ARE ALL SINS OF THE SAME DEGREE BEFORE GOD?
Protestants often make the assertion that there is no such thing as “big” sins and “little” sins, or else they will say something similar to dogmatically declare that all sin is the same in God’s sight.[1] And admittedly, there are some Scriptures that could be brought forward and interpreted in such as way to give support such an idea[2], but what does the overwhelming majority of the evidence show concerning such an assertion? While it is true that the Christian tradition (including the Old and New Testament) clearly speaks of a general state of sin or the general condition of being sinful (i.e., living/walking according to the flesh or being carnally minded in contrast to living/walking according to the Spirit or being spiritually minded[3]), the evidence also clearly reveals distinctions within that general state or condition showing that there are differences regarding not only quantity of sins, but also quality of sin(s). In John 19:11, it is recorded that Jesus spoke the following words to Pilate:
“You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
Looking at the statement above that was spoken by Jesus Christ, one would think that it would be fairly easy for His followers to accept the notion that there truly is such a thing as a greater sin—because in making this statement to Pilate, Jesus Christ Himself unambiguously used the language of comparison[4] when speaking of sin. But because Jesus’ professed followers are often inclined to dismiss the very words of the Author and Finisher of their faith (not to mention the plain, ordinary rules of grammar[5]) while preferring and holding tightly to the Reformed Protestant platitudes that they have been indoctrinated with, please consider the remainder of the evidence contained in this document, especially the Scriptures listed below that are accepted by all Christians as being part of the canon.
Genesis 13:13—”But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.”
Genesis 18:20—“And the LORD said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave.’”
Genesis 19:6-7—“So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, ‘Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!’”
Genesis 20:9—“And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, ‘What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?’”
Genesis 39:9—”There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
Exodus 32:21—”Moses then spoke to Aaron, ‘What did this people do to you that you brought so great a sin upon them?'”
Exodus 32:30—“Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, ‘You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.’”
Exodus 32:31—”Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘I pray, O Lord, these people have committed a great sin and have made for themselves a god of gold!'”
Numbers 15:27-31—“’And if a person sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells among them. But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’”
Deuteronomy 15:9 [LXX]—“Take heed to thyself that there be not a secret thing in thine heart, an iniquity, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, draws nigh; and thine eye shall be evil to thy brother that is in want, and thou shalt not give to him, and he shall cry against thee to the Lord, and there shall be great sin in thee.”
Deuteronomy 31:27—“for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD, then how much more after my death?”
Deuteronomy 31:29—“For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”
Joshua 7:1 [LXX]—“But the children of Israel committed a great trespass, and purloined [pilfered] part of the accursed thing; and Achar the son of Charmi, the son of Zambri, the son of Zara, of the tribe of Juda, took of the accursed thing; and the Lord was very angry with the children of Israel.”
Joshua 22:31 [LXX]—“And Phinees the priest said to the sons of Ruben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half of the tribe of Manasse, To-day we know that the Lord is with us, because ye have not trespassed grievously against the Lord, and because ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord.”
Judges 2:19a—“And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them.”
1 Samuel 2:17—“Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.”
1 Samuel 3:21 [LXX]—“And the Lord manifested himself again in Selom, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel; and Samuel was accredited to all Israel as a prophet to the Lord from one end of the land to the other: and Heli [was] very old, and his sons kept advancing [in wickedness], and their way [was] evil before the Lord.”
1 Samuel 12:17—”Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves.”
1 Samuel 14:24 [LXX]—“And Saul committed a great trespass of ignorance in that day…”
1 Samuel 26:21—“Then Saul said, ‘I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.’”
2 Samuel 24:10—“And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, ‘I have sinned greatly [LXX has “grievously”] in what I have done; but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.’”
1 Kings 16:25—“Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all who were before him.”
1 Kings 16:30 [LXX; Brenton translation]—“And Achaab did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more wickedly than all that were before him.”
1 Kings 16:33 [LXX; Brenton translation]—“And Achaab made a grove; and Achaab did yet more abominably, to provoke the Lord God of Israel, and [to sin against] his own life so that he should be destroyed: he did evil above all the kings of Israel that were before him.”
1 Kings 21:26—“And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.”
2 Kings 3:2-3—“And he [Jehoram, son of Ahab] did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.” [6]
2 Kings 17:2—“And he [Hoshea, king of Israel] did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him.” [Another passage that seems to imply degrees of wickedness or levels of sin.]
2 Kings 17:21b—“Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, and made them commit a great sin.”
2 Kings 21:10-11—“And the LORD spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, ‘Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols),’”
1 Chronicles 21:8—“So David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”
1 Chronicles 21:17a [LXX]—“And David said to God, ‘Was it not I that gave orders to number the people? and I am the guilty one; I have greatly sinned: but these sheep, what have they done?’”
2 Chronicles 20:35—“After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly.”
2 Chronicles 28:13—”and said to them, ‘You shall not bring the captives here, for we already have offended the LORD. You intend to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.”
2 Chronicles 28:19[BBE (Bible in Basic English)]—“For the Lord made Judah low, because of Ahaz, king of Israel; for he had given up all self-control in Judah, sinning greatly against the Lord.”
2 Chronicles 28:22—”Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD.” [LXX says that “he departed yet more from the Lord…”]
2 Chronicles 33:9 [KJV]—“So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.”
2 Chronicles 36:14 [BBE (Bible in Basic English]—“And more than this, all the great men of Judah and the priests and the people made their sin great, turning to all the disgusting ways of the nations; and they made unclean the house of the Lord which he had made holy in Jerusalem.” [RSV says that they were “exceedingly unfaithful; ASV says that they “trespassed very greatly”]
Ezra 9:7, 13a—7 “Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day….13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt,”
Ezra 10:13 [LXX]—“But the people is numerous, and the season is stormy, and there is no power to stand without, and the work is more than enough for one day or for two; for we have greatly sinned in this matter.”
