In Mark 12:38-40, Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation." Notice that Jesus says the scribes will receive greater condemnation. Why would they receive greater condemnation if all sin was the same?

In John 19:10-11, we see a similar statement: “So Pilate said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?’ Jesus answered, ‘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.’"

Here Jesus specifically said that the one who handed Him over (Judas or the high priest) had the greater sin than Pilate. Judas handed Christ over because of malice and greed. The high priest (and the Jews in his corner) handed Jesus over because of malice and envy. In either case, the sin of handing Christ over was greater than and worse than the sin of Pilate. Pilate’s sin was to cowardly cave into the Jews demands and crucify a man he knew was innocent. That was really bad, but it was not as bad as the sin of handing Jesus over. The point is this. All sin is NOT the same.

In Matthew 11:20-24, we see that there are different levels of punishment on judgment day. The reason that there are different levels of punishment is because there are different degrees of sinfulness.

“Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 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."

Humanity will be judged according to the light they received in this life. All men will be without excuse on judgment day (Rom. 2:11-16), but those who rejected greater light and revelation will be judged more strictly. Consider Jesus’ warning in Luke 12:36-40:

"Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." The more we know the more accountable we are.

Sin committed at some level of ignorance will receive punishment, but not as great a punishment as sin committed against clear revelation. Not all sin is the same. This is why the apostle Peter says this:

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ‘A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,’ and, ‘A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.’" (2Pe 2:20-22)

It would be better to have been a filthy pig all your life than to have been enlightened by the revelation of God’s Word and reformed temporarily, only to eventually return to the mire. It would be better to have never known the way of righteousness.

When Jesus taught that lust in the heart was adultery, he was showing that we are guilty transgressors of the seventh commandment by virtue of our impure thoughts. We ought not to think highly of ourselves and judge ourselves to be righteous just because we haven’t physically committed adultery with another person. However, Jesus was NOT saying that heart adultery was as heinous as physical adultery. The latter is indeed worse than the former. We should not follow through on adulterous thoughts because, “Hey, we’ve already committed the sin anyway, and all sin is the same.”