Sin Defined
Sin Defined
Do Christians sin? If so what defines sin?
Sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God, in the inward state and habit of the soul, as well as in the outward conduct of the life, whether by omission or commission. See 1 John 3:4; Romans 4:15; Romans 6:12-17; Romans 7:5-24.
What is Sin?
Sin is a Specific Kind of Evil
Not all evil is sin. We sometimes confuse sin with physical evil (injurious or calamitous). But we must speak of sin within the ethical sphere of
moral good and evil. Even here we need more qualification.
Sin is a moral evil. The names used in Scripture for sin point to its moral character.
1.
Chatta'th - an action that misses its mark, deviating from the right way
2.
'Avel and
'avon - a want of integrity and rectitude, a departure from the appointed path
3.
Pesha - a revolt or a refusal of subjection to proper authority, a positive transgression of the law, and a breaking of the covenant
4.
Resha' - a wicked and guilty departure from the law
5.
'Asham - unfaithfulness and treason,
8.
Ma'al - vanity
9.
'Aven - perversion or distortion of nature (crookedness) by 'avah
10. New Testament words for sin -
hamartia,
adikia,
parabasis,
paraptoma,
anomia,
paranomia, and others - point us to the same ideas
From the above there can be no doubt about the ethical moral character of sin.
Sin is not a calamity that came upon man unsuspectingly, poisoning his life, and ruining his happiness. Sin is an evil path deliberately chosen by man to follow and which carries untold miseries with it.
Basically, sin is not something passive, such as a weakness, a fault, or an imperfection, for which man cannot be held responsible.
Sin is an active opposition to God, and a deliberate transgression of His law, which constitutes guilt. Sin is the result of a free but evil choice of man. The teachings of the Scriptures plainly teach as such (see Gen. 3:1-6; Isaiah 48:8; Rom. 1:18-32; I John 3:4).
Sin Has an Absolute Character
The contrast between good and evil is absolute in the ethical sphere. No neutral condition exists between good and evil. There are degrees of good and evil, but no gradations between good and evil. Transitioning between one to the other is not quantitative, but qualitative. No good moral being becomes evil by merely diminishing his goodness, rather by turning to sin, thereby effecting a radical qualitative change. Sin is not some lesser degree of goodness. Sin is a positive evil.
The Scriptures clearly teach us this, in that the person who does not love God (i.e., obeys God) is characterized as evil. There is no neutral ground. Man is either on the right or wrong side, see (Matthew 10:32,33; Matthew 12:30; Luke 11:23; James 2:10).
Sin Always has Relation to God and His Will
Sin is separation from, opposition to, hatred of, God, manifesting itself in a continual transgression of the law of God in thought, word, and action. Scripture shows that sin is contemplated in relation to God and His law, written on the tablets of the heart, or as given by Moses, see (Romans 1:32, Romans 2:12-14; Romans 4:15; James 2:9; I John 3:4).
Sin Includes Both Guilt and Pollution
Guilt is the state of deserving condemnation or of being liable to punishment for the violation of a law or a moral requirement. Guilt expresses the relation sin bears to justice or to penalty of law.
Yet, guilt has a twofold meaning.
(1) Guilt may indicate an inherent quality of the sinner- his demerit or guiltiness, rendering the sinner worthy of punishment. Some refer to this as “potential guilt”, a permanent state, un-removeable by pardon.
(2) Guilt may also indicate the obligation to satisfy justice, to pay for the penalty of sin. Some have called this “actual guilt”. This “actual guilt” is the
penal enactment of the lawgiver, who fixes the penalty of guilt
. This “actual guilt” may be removed by personally satisfying the just demands of the law, or vicariously.
Some will deny that sin includes guilt, but this contradicts the Scriptures, see (Matthew 6:12; Romans 3:19; Romans 5:18; Ephesians 2:3).
Every sinner is subject to inherent corruption—
pollution. Without guilt pollution is not conceivable. But, guilt included in a
penal relationship (see (2) above)
is conceivable without immediate pollution, but this guilt is always followed by pollution.
Adam’s progeny share Adam’s guilt, and are born with a corrupt (polluted) nature. The Scriptures teach the pollution of sin, see (Job 14:4; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 7:15-20; Romans 8:5-8; Ephesians 4:17-19).
The Seat of Sin is the Heart
Using the psychology of the Scriptures, the central “
organ” of the soul is the “
heart” (not the blood pump), from which are the issues of life. Sin resides here and not in any one faculty of the soul. From the heart of the soul spread its influence to the intellect, the will, the affections, to the entire man, including man’s body. In this sinful
state, the whole person is the object of God’s displeasure.
In some ways it can be said that the will of man is the origination of sin, but
the will of man does not indicate an actual volition as much as the will of man indicates the volitional nature of man. In other words, underlying the actual volition when sin entered the world was the tendency of the heart. These views are representative of the Scriptures, see, (Proverbs 4:23; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19,20; Luke 6:45; Hebrews 3:12).
Sin is Not Exclusively Overt Actions
Indeed, sin not only consists of overt acts, but also sinful habits and in the sinful condition of the soul. They are related to one another as follows:
1. The sinful
disposition of the soul is the basis of the sinful habits, and these manifest themselves in sinful deeds. It can also be truthfully said that repeated sinful acts lead to sinful habits.
2. Sinful
acts and dispositions of man are explained by a corrupt nature. The verses cited immediately above clearly substantiate this, for they prove that the state or condition of man is thoroughly sinful.
3. And if we ask if the thoughts and affections of the “natural man”, referred to as "flesh" in the Scriptures, should be held to be constituting sin, we answer “yes” by pointing to verses such as: Matthew 5:22,28; Romans 7:7; Galatians 5:17,24.
In summary, we say that
sin may be defined as lack of conformity to the moral law of God, either in act, disposition, or state. See (1 John 3:4; Romans 4:15; Romans 6:12-17; Romans 7:5-24).
From the above definition of sin is should be clear that Christians sin every day. We are no longer under the law (
do this and live) of God as relates to how we are saved, which is now by grace and faith alone, but our Lord's summary of the two tables of the law (
duty to
God and
duty to our
neighbor) has not been abrogated (Matthew 22:36-40).
The true believer will give ample evidence of their desire to do their duty (
live and do this) as prescribed by Our Lord. These are the fruits which give evidence that the believer
possesses what he or she
professes. Of course the believer is not yet perfected, so the believer will stumble and throw himself at the foot of the Cross in sincere repentance, seeking forgiveness, which will be granted.
AMR