Nehemiah 1:7—“We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.”
Nehemiah 9:18 & 26—“18 Even when they made a molded calf for themselves…and worked great provocations…26 Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against You, cast Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets, who testified against them to turn them to Yourself; and they worked great provocations.”
Nehemiah 9:33 [LXX]—“But thou art righteous in all the things that come upon us; for thou hast wrought faithfully, but we have greatly sinned.”
Nehemiah 13:27—”Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?”
Job 22:5—“Is not your wickedness great, and your iniquity without end?”
Job 31:28 [LXX]: “let this also then be reckoned to me as the greatest iniquity: for I should have lied against the Lord Most High.”
Psalm 1:1—“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;” [Walks, stands, sits—this verse appears to depict a progressively worse downward slide into spending more and more time in sinful associations with bad company.]
Psalm 12:8 [KJV]—“The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.”
Psalm 19:13—”Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression.” [this verse shows that a sin committed presumptuously is greater than a sin committed unwittingly; cf. Num 15:27-31]
Psalm 25:11—“For Your name’s sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.”
Psalm 53:1b—“They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;”
Ecclesiastes 7:17—“Do not be overly wicked, nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?”
Jeremiah 7:26—”Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.”
Jeremiah 13:22—“And if you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things come upon me?’ For the greatness of your iniquity your skirts have been uncovered, your heels made bare.”
Jeremiah 16:12—“And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me.”
Jeremiah 26:19—”Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and seek the LORD’S favor? And the LORD relented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. But we are doing great evil against ourselves.”
Jeremiah 44:7—“Now therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain,”
Lamentations 1:8a—”Jerusalem has sinned gravely, therefore she has become vile.”
Lamentations 1:20b—”My heart is overturned within me, for I have been very rebellious.”
Ezekiel 8:6—“Furthermore He said to me, ‘Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.’”
Ezekiel 8:13—“And He said to me, ‘Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.’”
Ezekiel 8:15—“Then He said to me, ‘Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.’”
Ezekiel 9:9—Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!’”
Ezekiel 14:13—“Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.”
Ezekiel 16:47—”You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.”
Ezekiel 16:52a—”You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous[7] than you.”
Ezekiel 20:13—“Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths.”
Ezekiel 23:11—“Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.”
Ezekiel 24:12—“She has grown weary with lies, and her great scum has not gone from her. Let her scum be in the fire!”
Hosea 10:15a—”…Because of your great wickedness.”
Joel 3:13b—”…For their wickedness is great.”
Amos 5:12—”For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: afflicting the just and taking bribes; diverting the poor from justice at the gate.”
Matthew 12:45a—”Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” [Just as one unclean spirit/demon can be more wicked than another, this same downward spiral can happen in human beings. Cf. Luke 11:26]
Matthew 18:6-7—“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” [It is bad enough that we injure ourselves when we sin, but this verse sounds as if causing others to sin or stumble is especially grievous and therefore worthy of a more severe punishment—which is a corresponding subject that will also be addressed in this document].
Luke 3:19-20—“But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him [John the Baptist] concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.”
1 Cor 5:1—”It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!” [Sexual immorality is bad enough and should in no way be found amongst Christians, but then there is a type of sexual immorality that is considered to be especially disgusting—even amongst non-Christians!]
1 Cor 6:7—”Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?” [It is not merely a spiritual failure for one Christian to take another Christian to a secular court of law, it is an “utter” failure!]
1 Timothy 5:8—“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
2 Timothy 3:13—“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
James 1:15—“Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” [A progression from bad to worse/little to big: sin as an embryo, a baby & an adult]
In addition to the passages already given, we should consider that in Moses’ day, there was:
- sin deserving death (Deut 21:22—”If a man has committed a sin deserving of death…”)
- sin not deserving death (Deut 22:26—”Do nothing to the girl; she has committed no sin deserving death.”)
And that the N.T. clearly shows us that there are different classifications of sins:
- eternal sin (Mark 3:29—”But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”)
- sins outside our bodies (1 Cor 6:18a—”All other sins a man commits are outside his body…”).
- sins against our bodies (1 Cor 6:18b—”but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.”)
- sin that does not lead to death (1 John 5:16a—”If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death.”)
- sin that leads to death (1 John 5:16b—”There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.”)
Jude even goes so far as to tell us that we should make distinctions (Jude 22, 23—”And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”)
The Bible also gives the distinctions of:
- willful sins (Ps 19:13—”Keep your servant also from willful sins…”)
- unintentional sins (Num 15:22—”‘If you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments which the Lord has spoken to Moses…”)
- defiant sins (Num 15:30—”‘But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people.”)
- detestable sins (2 Kings 21:11a—”Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins.”)
- deliberate sins (Heb 10:26—”If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left…”).
Note: In the KJV, forms of the English word “abomination” (abominable, abominably, abominations) occur nearly 180 times. It is from the Latin word abominari, which means to abhor (abhor occurs at Prov 22:14). To be abominable (ex. Titus 1:16) is to be unequivocally detestable or loathsome; to be an abomination (ex. Proverbs 3:32; 6:16) is to be an abhorrence for someone or something; it is something that elicits great dislike or abhorrence. To abhor (ex. Leviticus 26:30) is to regard with horror or loathing—to abominate; it is to reject vehemently (strongly). A similar word used in the Bible is the word “vile,” which is used both in regards to people and to sins (it is used at least 9-10 times in such a manner–ex. Nahum 1:14; Rom 1:26), and consider also the associated words “detestable,” “detest,” and “abhor,” all of which can be found in the Bible being used to describe specific sins that are intensely and especially disliked by God. All of this indicates that God does not regard all sins as being equally offensive or grievous, and so it would only make sense that the worse sins deserve a more severe punishment—which is a corresponding truth[8] we will now consider.
