Ranking Sins

Rank each sin, from 0=not a sin to5=the worst sin possible.

There is usually no right or wrong answer, and some things are a little ambiguous, and are hard to classify as a sin or not a sin without more information. Interpret the questions as you want to, but lean towards the action being described as being sinful. When you rank the sins, this is all hypothetical. You are not confessing that you have done this sin, only what rank this sin would be if any person did it.

Just as in most aspects of our life, we must be able to prioritize. We must do everything we can to avoid the worst sins. Most people confess “little sins”, or even just problems in their life first, and some never “get to” the real substantial sins in their life, either because they do not know them, are ashamed of them, or have never thought much about their sins. Don’t make these mistakes! The sorted list of sins starts with the worst sins for the reasons outlines, above.

These possible sins are meant to make you think, and are a springboard for discussion.

The table of sins could also be used to prepare for confession. You can sort it however you want, adding or subtracting things that may be issues in your life. See the Word or rtf Document links to download this file to work on it on a computer, or print whichever version of the file you prefer.

This document is at:

Hint 1:There is only one sin, in my opinion, that is a 5!

Hint 2: Evaluate everything you do, say, want to do, and think, based on the two Great Commandments.

Hint 3: All sins violate the First Commandment. Some sins cannot be easily categorized as violating the 2nd commandment, or one of the Ten Commandments, but the Scripture, especially the New Testament, has much direction for how to live a God-pleasing life, and many commandments based on this life.

After ranking each potential sin, try to categorize the sin as applying to:

  • Greatest Commandment (GC),
  • the Second Commandment which is like it (SC),
  • or one of the Ten Commandments (1,2,3,4,etc),
  • ornot a sin (OK)

GC: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength
SC: Love your neighbor as yourself
Ten Commandments:

  1. Have no other Gods before Me.
  2. Make no graven image (idol).
  3. Do not take the Lord’s name in vain.
  4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
  5. Honor Thy Father and Mother.
  6. Do not kill.
  7. Do not commit adultery.
  8. Do not steal.
  9. Do not commit false witness (lie).
  10. Do not covet.

Do not cheat yourself! Do your homework, and fill out the chart, then you can see a filled out chart, by adding “-filled-out” to the end of the filename for each type of file above.

Priest Seraphim Holland , St Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney TX.

Miscellaneous Scripture about virtues and sins.

All scripture must be read SPIRITUALLY. There are a lot of lists of sins below. Try to look at these sins in a spiritual way. Consider the cause of each sin, or the spiritual condition of a person who commits them. Look also at the positive affirmations below – they are the most important. Without living life in the heart, we are doomed to a life of sin. Sin is not “do’s and don’ts” as much as it is “be’s or not be’s” – that is, sin is always about who you are, more than what you do. Since the Christian life is lived in the heart,all sin begins in the heart, and when it is external, expresses our inward condition. For instance, if we get angry and insult people easily, we do not have enough love, humility, or self-control in our heart. If we do not pray for others, especially our enemies and those we have conflicts with, we have very little love for God or our neighbor. If we allow things to get in the way of church, prayer, confession, and communion, we have bad priorities, and not enough love for God in our heart. Basically everything boils down to how much love for God is in our heart. Our inner condition dictates our outer condition.

Some of the more important spiritual things, teaching us about our inner condition, are highlighted, below. All Spiritual Christians (there should actually be no need for the modifier, as all true Christians must live spiritually) reads the Scripture and finds commandments from God, both positive (what to do, how to think, how to be), and negative (what not to do, what not to think, what not to be) in almost all instructions.

Let’s start with the most well-known explicit commandments in the Bible, and then add in the New Testament amplification and clarification of these commandments. Some would say that the most important commandments are the ten, the two and the 9 – the Ten commandments, the Two Greatest Commandments, and the Beatitudes. The latter are so important that we sing them in almost every liturgy. They are spiritual “bar” that you should be reaching for. They are definitely commandments.

Sometimes the scripture quotations are long, and there is a reason for this. We are do not read scripture merely to know some verse, but the context and spirit of what is said.

The scriptures below are a very incomplete survey. The commandments and salvific instructions about how to live a spiritual, overcoming, transcendent life are in both Testaments, Old and New, and on almost every page!

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (Exo 20:2)

  1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exo 20:3)
  1. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (Exo 20:4)

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; (Exo 20:5)And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exo 20:6)

  1. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exo 20:7)
  1. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Exo 20:8)

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: (Exo 20:9)But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: (Exo 20:10)For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exo 20:11)

  1. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. (Exo 20:12)
  1. Thou shalt not kill. (Exo 20:13)
  1. Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exo 20:14)
  1. Thou shalt not steal. (Exo 20:15)
  1. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (Exo 20:16)
  1. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (Exo 20:17)

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT AND THE SECOND, WHICH IS LIKE IT

Quoted by Jesus:

Only in the 3 Synoptic Gospels.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, 1.Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, 2.Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Mat 22:36-40)

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 1.And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, 2.Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. (Mar 12:28-34)

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thouAnd he answering said, 1.Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; 2. and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. (Luke 10:25-28)

In the Old Testament:

The original Greatest Commandment.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And 1. thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

The Original Second Great Commandment

Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but 2.thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:11-18)

Commandments directly from our Lord Jesus Christ

The NINE COMMANDMENTS OF THE BEATITUDES

  1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for zirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:3)
  2. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Mat 5:4)
  3. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (Mat 5:5)
  4. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Mat 5:6)
  5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Mat 5:7)
  6. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (Mat 5:8)
  7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Mat 5:9)
  8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:10)
  9. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (Mat 5:11)

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.Mat 5:16

An Amplification of the 6th Commandment – Thou shalt not kill: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: (22) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.Mat 5:21-22

An Amplification of the 7th Commandment – Thou shalt not commit adultery: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: (28) But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.Mat 5:27-28

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. (44) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (45) That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (46) For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? (47) And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? (48) Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.Mat 5:43-48

The Golden Rule and about judging and forgiving:But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, (28) Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. (29) And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. (30) Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. (31) And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. (32) For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. (33) And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. (34) And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. (35) But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (36) Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. (37) Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: (38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.Luke 6:27-38

Judging, The Golden rule, prayer:Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. (3) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? (4) Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? (5) Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (6) Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. (7) Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (9) Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? (10) Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? (11) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (12) Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Mat 7:1-12