All Sins are not Equal!

Opening greeting

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ the Savior. Romans 1:7

Opening scripture

15 Adonai (The LORD), God, took the person and put him in the garden of ‘Eden to cultivate and care for it. 16 Adonai, God, gave the person this order: “You may freely eat from every tree in the garden 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die." Genesis 2:15-17

Definition of Sin

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4 ) When man went against God's order in Genesis 2:16-17 (cited under Opening scripture), that was the origin of sin in creation. Sin is going against God's instruction. It is disobedience.

Classification of Sin

We can put sins into two major categories. Using the Ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), we see the first four commandments mentions sins against God whereas the last six identify sins against people. Accordingly, we can say there are sins against God and sins against people. Sins against God would, naturally, be of greater consequences than sins against man.

Eli the High Priest warns his sons not to sin against God: "If a person commits a sin against another person, the judges can mediate between them. But if a person commits a sin against Adonai, who can intercede for him?” 1 Samuel 2:25

The apostle Peter accused Ananias and Sapphira of sin against God: "You have lied not to human beings but to God!” Acts 5:4

In 1 Corinthians 6:18, apostle Paul differentiates sins against people into sins against the self and sins against other people. 

Gravity of Sin

Sin ultimately leads to the death of the natural body  

23 For what one earns from sin is death; but eternal life is what one receives as a free gift from God, in union with the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord. Romans 6:23

What Sin does do immediately is drop the person down from the height of the honor and the glory and the beauty that God had originally placed him in ("him" is unisex in all cases, unless otherwise specified). According to the Apostle Paul, "all have sinned and come short of earning God’s praise." (Romans 3:23) This has unfathomable and endless ramifications and affects every facet of, not just the individual person, but also all of creation.

Sin can cause disease and sickness

14 Afterwards Jesus found him in the Temple court and said to him, “See, you are well! Now stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you!” John 5:14

Sin can bring loss and ruin 

35 It was after this that Jehoshaphat joined up with Ahaziah king of Israel, who was acting very wickedly. 36 He joined together with him to build large ships capable of going to Tarshish; they made the ships in ‘Ezion-geba. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat: “Because you joined yourself with Ahaziah, Adonai is wrecking your project.” And the ships were wrecked, so that they couldn’t go to Tarshish. 2 Chronicles 20:35-37

Classes of Sins

Sins that are forgive-able

According to the apostle John, some sins will receive forgiveness, if we confess and forsake them: 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he will ask; and God will give him life for those whose sinning does not lead to death. 1 John 5:16

Sins that will never be forgiven and that will definitely lead to death

According to the apostle John,  16 "There is sin that does lead to death; I am not saying he should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death." 1 John 5:16-17

Examples of Sins that were not forgiven or forgive-able

1. The words of The Lord Jesus Christ on the topic- I tell you that people will be forgiven any sin and blasphemy, but blaspheming the Holy Ghost will not be forgiven. Mathew 12:31

2. The Lord Jesus Christ speaks again on the topic-  Whoever ensnares one of these little ones who trust me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the open sea! Mathew 18:6

3. Apostle Paul chips in-  4 When people have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become sharers in the Holy Ghost, 5 and tasted the goodness of God’s Word and the powers of the world that is to come — 6 and then have fallen away — it is impossible to renew them so that they turn from their sin, as long as for themselves they keep executing the Son of God on the cross all over again and keep holding him up to public contempt. 7 For the land that soaks up frequent rains and then brings forth a crop useful to its owners receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it keeps producing thorns and thistles, it fails the test and is close to being cursed;[a] in the end, it will be burned. Hebrews 6:4-8

4. What the pre-eminent apostle, Peter, said-  20 Indeed, if they have once escaped the pollutions of the world through knowing our Lord and Deliverer, Jesus the Savior, and then have again become entangled and defeated by them, their latter condition has become worse than their former. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the Way of righteousness than, fully knowing, to turn from the holy command delivered to them. 2 Peter 2: 20-21

Some of the people who were not forgiven in Scriptures

1. Esau- 16 That no one is sexually immoral, or godless like Esau, who in exchange for a single meal gave up his rights as the firstborn. 17 For you know that afterwards, when he wanted to obtain his father’s blessing, he was rejected; indeed, even though he sought it with tears, his change of heart was to no avail. Hebrews 12: 16-17

2. Judas- 21 For the Son of Man will die, just as the Scripture says he will; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him had he never been born! Mark 14:21

 How not to Sin

The Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray so we can avoid Temptations to Sin: And do not lead us into hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One. Mathew 6:13

Invitation to embrace Jesus Christ

On hearing this, they were stung in their hearts; and they said to Peter and the other emissaries (apostles), “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter answered them, “Turn from sin, return to God, and each of you be immersed on the authority of Jesus Christ into forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost! 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for those far away — as many as Adonai our God may call!” Acts 2: 37-39

Closing Blessing:

24 Now,

to the one who can keep you from falling
    and set you without defect and full of joy
    in the presence of his Sh’khinah (glory)—
25 to God alone, our Deliverer,
    through Jesus the Messiah, our Lord —
be glory, majesty, power and authority
    before all time, now and forever.

Amen. Jude 1: 24-25