ARE THERE DEGREES OF PUNISHMENT? ARE THERE LEVELS OF REWARD?
In an effort to refute the idea that there will be levels of reward in heaven, Protestants often refer to the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 20:1-16 about the laborers in the vineyard, while emphasizing the fact that all of the laborers received the same pay. But if we interpret this parable to mean that every person will receive the exact same reward in heaven, what do we do with the rest of the evidence that seems to say otherwise? Let us first consider some more Scriptural evidence, and then let us consider the interpretation of Matt 20:1-16 that is given by both Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian (see the quotations corresponding to footnotes 9 and 13)—and let us humbly consider whose interpretation of that parable better fits with the majority of the evidence that is available.
Ruth 2:12—”The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”
Ezra 9:13b—“since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this…”
Nehemiah 13:18—”Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
Psalm 119:8—“I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!”
Proverbs 11:31—”If the righteous will be recompensed on the earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner.” (NKJV/Masoretic) [LXX Brenton translation has “If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”]
Lamentations 4:6—”The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, With no hand to help her!”
Lamentations 5:22—”Unless You have utterly rejected us, And are very angry with us!”
Daniel 12:3—”Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” [a difference in glory?]
Matthew 5:19—”Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”[9]
Matthew 10:15—”Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” [see also Mark 6:11b & Luke 10:12]
Matthew 10:41–“He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” [Jesus seems to speak of differing rewards for those who receive His ambassadors]
Matthew 11:22 & 24—“But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you [see also Luke 10:14]….But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 12:43-45—”When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” [A wicked man is definitely in a bad condition; but things can get worse for him! Cf. Luke 11:26]
Matthew 18:1, 4—”At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’….[And Jesus said] ‘Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'”
Matthew 19:27-30—“Then Peter answered and said to Him, ‘See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.’” [see also Mk 10:28-31]
Matthew 20:23—”So He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.'”
Matthew 21:44—”And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
Matthew 23:14-15—”Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” [see also Luke 20:47]
Mark 9:35—”And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.'” [see also Matt 20:26-27]
Mark 12:40—”who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
Luke 6:38b—”For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 9:48—”and [Jesus] said to them [the Apostles], ‘Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.'”
Luke 12:47-48—”And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”
Luke 19:15-26—”And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.'”
Luke 20:17-18—Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
Luke 20:47—”who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
Luke 22:30—”that you [the Apostles] may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
1 Cor 3:8—”Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.”
1 Cor 3:14, 15—”If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” [If the evangelist’s convert (his “work”) endures to the end, the evangelist will receive a reward. But if the evangelist’s convert does not stand the test (“is burned”), the evangelist will suffer loss of reward, but he himself will be saved if he passes the “fire” test personally.]
1 Cor 15:41—”There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.” [a difference in glory]
1 Thes 2:16—”forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.”
James 3:1—”My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”
Heb 2:2—”For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward,”
Heb 10:29—”Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”
1 Peter 4:18—”Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?'”
2 Peter 2:9-10—”then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,”
2 Peter 2:20-21—”For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”
2 John 1:8—”Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.”
Rev 14:13—Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” [Their works follow them because they are going to be rewarded accordingly for them!]
Rev 18:6-7—”Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.'”
Note: Degrees of reward and punishment are also implied, in that the Bible—everywhere and throughout—teaches that we will be judged (rewarded or punished) according to our deeds/works or according to what we have done or according to our ways, whether they be righteous or wicked. For example, see 1 Sam 2:3; 2 Sam 3:39; 1 Kings 8:39; 2 Chron 6:23, 30; Job 34:11; Ps 28:4; 62:12; Prov 22:8 [LXX]; 24:12; Eccles. 12:14; Is 3:10, 11; Jer 17:10; 25:14; 32:19; Lam 3:64; Ezek 7:3, 8, 9, 27; 9:10; 11:21; 24:14; 33:20; 36:19; Hosea 12:2; Zech 1:6; Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 11:26; 16:12, 14; 35:24; Matt 16:27; Rom 2:6; 1 Cor 3:8; 2 Cor 5:10; 11:15; Gal 6:7; 2 Tim 4:14; 1 Peter 1:17; Rev 2:23; 18:6; 20:12, 13; 22:12, etc. Whereas “according” has the meaning of corresponding to; in agreement with; in proportion to; in harmony with, etc., it implies that there is a direct relationship between what we do and how we are judged.
*Related to all this is the fact that Jesus taught that there were “weightier matters of the law” (Matt 23:23) and recognized that there was a difference in degree between a small gnat and a large camel (Matt 23:24) and called those people “blind” who could not see the difference between the two.
THE EARLY CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY
Now if the dual teachings that (1) all sins are the same before God and (2) that there are no degrees of punishment and reward are really part of the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (like so many Protestants seem to think that they are), then we would expect to find such teachings in the writings of those Christians who lived closest the Apostles. But what do we find in their writings concerning this topic? Read the quotations below to find out.
