they possibly outdo Sodom in sin?

For this simple reason: when they witnessed the mighty works of the Messiah, God’s own Son, “they did not repent” (Matthew 11:20).

The worst sinners in this world, then, are not necessarily those who live in rank debauchery, but those who go on sinning when they have every reason and opportunity to repent. Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, for all their wickedness, lived and died in gospel darkness. Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum saw the gospel’s blazing light — and they quietly closed the curtains.

It makes sense that because not all sin is the same, there will be greater degrees of punishment and reward. In fact, in Matt 16:27 saysFor "the Son of Man shall come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay every man according to his works." 

How many of you know that there will be some who have greater works than others? Some people have dedicated their lives to the service of Jesus Christ, while others give the bare minimum in their service to the Lord. Throughout the NT the scripture even talks about 5 crowns that will be given to believers, but not every Christian will receive all 5 crowns. 

It stands to reason that if there are greater rewards in Heaven and greater punishments in Hell, that all sin cannot be equal. 

Where we are all equal is at the foot of the cross. the Bible tells us that all of us have sinned and come short of God's standard of perfection. There is forgiveness in Jesus Christ for all sin except for one which brings me to my last point. 

If all sin is equal, then why does Jesus tell us in Mark 3:28-29 that there is an unforgivable sin? He said, 28 Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they speak. 29 But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal condemnation.”

Simply put, there is one sin that is greater than all others and that is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. A person cannot reject Christ as Messiah and enter the kingdom of Heaven.

If you are still breathing today, you can be forgiven of your sins.  

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28–30)

Come to me. No matter how many years someone has merely dabbled with the gospel, no matter how many opportunities they have trampled, no matter how many sermons and exhortations they have despised, Jesus says, “Come to me.” He invites those who rival Sodom in their evil, and he invites those who compete with Capernaum for their apathy. He invites those who have blatantly hated him all their life, and he invites those who have quietly rejected him.

Jesus is gentle and lowly in heart. He does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). Rather, he delights when the wicked, after long years of refusing him, finally come, ready to repent and find their rest in him.

Not all sins, and not all sinners, are the same. But they all have the same remedy: the Savior who came, and lived, and died so that no one who feels the weight of their guilt need finally go to hell.