What is sin?

It may not always be too “kosher” to use the word sin.  Let’s face it – it’s pretty much a religious word and it comes with a lot of loaded baggage.  Because it’s a “religious” word, many people come to the table with different understandings of what this word means.  The following video is a good example of the different answers and understandings that people bring to the table with this three-letter word. 

What does the word actually mean?

The word sin comes from the Greek word “hamartia,” which means, “to miss the mark.”  It was an archery word.  If an archer missed the target, he sinned.  The way this word was applied in the Bible is that all of mankind has sinned, missed the mark of God’s standard.  Romans 3:23 says that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Falling short of his glory is missing the mark of God and thus sinning.  The good news for mankind comes from the following verse in Romans which says that we “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 

John also explains what sin is, lawlessness.  “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” – 1 John 3:4

Who is to blame for sin in the world?

We all might have the tendency to point the finger at God on this one.  The first sin came from the rebellion of some of the angels in heaven which was led by the angel, Satan.  Satan then tempted Adam and Eve in the garden to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  (Genesis 2-3)  We might think that because God created Satan, the tree, and the law that they shouldn’t eat from the tree that he is to blame.  This does make since.  God created humanity with the ability to sin.  God is omniscient so he would have known that Adam and Eve would sin.  God is also omnipotent so he could have stopped them from sinning.  However, God is holy and has no part with sin.  God is not to blame for sin in the world.  He is the author of life, not death. 

If God had stopped Adam and Eve from sinning, then he wouldn’t have created them with the ability to sin.  If they did not have the ability to sin, then would they have had free will?  No.  Could we say that God allowed the fall? Yes.  Could we say that God caused the fall?  No.  Could we say that the fall really was a fall up since the Satan as the serpent told Adam and Eve, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”?  No, we can’t say this either.  It was surely a fall down, not up and this is evident from the effects of sin.  

What are the results of sin?

·         Guilt – This is an objective state.  We are guilty of sinning.

·         Shame – We have an awareness of shame.

·         Depravity – We are unable to please God and cannot approach him.

·         Death – This is the ultimate penalty of sin.  It comes in three forms.  First spiritual death, then physical death, and lastly eternal death. 

·         Holistic consequences – All of creation has been affected by sin. 

Are all sins equal?

The penalty of all sin is death and eternal damnation.  In this sense, they are all equal.  James says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”  In this sense, all sins are equal.  A person who has lusted with his eyes is guilty of breaking all of the law just as the person who has cheated on his wife physically.  This is because God’s righteous standard of the law is perfection, and any breaking of any of the law is failure to be perfect as God is perfect. 

However, not all sins are equal in this life.  There are consequences of sin which we face now.  A person who hates some has committed murder in God’s eyes, but a person who hates someone will not have the same consequence in this life for hate as a person who has committed first degree murder.  And a person who has committed 1^st degree murder, likely won’t suffer the same consequence in this life as the person who has committed multiple murders. 

The proper answer to this question is then “yes” and “no”.

Are we born sinners?

This is a much debated question amongst Christians. Many will say that babies are not sinners and do not have the guilt of sin.   Those who say babies are not sinners, usually take this stance for emotional reasons, rather than scriptural reasons.  There are some verses in scripture which indicate that everyone is born with inherited sin from Adam and Eve. 

Genesis 8:21 - “The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”

Psalm 14:3 – “All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Psalm 51:5 – “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Romans 5:12 – “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

These verses directly indicate that the inclination of man’s heart from childhood is evil, that King David recognized that he was sinful from birth, even from conception, and that death comes to everyone from the sin that entered the world through one man (Adam).  This sin that is from birth is often times called “inherited sin” or “original sin.”

“Original sin” means that every human is born with the results of sin: guilt, shame, depravity, and death!  From this “original sin,” the “sinful nature” that everyone inherits at birth, “actual sins” are produced.  “Actual sins” are sinful acts.  These are not just limited to physical actions, but these also include thoughts, words, deeds, and deeds which should have been performed but were not.  “Actual sins” are the work of the sinful nature.  It’s as if the “sinful nature” is a factory that pumps out “actual sins” over and over again. 

What are the causes of sin?

It’s already been stated that God is not the cause of sin.  He is not to blame. 

There are three causes of sin. 

1.   The Devil – AKA Satan!  He’s a deceiver and manipulator.

2.   The world - "Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!” – Matthew 18:7

3.   The flesh – AKA our sinful desire, or sinful nature.  We’re not off the hook.  Sin is also internal and we fall into sin from our own sinful desire as James says, “For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” (James 1:13-14). 

The following video by P.O.D. is a great depiction of how all three of these causes to sin play out in our lives.