Papius [c. 120 A.D.]—”There is a distinction between the habitation of those who produce a hundred-fold, and the habitation of those who produce sixty-fold, and the habitation of those who produce thirty-fold…It is for that reason that the Lord said ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions.'” (Vol. 1, pg 154)
2nd Clement [c. 120-140 A.D.]—”And if, indeed, they themselves only did such things, it would be the more tolerable; but now they persist in imbuing innocent souls with their pernicious doctrines, not knowing that they shall receive a double condemnation…” (Vol. 7, pg 520)
“This He speaketh of the day of His appearing when He shall come and redeem us [Christians], each one according to his works.” (Vol. 7, pg 522) [implies various degrees of reward among these redeemed]
Hermas [c. 150 A.D.]—”Those who have not known God and do evil are condemned to death. However, those who have known God and have seen His mighty works, but still continue in evil, will be chastised doubly, and will die forever.” (Vol. 2, pg 50)
Justin Martyr [c.160 A.D.]—”…we believe (or rather, indeed, are persuaded) that every man will suffer punishment in eternal fire according to the merit of his deed, and will render account according to the power he has received from God, as Christ intimated when He said, ‘To whom God has given more, of him shall more be required.'” (Vol. 1, pg 168)
Athenagoras [c. 175 A.D]—”I pass over the fact, that so long as the [pre-resurrection bodily] nature we at present possess is preserved, the mortal nature is not able to bear a punishment commensurate with the more numerous or more serious faults. For the robber or ruler, or tyrant, who has unjustly put to death myriads on myriads, could not by one death make restitution for these deeds; and the man who holds no true opinion concerning God, but lives in all outrage and blasphemy, despises divine things, breaks the laws, commits outrage against boys and women alike, razes cities unjustly, burns houses with their inhabitants, and devastates a country, and at the same time destroys inhabitants of cities and peoples, and even an entire nation—how in a mortal body could he endure a penalty adequate to these crimes, since death prevents the deserved punishment, and the mortal nature does not suffice for any single one of his deeds? It is proved, therefore, that neither in the present life is there a judgment according to men’s deserts, nor after death” [the judgment, after which we enter either the full experience of either heaven or hell, comes after we have received resurrection bodies]. (Vol. 2, pg 160)
Irenaeus [c. 180 A.D.]—”And it is He [Jesus] who uses [the words], that it will be more tolerable for Sodom in the general judgment than for those who beheld His wonders, and did not believe on Him, nor receive His doctrine. For as He gave by His advent a greater privilege to those who believed on Him, and who do His will, so also did He point out that those who did not believe on Him should have a more severe punishment in the judgment; thus extending equal justice to all, and being to exact more from those to whom He gives the more;” (Vol. 1, pg 516)
“…a share is allotted to all by the Father, according as each person is or shall be worthy….The presbyters, the disciples of the apostles, affirm that this is the gradation and arrangement of those who are saved…” (Vol. 1, pg 567)
Clement of Alexandria [c. 195 A.D.]—”For he who sins, in the degree in which he sins, becomes worse and is of less estimation than before;” (Vol. 2, pg 263)
“For the Law, in its solicitude for those who obey, trains up to piety, and prescribes what is to be done, and restrains each one from sins, imposing penalties even on lesser sins.” (Vol. 2, pg 339)
“John, too, manifestly teaches the differences of sins, in his larger Epistle, in these words: ‘If any man see his brother sin a sin that is not unto death he shall ask, and he shall give him life: for these that sin not unto death,’ he says. For ‘there is a sin unto death: I do not say that one is to pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin; and there is a sin not unto death.'” (Vol. 2, pg 362)
“For there are with the Lord both rewards and ‘many mansions,’ corresponding to men’s lives….And again, the differences of virtue according to merit, and the noble rewards, He indicated by the hours unequal in number; and in addition, by the equal reward given to each of the laborers—that is salvation, which is meant by the penny[10]—He indicated the equality of justice; and the difference of those called He intimated, by those who worked for unequal portions of time. They shall work, therefore, in accordance with the appropriate mansions of which they have been deemed worthy as rewards, being fellow-workers in the ineffable administration and service.” (Vol. 2, pg 415)
“The same work, then is different, depending on what prompted it. Was it because of fear, or was it accomplished because of love, faith, or knowledge? Rightly, therefore, their rewards are different.” (Vol. 2, pg 430)
“For instance, Solomon, calling the [spiritual Christian] wise, speaks thus of those who admire the dignity of his mansion: ‘For they shall see the end of the wise, and to what a degree the Lord has established him.[11]‘” (Vol. 2, pg 505)
“Conformably, therefore, there are various abodes, according to the worth of those who have believed. To the point Solomon says, ‘For there shall be given to him the choice grace of faith, and a more pleasant lot in the temple of the Lord.[12]‘ For the comparative shows that there are lower parts in the temple of God, which is the whole Church….These chosen abodes…are indicated by the numbers in the Gospel—the thirty, the sixty, the hundred.[13]” (Vol. 2, pg 506)
The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas [c.202 A.D.]—”For when…they had been discoursing among themselves about their wish in respect of their martyrdom, Saturninus indeed had professed that he wished that he might be thrown to all the beasts; doubtless that he might wear a more glorious crown.” (Vol. 3, pg 705)
Tertullian [c. 213 A.D.]—”How will there be many mansions in our Father’s house if it is not according to a variety of deserts? How will one star differ from another star in glory, unless it is because of a disparity in their rays.” (Vol. 3, pg 639)
“…we shall all be with the one God—albeit the wages be various, albeit there be ‘many mansions’ in the house of the same Father—having labored for the ‘one penny‘[14] of the self-same hire, that is, of eternal life.” (Vol. 4, pg 67)
“…in accordance also with the example of the drachma…there may be some sins of a moderate character, proportionable to the small size and the weight of a drachma….But of adultery and fornication it is not a drachma, but a talent…” (Vol. 4, pg 81)
“Do we not, in the apostles also [speaking of Acts 15:28-29], recognize the form of the Old Law with regard to the demonstration of adultery, how great (a crime) it is; lest perchance it be esteemed more trivial in the new stage of disciplines [under the New Covenant] than in the old? …. these alone [the sins of idolatry and murder[15]] they put in the foremost rank….They [the apostles] loosed us from the more numerous [bonds], that we might be bound up to abstinence from the more noxious.” (Vol. 4, pg 85-86)
“…repentance invites clemency to itself…which either, for lighter sins, will be able to obtain pardon from the bishop, or else, for greater and irremissible ones, from God only.” (Vol. 4, pg 95)
Commodianus [c. 240 A.D.]—”The whole of the matter for thee is this, Do thou ever shun great sins….Warned by example, do not sin gravely;” (Vol. 4, pg 212)
