A small word with a big meaning. What does the Bible Teach about sin?
Introduction
I used to be of the belief that everyone knows what sin is. But you know what? They just don’t! I am sure there are several reasons why people cannot define sin, but I think it is for two main reasons (1) children are not taught by their parents what sin is, and (2) our schools totally avoid defining sin and teaching children not to do it.
I was awakened to this reality several years ago when our Christian school was hosting a weekly Bible-based program that students from the public school were invited to attend. One day, a leader from our school asked the students, “Who knows what sin is?” Surprisingly at first there were no hands raised to answer the question. After a few minutes one little girl raised her hand and answered the question correctly. We recognized this little girl as one that also attended our church youth program regularly.
What is Sin?
The Bible has much to say about sin and even offers a remedy for it. But before we can apply the remedy, we need to know what illness we are treating. When I look up the word “sin” in the Websters 1828 dictionary, I find a really, really long definition from which I have extracted:
A dictionary definition
SIN, noun
(1) The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God’s commands or law. 1 John 3:4. Matthew 12:31. James 4:17.
(2) A man enormously wicked.
(3) sin differs from crime, not in nature, but in application. That which is a crime against society, is sin against God.
SIN, verb intransitive
(1) To depart voluntarily from the path of duty prescribed by God man; to violate the divine law in any particular, by actual transgression or by the neglect or non-observance of its injunctions; to violate any known rule of duty. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:9. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned. Psalms 51:2.
(2) To offend against right, against men or society; to trespass. I an a man more sinn’d against than sinning. And who but wishes to invert the laws of order, sins against the’ eternal cause.
A Bible definition
A Biblical definition of sin can be traced all the way back to the Book of Genesis and the Garden of Eden. God made man and put him in the perfect Garden of Eden. It was there that God gave the first man only one rule (commandment) and if he broke that rule, he would “surely die” (Genesis 2:15-17). It was only one rule and that man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, broke that rule. Sin is the voluntary disobedience of a rule or law as given by God.
Since the time of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, we have been living in a world affected by sin. We not only live in a world affected by sin, but we also live a life of consequences because of our own and sometimes someone else’s sinful choices. Dr. Mike explains this well in his article Claiming victory over life issues through firestorm prayer, specifically, he writes about the following two things that affect us because of sin:
1. Living in a world affected by sin
The Bible tells us that all of us are sinners (Romans 3:10-23). This is because when Eve and Adam sinned in the garden, the whole world, not just humans, became infected and suffer from sin (Romans 5:12-19; Romans 8:20-23). This infection results in our nature constantly being in direct rebellion against God (Ephesians 2:2-3).
A world infected by sin also prevents us from enjoying the blessing of living in an environment like Adam and Eve lived in before they sinned. We have to work and sweat for our food, our bodies suffer the effect of age, and we die, and we are constantly having to struggle against sin (Genesis 3:9-24).
This rebellion against God results in humanity making choices that are harmful to all of creation. These choices result in wars, sexual abuse, child abuse, robberies, unfaithfulness, perversion, harmful pollution, exploitation, jealousy, religious heresy, wickedness, gossip, and a host of other things (Romans 7:23; Galatians 5:16-21).
2. Living a life affected by our poor choices
Since we are all sinners, we are tempted by our own lusts to do things that are sinful (James 1:13-15; 1 John 2:15-16). These sinful choices not only harm us, but also harm others (Proverbs 13:15). This is because God does not directly bless those who sin and curse those who do (Deuteronomy 11:26-28; Proverbs 3:3; Proverbs 28:27; Galatians 3:10).
As a believer, when we sin, we are literally mocking God and can expect that God will discipline us because He loves us. If we sow seeds of corrupted sinful behavior, we will suffer bad consequences. Likewise, if we sow seeds of Holy Spirit led behavior, we will reap the good consequences of God’s blessing (Galatians 6:7-8).
So, the problem is sin but what is the remedy?
We are sinners and so we sin, and it has great power over us, even the power of death. How do we escape this death sentence and get back the opportunity to live in a perfect place for all eternity? To get to that perfect place we must be perfect, but we already know we are not. But since God loves us so much, He provided Someone to save us from that death penalty and his name is Jesus. Do you Got Jesus?
There is a remedy for sin, and He has a name
The good news – The gospel, sometimes called “good news,” is literally interpreted to mean a good or joyful message. It refers to the message of Jesus Christ. More specifically, the message is that Jesus Christ was born as a baby; He grew up to be a man, and never once committed an act of sin. The Bible says all of us are sinners and that we pay for our sin by dying (Mark 1:1; Luke 2:11, 40, 52; 1 Peter 2:2-22; Romans 3:23; 6:23).
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Since Jesus never sinned, He was not deserving of death nor required to pay its wages. Despite this, He willingly allowed Himself to be wrongfully crucified on a cross as a payment for the wages of our sins. Salvation is not something we can earn by good works; it is a gift from God because He loves us. If we believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins, then we will receive the gift of everlasting life to live with Him forever in His kingdom (Romans 6:23; Acts 2:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Romans 5:8; John 3:16).
So even though we live in a world affected by sin, Jesus died to pay our penalty for that sin and in the eyes of God, once we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we are perfect. Now this does not mean that we are perfect here on earth but when we die, we have Jesus’ perfection and so we can go to that perfect place called Heaven.
More great news: Because we are still human, we cannot be sinless this side of Heaven, but we can choose to sin LESS. And the moment we understand and believe the gospel or “good news” of what Jesus did for us, then God saves us from the penalty of sin and gives us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance of everlasting life and as a seal on us until the day He redeems us. We are at that moment “born again”. It is the power of the Holy Spirit in us that helps us to make good choices rather than sinful ones (Ephesians 1:12-14; John 10:28-29; Ephesians 2:8-9, 4:30; Galatians 4:4-7; 1 Peter 1:18-23; Galatians 5:16).
Bible verses about sin
Death is from sin
Genesis 2:16-17. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Genesis 4:7. “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”
Romans 5:12. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
Romans 6:23. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 7:13. “Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.”
Romans 7:24. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
Galatians 5:19-21. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
James 1:15. “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
Everyone Sins
1 John 1:8-10. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Romans 3:23. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Matthew 5:28. “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Mark 7:20-23. “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Psalms 51:5. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
1 John 3:4. “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
There is hope for the sinner
1 Corinthians 10:13. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
1 Corinthians 15:21. “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.”
James 4:7. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Galatians 5:16. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
John 3:16-17. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
James 4:17. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
Ephesians 2:4-6. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”
Jesus is the only Way
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.”
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.”
Acts 4:12. ” Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Romans 5:8. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 Timothy 1:15. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
1 John 4:14. “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”
Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Titus 3:5-7. ” Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
2 Corinthians 5:19-21. “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Final Thoughts
Sin is not a word that we hear much about today. But the Bible teaches that sin is real and it also has real consequences. In fact, it is a small word with huge consequences. Sin started in a perfect place and the consequences of it are a death sentence. To be saved from death and get back to a perfect place, we must accept the sacrifice that Jesus offered for all who believe. Do you believe that Jesus died for you to give you salvation from the penalty of sin?
Things to Think on and do:
- Read Genesis chapters 2 and 3 in its entirety.
- Who told Eve that she could do what God told Adam not to do? Give a Scripture proof that supports your answer. BONUS: Who does the liar represent? (Scripture proof please)
- Why should we not believe whomever told Eve that she could eat that fruit? Give a Scripture proof that supports your answer.
Use the comments section below to share your answers with us!
