The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Are there degrees of sin?

Yes, as I wrote above, there are degrees of sin among men, e.g., jaywalking vs. murder. The situation in John 19:11 is a comparison between Pilate, a truly despicable and sinful man and Caiaphas, the High Priest. In the case of Pilate, he had the delegated authority from God to make a judgment in the case of Christ due to the position he held in the established government. But in the case of Caiaphas, he had no authority from God to condemn Christ as a blasphemer and sinner, especially given that he had knowledge of the Scriptures. He did this on his own. Thus, his sin was far worse than Pilate's sin. (cf. Matt 11:22-24; Lk 12:47,48) Yet again, even the slightest deviation or omission of God's holy law is worthy of eternal punishment.