Origen [c. 248 A.D.]—”Let them rest assured that punishment will be inflicted on the wicked and that rewards will be bestowed upon the righteous by Him who deals with everyone just as he deserves. He will proportion His rewards to the good that each has done, according to the account of himself that he is able to give.” (Vol. 4, pg 659)
“And I think that just as a man commits adultery in his heart only, though not proceeding altogether to the overt act, so he commits in his heart the rest of the things which are forbidden. As then he who has committed adultery in his heart will be punished proportionately to adultery of this kind, so also he who has done in his heart any one of the things forbidden, for example, who has stolen in his heart only, or borne false witness in his heart only, will not be punished as he who has stolen in fact, or who has completed the very act of false testimony, but only as he who has done such things in his heart….adultery which takes place in the heart is a less sin, than if one were also to add to it the act.” (Vol. 9, pg 454)
“That there is not equality in regard to those who are deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven they [the Apostles] had apprehended, and that, as there was not equality, someone was greatest, and so in succession down to the least.” (Vol. 9, pg 483)
“…the devil, his angels, and a wicked band of impure spirits, which, seeking out instruments through whom they will work, often find men altogether strangers to piety, and sometimes even some of those who are thought to believe the Word of God, for whom exists a worse woe than that which comes to him who is caused to stumble, just as also it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for the places where Jesus did signs and wonders, and yet was not believed….But that the woe is worse in the case of him who causes to stumble, than in him who is made to stumble, you may prove by the passage, ‘Whoso shall cause to stumble one of these little ones which believe in Me, it is profitable for him,’ etc.; for, while the little one who is made to stumble receives retribution from him who caused him to stumble, it is expedient that the severe and intolerable punishment which is written should befall the man who has caused the stumbling.” (Vol. 9, pg 488; see also pg 499-500, 511)
Cyprian [c. 252 A.D.]—”The principle of the philosophers and stoics is different, dearest brother, who say that all sins are equal….But there is a wide difference between Christians and philosophers.” (Vol. 5, pg 331)
Methodius [c.290 A.D.]—”…there shall be tribes and families and orders, according to the analogy of the faith of each. And this Paul, too, sets forth, saying, ‘There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.’ And the Lord does not profess to give the same honors to all…” (Vol. 6, pg 332)
Lactantius [304-313 A.D.]—”…to strangle newly-born children…is the greatest impiety…” (Vol. 7, pg 187)
Apostolic Constitutions [compiled c. 390 A.D.]—”There is no sin more grievous than idolatry, for it is an impiety against God: and yet even this sin has been forgiven, upon sincere repentance. But if any one sin in direct opposition, and on purpose to try whether God will punish the wicked or not, such a one shall have no remission…” (Vol. 7, pg 408)
[in church discipline issues] “Do not pass the same sentence for every sin, but one suitable to each crime, distinguishing all the several sorts of offences with much prudence, the great from the little. Treat a wicked action after one manner, and a wicked word after another; a bare intention still otherwise. So also in the case of a contumely or suspicion. And some thou shalt curb by threatenings alone; some thou shalt punish with fines to the poor; some thou shalt mortify with fastings; and others thou shalt separate according to the greatness of their several crimes. For the law did not allot the same punishment to every offense, but had a different regard to a sin against God, against the priest, against the temple, or against the sacrifice; from a sin against the king, or ruler, or a soldier, or a fellow-subject; and so were the offences different which were against a servant, a possession, or a brute creature. And again, sins were differently rated according as they were against parents and kinsmen, and those differently which were done on purpose from those that happened involuntarily. Accordingly the punishments were different: as death either by crucifixion or by stoning, fines, scourgings, or the suffering the same mischiefs they had done to others. Wherefore do you also allot different penalties to different offenses, lest any injustice should happen, and provoke God to indignation. For of what unjust judgment soever you are the instruments, of the same you shall receive the reward from God. ‘For with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged.” (Vol. 7 pg 417-418)
“…if we remit any part of our confession, and deny godliness by the faintness of our persuasion, and the fear of a very short punishment, we not only deprive ourselves of everlasting glory, but we shall also become the causes of the perdition of others; and shall suffer double punishment…” (Vol. 7, pg 439)
“For by how much the priesthood is more noble than the royal power, as having its concern about the soul, so much has he a greater punishment who ventures to oppose the priesthood…” (Vol. 7, pg 450)
“Will not He [God] inflict severer punishment on those that blaspheme His providence or His creation?” (Vol. 7, pg 451)
“But adultery and fornication are against the law; the one whereof is impiety, the other injustice, and, in a word, no other than a great sin.” (Vol. 7, pg 463)
Recognitions of Clement [211-231 A.D.]—”their souls are kept in good and blessed abodes, that at the resurrection of the dead, when they shall recover their own bodies,…they may obtain an eternal inheritance in proportion to their good deeds.” (Vol. 8, pg 91)
“…in which kingdom there is indeed a bestowal of eternal good things upon the good, but upon those who have acted contrary to the will of God, a worthy infliction of penalties in proportion to the doings of every one.” (Vol. 8, pg 103)
“Do you think, O woman, that those who destroy themselves [commit suicide] are set free from torments, and not rather that the souls of those who lay violent hands upon themselves are subjected to greater punishments?” (Vol. 8, pg 159)
The Vision of Paul [compiled c. 388 A.D.;]—”[speaking of eternal rewards] But to the virgins and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and those who afflicted themselves for the sake of the name of God, God will give seven times greater than these, which I shall now show thee.” (Vol. 9, pg 157)
“Then I [the person having the vision] lamented again very greatly, and he [the angel] said to me: Dost thou lament when as yet thou hast not seen greater punishments? Follow me and thou shalt see seven times greater than these.” (Vol. 9, pg 162)
Apocryphal or Deuterocanonical Evidence
Thus far, in the effort to support these ideas, this writer has confined himself to quoting from the 66 books of the Bible that are accepted by Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox alike, as well as quoting from the Ante-Nicene Fathers—which should be sufficient to establish the fact that such teachings are part of the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. But for those readers who might be interested, the following non-exhaustive quotations from the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books provide further support[16].
