Sins are not equal in degree nor equal in punishment¹

Question
Do sins have the same degree, or do they differ? And do people in hell suffer one kind of punishment, or are there degrees of punishment? And what supports this from the verses of the Holy Bible?

Answer
The Lord said that He will come to reward each one according to his work (Rev. 22:12). And surely the works of people differ, and thus the reward will differ. Even on earth, He said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matt. 5:22). And it is clear here that the punishment differs due to the difference in the degree of guilt. Augustine also noticed this point.

And concerning the difference of sin in degree and in the Church’s stance toward it, Saint John the Beloved says: “…There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.” (1 John 5:16–17). And the sin that is not leading to death can be prayed for, so that its doer may be given life. And within the scope of sins not leading to death are involuntary sins, sins of ignorance, and sins of oversight.

And surely there is a great difference between the involuntary sin and the sin committed with full will and intention. And just as there is a difference between sins of ignorance and those committed knowingly…

And the justice of God requires that the punishment be according to the sin…

Truly, sins resemble one another in depriving one of the kingdom. But even those who go to hell differ in the degree of their torment, and for this reason the Lord Jesus says about all the cities that rejected Him and rejected the faith and rejected His disciples: “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” (Matt. 10:15), (Matt. 11:24).

And the phrase “more tolerable than…” indicates variation in punishment, based on variation in guilt.

And the variation in guilt is clear from a practical standpoint. For one who commits adultery in thought, for example, is not like one who commits adultery in deed, for in this case he has defiled his own body and another body with him. And the one who commits adultery in deed is not like the one who commits adultery by assault, for this is more atrocious. And likewise adultery with relatives (Lev. 20).

And one who becomes angry in his thoughts is not like one who becomes angry with his tongue and temper, harming others and becoming in his anger a stumbling block to others. And one who thinks about stealing is not like one who steals in action by force.

And sometimes the sin is composite, meaning it includes several sins together.

And the composite sin has greater punishment, because in its degree it is not a single sin but a collection of sins. For one who insults a person has fallen into the sin of insult. But one who insults a father or mother adds to the sin of insult another sin, which is that he has broken the commandment of honoring the parents, so his sin becomes composite. And therefore its punishment is more atrocious. Scripture says in the Law of Moses: “For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death… His blood shall be upon him” (Lev. 20:9).

Likewise, one who strikes an ordinary person had upon him in court the rule of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Lev. 24:19–20). But one who struck his father or mother was stoned with stones.

Sins also increase in atrocity if they are committed in the holy things.

For one who sins on a holy day such as a day of fasting or the day of Communion, for example, his sin is more atrocious. And therefore the punishment was severe because of the sin of the two sons of Eli the priest (1 Sam. 2).

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¹ Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – Year Fifteen – Issue Ten – 1-10-1987

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