The Bible names about 50 specific sins, but never in one place. They sit in five short passages from Paul, Jesus, and Proverbs. All quoted in full below.
On this page
- 01What the Bible says sin is
- 02Works of the flesh - Galatians 5:19-21
- 03Sins from the heart - Mark 7:21-23
- 04Paul's catalog of unrighteousness - Romans 1:29-31
- 05Who will not inherit the kingdom - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
- 06Six things the Lord hates - Proverbs 6:16-19
- 07Other sins specifically named in scripture
- 08How many sins are in the Bible?
- 09What the Bible says about forgiveness of sins
| List | Reference | Author / source | # of sins named |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works of the flesh | Galatians 5:19-21 | Paul | 15 |
| Sins from the heart | Mark 7:21-23 | Jesus | 13 |
| Paul's catalog | Romans 1:29-31 | Paul | 21 |
| Who will not inherit the kingdom | 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 | Paul | 10 |
| Seven things the Lord hates | Proverbs 6:16-19 | Solomon (wisdom tradition) | 7 |
About 50 distinct sins are named once overlaps across the five lists are removed. The lists do not exhaust biblical sin - many sins are named elsewhere, including the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).
What the Bible says sin is
"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness." - 1 John 3:4 (ESV)
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23 (ESV)
"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." - James 4:17 (ESV)
"For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." - Romans 14:23 (ESV)
Sin in the Bible includes wrong actions, wrong dispositions, and the failure to do what is right. The Hebrew Bible uses three main words for sin: chata' (missing the mark), avon (twisted), and pesha (rebellion). The New Testament Greek uses hamartia (missing the mark) and paraptōma (a trespass).
Works of the flesh - Galatians 5:19-21
Paul gives his longest single catalog of sins in his letter to the Galatians, warning that people who keep doing these things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." - Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV)
Named in the passage: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, and orgies. Fifteen in all, with Paul's closing "and things like these" leaving the list open.
Sins from the heart - Mark 7:21-23
This is Jesus' own list, given in a teaching about what makes a person unclean. His point is that defilement comes from inside, not from food or ritual.
"For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." - Mark 7:21-23 (ESV)
The thirteen, in order: evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.
Paul's catalog of unrighteousness - Romans 1:29-31
Paul's broadest list runs three verses and mixes outward acts with inner dispositions. It comes at the end of his opening argument in Romans that humanity as a whole has turned away from God.
"They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless." - Romans 1:29-31 (ESV)
Twenty-one traits in total: unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossip, slander, hatred of God, insolence, haughtiness, boastfulness, inventing evil, disobedience to parents, foolishness, faithlessness, heartlessness, and ruthlessness.
Who will not inherit the kingdom - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV)
Ten patterns of life are named here: sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, men who practice homosexuality (Greek malakoi and arsenokoitai; debated in modern translation), theft, greed, drunkenness, reviling, swindling, and the broader "unrighteousness" Paul opens with.
Paul immediately follows the list with: "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11)
Six things the Lord hates - Proverbs 6:16-19
This is the Old Testament's shortest enumerated list of sins. It uses a Hebrew numerical pattern (six things, seven that are an abomination) where the final item is the climactic one.
"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers." - Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV)
Counted out: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to evil, a false witness, and one who sows discord among brothers.
Other sins specifically named in scripture
Beyond the five major lists, scripture names many other sins, including:
- Pride - Proverbs 16:18, James 4:6
- Greed / love of money - 1 Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:5
- Lying - Proverbs 12:22, Colossians 3:9
- Anger / wrath - Ephesians 4:26-27, James 1:19-20
- Unforgiveness - Matthew 6:14-15, Mark 11:25
- Gossip and slander - Proverbs 16:28, Ephesians 4:29
- Sexual immorality - 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:3
- Drunkenness - Ephesians 5:18, Proverbs 23:20-21
- Idolatry - Exodus 20:3-5, 1 John 5:21
- Coveting - Exodus 20:17, Luke 12:15
- Bearing false witness - Exodus 20:16, Proverbs 19:9
- Murder - Exodus 20:13, 1 John 3:15
- Adultery - Exodus 20:14, Matthew 5:27-28
- Theft - Exodus 20:15, Ephesians 4:28
- Hypocrisy - Matthew 23:27-28, 1 Peter 2:1
- Sloth / refusing to do good - Proverbs 6:9-11, James 4:17
- Witchcraft / sorcery - Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Galatians 5:20
- Disobedience to parents - Exodus 20:12, Romans 1:30
- Sabbath-breaking - Exodus 20:8-11, Nehemiah 13:17-18
How many sins are in the Bible?
The Bible never gives an official count. The five major lists above name about 50 distinct sins once overlaps are removed. Other counts you may see:
- The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) name 10 foundational sins.
- The Hebrew Bible contains 613 commandments by the count of the medieval rabbi Maimonides; each implies a corresponding sin.
- Christian tradition has long grouped the most serious habitual sins into the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth). See our answer on the seven deadly sins for the full list and history.
- For a modern application - how scriptural principles speak to a habit not directly named in the Bible - see is vaping a sin?
- The final judgment of sin and the new creation that follows are the subject of the closing chapters of Revelation.
What the Bible says about forgiveness of sins
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9 (ESV)
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 (ESV)
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." - 1 Peter 2:24 (ESV)
The New Testament names one sin as unforgivable: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29). Every other sin is forgivable through confession and trust in Christ.
Frequently asked questions
What is sin in the Bible?
Sin is breaking God's law (1 John 3:4). It includes both wrong acts and the failure to do what is right (James 4:17). All people have sinned (Romans 3:23).
What are the major lists of sins in the Bible?
The five most-cited lists are Galatians 5:19-21 (15 works of the flesh), Mark 7:21-23 (13 sins from the heart), Romans 1:29-31 (21 traits), 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (10 sins), and Proverbs 6:16-19 (seven things the Lord hates).
How many sins are in the Bible?
There is no official count. The five major scripture lists name about 50 distinct sins once overlaps are removed.
What are the 12 sins in the Bible?
"12 sins" is not a biblical category. The closest list is Jesus' enumeration of 13 evils from the heart in Mark 7:21-23. Searchers asking for "12" sometimes mean the Ten Commandments plus Jesus' two greatest commandments - see The Ten Commandments.
What is the worst sin in the Bible?
Jesus named one sin as unforgivable: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29). All other sins are forgivable through repentance and faith in Christ.
Are all sins equal in God's eyes?
James 2:10 says, "Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it." All sin separates a person from God. Scripture does, however, distinguish degrees of severity. Jesus calls one sin unforgivable (Mark 3:29), and 1 John 5:16-17 speaks of a "sin that leads to death." Most Protestant traditions teach that every sin is equally serious before a holy God. Catholic teaching formally divides sin into mortal (grave) and venial (lesser) categories.
Can any sin be forgiven?
Yes - every sin except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29). 1 John 1:9 promises forgiveness for any confessed sin through Jesus Christ.