Tobit 4:19—“…but the Lord himself will give them good counsel; but if he chooses otherwise, he casts down to deepest Hades.”
Esther (Greek version; addition E) 16:15—“But we find that the Jews, who were consigned to annihilation by this thrice-accursed man [Haman], are not evildoers, but are governed by most righteous laws…”
Wisdom of Solomon 3:14—“Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have done no lawless deed, and who has not devised wicked things against the Lord; for special favor will be shown him for his faithfulness, and a place of great delight in the temple of the Lord.” [NRSV]
Wisdom of Solomon 6:5-6, 8—“he [God] will come upon you terribly and swiftly, because severe judgment falls on those in high places. For the lowliest may be pardoned in mercy, but the mighty will be mightily tested….But a strict inquiry is in store for the mighty.”
Wisdom of Solomon 12:27—“For when in their suffering they became incensed at those creatures that they had thought to be gods, being punished by means of them, they saw and recognized as the true God the one whom they had before refused to know. Therefore the utmost condemnation came upon them.”
Wisdom of Solomon 19:13-16—“13 The punishments did not come upon the sinners without prior signs in the violence of thunder, for they justly suffered because of their wicked acts; for they practiced a more bitter hatred of strangers. 14 Others had refused to receive strangers when they came to them, but these made slaves of guests who were their benefactors. 15 And not only so—but, while punishment of some sort will come upon the former for having received strangers with hostility, 16 the latter, having first received them with festal celebrations, afterward afflicted with terrible sufferings those who had already shared the same rights.”[NRSV]
Sirach 17:25-26—“Turn back to the Lord and forsake your sins; pray in his presence and lessen your offense. Return to the Most High and turn away from iniquity, and hate intensely what he abhors.”
Sirach 49:4—“Except for David and Hezekiah and Josiah, all of them [the other kings] were great sinners, for they abandoned the law of the Most High; the kings of Judah came to an end.”
Azariah and the Three Jews 1:6, 9 [or the Prayer of Azariah]—“For we have sinned and broken your law in turning away from you; in all matters we have sinned grievously….You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world.”
1 Esdras 1:24, 49a—“In ancient times the events of his [Josiah’s] reign have been recorded—concerning those who sinned and acted wickedly toward the Lord beyond any other people or kingdom, and how they grieved the Lord deeply, so that the words of the Lord fell upon Israel….49a Even the leaders of the people and of the priests committed many acts of sacrilege and lawlessness beyond all the unclean deeds of all the nations,…”
1 Esdras 8:75-76, 86a—“For our sins have risen higher than our heads, and our mistakes have mounted up to heaven from the times of our ancestors, and we are in great sin to this day….And all that has happened to us has come about because of our evil deeds and our great sins.”
1 Esdras 9:2—“and spent the night there; and he [Ezra] did not eat bread or drink water, for he was mourning over the great iniquities of the multitude.”
2 Esdras 3:12—“When those who lived on earth began to multiply, they produced children and peoples and many nations, and again they began to be more ungodly than were their ancestors.”
2 Esdras 7:78-99—“Now concerning death, the teaching is: When the decisive decree has gone out from the Most High that a person shall die, as the spirit leaves the body to return again to him who gave it, first of all it adores the glory of the Most High. If it is one of those who have shown scorn and have not kept the way of the Most High, who have despised his law and hated those who fear God—such spirits shall not enter into habitations, but shall immediately wander about in torments, always grieving and sad, in seven ways. The first way, because they have scorned the law of the Most High. The second way, because they cannot now make a good repentance so that they may live. The third way, they shall see the reward laid up for those who have trusted the covenants of the Most High. The fourth way, they shall consider the torment laid up for themselves in the last days. The fifth way, they shall see how the habitations of the others are guarded by angels in profound quiet. The sixth way, they shall see how some of them will cross over into torments. The seventh way, which is worse than all the ways that have been mentioned, because they shall utterly waste away in confusion and be consumed with shame, and shall wither with fear at seeing the glory of the Most High in whose presence they sinned while they were alive, and in whose presence they are to be judged in the last times. Now this is the order of those who have kept the ways of the Most High, when they shall be separated from their mortal body. During the time that they lived in it, they laboriously served the Most High, and withstood danger every hour so that they might keep the law of the Lawgiver perfectly. Therefore this is the teaching concerning them: First of all, they shall see with great joy the glory of him who receives them, for they shall have rest in seven orders. The first order, because they have striven with great effort to overcome the evil thought that was formed with them, so that it might not lead them astray from life into death. The second order, because they see the perplexity in which the souls of the ungodly wander and the punishment that awaits them. The third order, they see the witness that he who formed them bears concerning them, that throughout their life they kept the law with which they were entrusted. The fourth order, that they understand the rest that they now enjoy, being gathered into their chambers and guarded by angels in profound quiet, and the glory waiting for them in the last days. The fifth order, they rejoice that they have now escaped what is corruptible and shall inherit what is to come; and besides they see the straits and toil from which they have been delivered, and the spacious liberty that they are to receive and enjoy in immortality. The sixth order, when it is shown them how their face is to shine like the sun, and how they are to be made like the light of the stars, being incorruptible from then on. The seventh order, which is greater than all that have been mentioned, because they shall rejoice with boldness, and shall be glad without fear, for they press forward to see the face of him whom they served in life and from whom they are to receive their reward when glorified. This is the order of the souls of the righteous, as henceforth is announced; and the previously mentioned are the ways of torment that those who would not give heed shall suffer hereafter.”
