What is Sin?
According to the Bible all have sinned.
Romans 3:23, – “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
1 John 1:18, - "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."
Sin is a word that carries a lot of weight. What is this sin that everyone has done?! How does the Bible define sin? There are a few ways the Bible defines the word.
--Consider what it says in this verse:
James 4:17, - "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and does not do it, it is sin for them."
That is a pretty simple definition. What is “good”? Doing things that are beneficial and helpful, kind, caring, and compassionate. Doing good is great! It benefits us and those around us. It has a positive effect in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
But if we choose not to do good and instead do the opposite of good, then that would be sin. Think about what the opposite would be of good: Bad, evil, to cause harm, to hurt. Now we begin to see that sin is harmful to us and others. Sin is destructive; it has a negative effect in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
Can we do wrong without knowing it? Yes. It is called unintentional sin or sin done in ignorance. Consider what the Bible says about this:
Leviticus 4:27-28, “And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty; Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.”
Can we be guilty of something we did not know was wrong? Yes, but the Bible says that if we come to a knowledge (or conviction) that what we did unintentionally or in ignorance was wrong, then we are held guilty for the wrong we did and required to repent. Much like you might say you are sorry for doing something hurtful to someone after you realized that it was wrong. The same thing happens here in these verses, except that God not just requires a sincere, verbal confession of the wrong but a sacrifice as well. That is because the Bible says…
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Sin is so destructive that it’s natural, end result is death. The wages of committing sin is death, but God didn’t want us to die. So in the Old Testament, leading up to the coming of Christ, He provided a way for a substitute to be made in the sinner’s place. Then when Jesus came, He was that sacrifice for everyone. His death was for us. He took our penalty for sinning. He died in our place. That is how we can have eternal life through Jesus’ sacrifice for us if we accept it.
Two things it is important to think about now. Note that God gives us free choice to choose to sin. This means that we have free will. Knowing that the consequences of sin is harmful, destructive, and eventually leads to death, then if we know to do good but chose to do wrong then we are bringing condemnation on ourselves. Who is bringing condemnation upon us? We ourselves or God? By our choice to sin we bring condemnation upon ourselves.
John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
God did not send Jesus to condemn us, but to save us from the condemnation we brought upon ourselves.
John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
This means that God came through Jesus to save us from the sin – the very wrong that we, ourselves, have chosen to do. God’s love and mercy and grace are evident here! He is not a God of condemnation but a God of love! He is our Redeemer and our Savior!
Through Jesus we have forgiveness of sins and the power through His indwelling Spirit to overcome temptation towards sin.
Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
This concept of sin being a choice brings about a very important note – Since the Bible defines sin as a choice then this means that we cannot be guilty of someone else’s sin. Is this true? There is an age-old concept that everyone is born a sinner without even doing anything. Condemned from birth! But is that even fair? Does the Bible even teach that? Are we born sinners? Are we guilty of Adam’s original sin?
Ezekiel 18:20, – “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father; neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
Is the son guilty of the father’s sin? No. We are not guilty of the sin of Adam, the father of the human race. However, the better way to understand this is that we are often all guilty of the same sin because we ourselves sinned just like Adam sinned. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Though we may not bear the guilt of the sin of our parents, we most certainly experience the consequences of their sin. Like mentioned above, sin is destructive and the ripples of the negative effects of sin can be felt for generations.
One more thing to clarify about sin: Where does morality come from? Without a God of love defining a moral law for His creation to live by, we would have no real knowledge of sin or wrongdoing? We would have no moral compass to live by. Without God, anyone could have a claim as to what they think is right or wrong. Even Hitler could make a claim on what was right and wrong – and he certainly did! But was he right in how he designed his kingdom? No! We know that he was wrong because there is a God with a moral standard of right and wrong and that moral standard is written upon our hearts. Don’t you want a standard built upon true love? That standard can only come from a God of love.
The purest definition in the Bible for sin is found in 1 John 3:4… “Whosoever committeth sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
Sin is the transgression of God’s law. What law? Why God’s moral law of love found in Exodus 20:1-17. This law of love was always in existence and always well be. The only reason it was written in stone in the book of Exodus is because the Israelites came out of 400 years of living in Egypt, a pagan nation; a good part of that time being slavery. So, it was essential that they be reminded about God’s law of love.
Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
Psalms 119:89-90, “Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it Abideth.”
The first four commandments define a loving relationship with God and the last six commandments define loving and peaceful relationships are possible with those around us. The last six commandments are really only possible through a right relationship with God as He inspires us and empowers us to carry them out through His indwelling Spirit.
A God of love would have a law of love that governs His kingdom, a moral standard of right and wrong. Now that we know right and wrong without a shadow of a doubt, we can chose to do what is right. God gives us power to make that choice and to carry out that choice through His indwelling Spirit. The blessings of living in right standing with God according to His moral law are tremendous and fulfilling.
The phrase "sin is a transgression of the law" is a biblical quote from 1 John 3:4. It means that whoever commits sin is also guilty of violating the law, as sin is the violation of law. Another translation of the same verse is "Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness."
‘God’s perfect standard of obedience and holiness is His Law’
It is described in the commands, statutes, and ordinances given to those who would worship and serve Him. The great principles of God’s law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. They express God’s love, will, and purposes concerning human conduct and relationships and are binding upon all people in every age.
God’s law does not produce sin; it names it for what it is.
Ask God for forgiveness of your sins and chose to live according to a good, loving, moral standard. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to dwell within you, who will give you power to live for Him. It is only possible through Jesus.
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All Have Sinned | Amazing Facts | Doug Batchelor
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