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According to the Bible, there are various degrees of punishment for sins, depending on the severity of the sin.
More Tolerance for Certain Sins
Matthew 10:15 (NAS) “Truly 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.”
Matthew 11:23-24 (NAS) “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
Luke 10:13-14 (NAS) “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.”
The implication of these three passages is that there is greater punishment for rejecting Jesus than even the most atrocious sins of the Old Testament.
Greater Punishment for Certain Sins
Matthew 23:14 (NAS) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”
Luke 12:47-48 (NAS) “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.“
This passage indicates that the greater our knowledge, the greater our responsibility, and the greater punishment if we fail to live up to that responsibility.
Greater Sin
John 19:11 (NAS) Jesus answered [to Pilate], “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
Judas’s betrayal of Jesus was a greater sin than Pilate’s legal judgment of him. So the Bible definitely teaches that there are degrees of sin and degrees of punishment.
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What kind of sins would you assign a greater punishment for, and why?
- What kinds of sins does Jesus say will receive a more severe judgment? Why do you think that is the case? How does this list compare to yours?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
This topic is adapted from the CARM Videos YouTube channel.