2 Esdras 7:114—“…sinful indulgence has come to an end, unbelief has been cut off, and righteousness has increased and truth has appeared.”
2 Esdras 7:122—“…the glory of the Most High will defend those who have led a pure life, but we have walked in the most wicked ways?”
2 Esdras 8:49—“because you have humbled yourself, as is becoming for you, and have not considered yourself to be among the righteous. You will receive the greatest glory,”
2 Esdras 12:7—“Then I said, ‘O sovereign Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, and if I have been accounted righteous before you beyond many others, and if my prayer has indeed come up before your face,”
2 Esdras 12:36—“And you [Ezra] alone were worthy to learn this secret of the Most High.”
2 Maccabees 4:3-4—“When his hatred progressed to such a degree that even murders were committed by one of Simon’s approved agents, Onias recognized that the rivalry was serious and that Apollonius son of Menestheus, and governor of Coelesyria and Phonecia, was intensifying the malice of Simon.”
2 Maccabees 4:13—“There was such an extreme of Hellenization and increase in the adoption of foreign ways because of the surpassing wickedness of Jason, who was ungodly and no true high priest,”
2 Maccabees 4:50—“But Menelaus, because of the greed of those in power, remained in office, growing in wickedness, having become the chief plotter against his compatriots.”
2 Maccabees 6:14-15—“For in the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but he does not deal in this way with us, in order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached their height.”
2 Maccabees 7:34a, 36b—“But you, unholy wretch, you most defiled of all mortals….but you, by the judgment of God, will receive just punishment for your arrogance.”
2 Maccabees 8:32, 34—“They killed the commander of Timothy’s forces, a most wicked man, and one who had greatly troubled the Jews….The thrice-accursed Nicanor, who had brought the thousand merchants to buy the Jews,” (Note: Nicanor is also refered to as being “thrice-accursed” in 15:3)
2 Maccabees 10:34—“The men within, relying on the strength of the place, kept blaspheming terribly and uttering wicked words.”
2 Maccabees 12:3a—“And the people of Joppa did so ungodly a deed as this…”
3 Maccabees 2:12-13—“And because oftentimes when our fathers were oppressed you helped them in their humiliation, and rescued them from great evils, see now O holy King, that because of our many and great sins we are crushed and suffering, subjected to our enemies, and overtaken by helplessness.”
And finally I will quote from 4 Maccabees, which is not a part of the canon of Scripture of any religious community, but is included in some important manuscripts of the Septuagint. In this book, there actually is a passage which sounds as if it teaches that all sins are the same. This teaching is found in 4 Maccabees 5:19-21, and reads as follows:
4 Maccabees 5:19-21—“Therefore do not suppose that it would be a petty sin if we were to eat defiling food; to transgress the law in matters either small or great is of equal seriousness, for in either case the law is equally despised.”
But then, in the “study Bible” out of which this verse is quoted there is a note at the bottom which reads: “The Stoic philosophers argued a similar position.”[17] And of course, this study note agrees both with Cyprian’s statement found in the body of the text above and with St. Thomas Aquinas’ statement found in the footnotes above. But even in this very book of 4 Maccabees, there is yet more evidence indicating an established doctrine that teaches degrees of wickedness and corresponding degrees of punishment.
4 Maccabees 9:15, 32—“Most abominable tyrant, enemy of heavenly justice, savage of mind, you are mangling me in this manner, not because I am a murderer, or as one who acts impiously, but because I protect the divine law….32 but you suffer torture by the threats that come from impiety. You will not escape, you most abominable tyrant, the judgments of the divine wrath.”
4 Maccabees 10:10-11, 17—“10 ‘We, most abominable tyrant, are suffering because of our godly training and virtue, 11 but you, because of your impiety and bloodthirstiness, will undergo unceasing torments.’…. 17 When he heard this, the bloodthirsty, murderous, and utterly abominable Antiochus gave orders to cut out his tongue.”
4 Maccabees 11:3—“I have come of my own accord, so that by murdering me you will incur punishment from the heavenly justice for even more crimes.” [The speaker in this verse is voluntarily stepping forward to be tortured so that the tyrant who is having him tortured will be guilty of even more crimes/sins and will therefore receive an increased punishment from God.]
4 Maccabees 12:11-12—“he said, ‘You profane tyrant, most impious of all the wicked, since you have received good things and also your kingdom from God, were you not ashamed to murder his servants and torture on the wheel those who practice religion? Because of this, justice has laid up for you intense and eternal fire and tortures, and these throughout all time will never let you go.”
After reviewing all of this evidence, can you still say with confidence that all sins are the same before God? Can you still confidently assert that there will be no levels of reward in heaven or levels of punishment in hell?
[1] Upon closer examination, this notion is found to be more in line with the reasoning of the Stoic philosophers than with traditional Christian theology. Also, unless otherwise indicated, the Bible version quoted from in this document is the NKJV.
[2] For example, while it is true that according to Scripture “all unrighteousness is sin,” (1 John 5:17a); that both murderers and those angry with their brothers are in danger of judgment (Matt 5:21-22); that to lust after a woman is to commit adultery in the heart (Matt 5:28); that guilty is guilty (James 2:10-11); and that what some might mistakenly consider to be “lesser sins” (because of their being more socially acceptable) can still be abominations to God and therefore effectively bar us from heaven (Gal 5:19-21) unless we repent of them. But even so, these truths do not erase the fact that there is a continuum between “good” and “bad” or “light” and “dark” that is to be seen both in Scripture and in our life experience. While we cannot reduce these distinctions in this spiritual continuum to a perfectly definable formula (spiritual realities do not work like mathematics), at some point we can usually discern (allowing for human error) that “this” is better or worse than “that.” Again, allowing for the possibility of our being deceived due to either our lack of spiritual insight or to Satan transforming himself into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14), we can usually discern movements along this continuum in either direction, moving towards godliness and righteousness (i.e., towards God/“light”) or moving towards ungodliness and evil (i.e., towards Satan/“darkness”)—and this comes out even in the speech of those in whom the Spirit of the Most High dwells (i.e., when the saints say things like “this is a very dark situation” or pray that “righteousness would increase”). People speak of “moral decline,” and this same language is found in the NKJV of the Bible (see 2 Chron 28:19). There is also the spiritual and Biblical reality that, among Christians, some are more spiritual than others—some are spiritual; some are carnal (see 1 Cor 3:1-4; 1 Cor 14:37; Gal 6:1), showing a qualitative difference. People can have sensitive hearts ready for repentance (Acts 2:37-38), then they can be in a state of spiritual growth (Eph 1:17-19), and then they can fall away after being deceived and end up “speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,” (1 Tim 4:1-2) having virtually lost the ability to feel godly sorrow and come to repentance.
[3] See Romans 8:1-14
[4] It is only out of a desire to be intellectually honest with the evidence contained within the Christian tradition that this whole issue of degrees of sin and the related issue of degrees of punishment and reward is being taken up here. As Christians, we should strive to deal as honestly and objectively as possible with the evidence that is available to us and then interpret it accordingly. But in so doing, this admonition of the apostle Paul found in 2 Cor 10:12 must be taken into account and considered as to how it might be related to the topic: “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (NKJV). However, God Himself does some comparing when He considers some men as righteous and others as unrighteous based not only on how they think, but on what they do.
[5] In English grammar, comparison is used to modify an adjective or an adverb in order to express the relative degree of the quality in (or quantity of) the things that are being compared. The three degrees of comparison are (1) the Positive degree: the simple form of the adjective or adverb; (2) the Comparative degree: that form of the adjective or adverb which shows that the quality it expresses has been raised (or lowered) one step or degree higher (or lower); and (3) the Superlative degree: that form of the adjective which shows that the quality it expresses has been raised (or lowered) to the highest (or lowest) degree [ex. good, better, best; bad, worse, worst; much, more, most; little, less, least; great, greater, greatest]. Also, the degree of the quality being expressed may be increased or diminished by adverbs which modify the adjective [ex. very, exceedingly, somewhat, far, still].
[6] This passage seems to be a qualifying statement that implies that there are levels of, or degrees of sin just as 2 Kings 14:3-4 seems to imply levels or degrees of righteousness. Speaking of Amaziah, king of Judah, it reads thus: “And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done. 4 However the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.” See also 2 Chron 25:1-2 and a similar testimony about King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chron 20:32-33. And then, in 2 Kings 18:3, we see that Hezekiah, king of Judah, took his level of righteousness up a notch. It reads: “And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.” See also the similar testimony about King Josiah in 2 Kings 22:2.
[7] The idea of one person or group being “more righteous and better” (1 Kings 2:32) than another is found in Scripture. For other examples of this, see Gen 38:26; 1 Sam 15:28; 24:17; 1 Kings 19:4; 2 Chron 21:13; Jer 3:11; Micah 7:4; Habakkuk 1:13. Such an idea is related to the teaching that there will be degrees of reward in heaven and degrees of punishment in hell.
[8] These two issues are tied together and logically related. As Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 A.D.—1274 A.D.) wrote in his Summa Theologica (Question 73, Article 2) in response to the question of whether all sins are equal, he answered that: “The opinion of the Stoics, which Cicero adopts in the book on Paradoxes (Paradox. iii), was that all sins are equal: from which opinion arose the error of certain heretics, who not only hold all sins to be equal, but also maintain that all the pains of hell are equal.”
[9] One early commentator said about this verse: “For if the person ‘who breaks the least commandment and teaches people so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven,’ it follows that whoever neglects many great things and dares to teach is certainly not merely least in the kingdom of heaven but should be considered greatest in the punishment of Gehenna.” (John Cassian: The Conferences, pg 513, where Abba Nestor is the speaker; c. 426-429 A.D.)
[10] A reference to Jesus’ parable in Matt 20:1-16 about the laborers in the vineyard.
[11] Wisd. 4:17
[12] Wisd. 3:14
[13] Matt 13:8
[14] A reference to Jesus’ parable in Matt 20:1-16 about the laborers in the vineyard.
[15] Tertullian interprets the reference to “blood” in Acts 15:29 as meaning human blood, which he, along with some other interpreters in Christian history, have taken to mean to “bloodshed” or the “shedding of blood” (i.e. violence, killing, or murder).
[16] All of the following quotations are taken from the New Oxford Annotated Bible (Third Edition), New Revised Standard Version with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books.
[17] Note on v. 20 of 4 Maccabees chapter 5, found on pg 369 of the Apocrypha section of the The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Third Edition, New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical Books, Loose-Leaf Edition. Hendrickson, 2001.