What is SIN?

[Godsdrummer]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

That's a large commandment, isn't it!

So, we know that we are not to speed, and yet I imagine we have all done that at some point... is that sin? How serious does God consider the sin of speeding (breaking the law of the land)?

Not trying to make excuses, but when this passage was first brought to my attention when in high school, the implication was made just the way you seem to think in your reply.

Not the passage does not say, he that knows to do right to him it is sin. It says "good". I feel this goes to the greatest commandment, love God and your neighbor as yourself.

It is my personal feeling that we make too many things out to be sin, based on an implication. Paul deals with this issue I believe very well in Romans 14. Take for instance driving over the speed limit. We know we all do it at times, just because law dictates a speed limit does not make it a sin just because your driving down the road and happen to cross above the posted speed limit. But driving deliberately unsafely would in fact be wrong and it could be argued to be sin. Because now you are putting yourself and other in danger, thus NOT loving your neighbor as yourself.

Again in my opinion, those things we should be more concerned with are those things that fall under the command to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Thus one would not commit adultery because that is against your neighbor, basically all the things Paul list as works of the flesh are counted as things that are against your neighbor.

Bottom line Jesus said when we fulfill "loving God and our neighbor as our self we fulfill the whole Law". Paul give a good balance of this in Romans 14, if we can grasp the elements of his teaching in this passage, we can lay to rest what is sin and what is not. Many things that are sin to one person are not to the next, and this is a principle we seem to forget.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Esaias

I believe that is correct.

Thanks. I wanted to see if someone else had found anything different.

Originally Posted by Esaias

Sin is transgression of the law. Therefore whatever is a transgression of the law of God is sin. Dishonouring your parents is sin. Stealing is sin. Adultery is sin. Why? Because those things are violations of the law of God (transgressions).

I thought it was interesting that sin is talked about all through the scriptures, but 1 John is the only place where sin is actually defined, and detailed. Jesus spoke about sin all the time, but He never defined it. I find that interesting.

Originally Posted by Esaias

But sin is defined Biblically as trangression of the law. The law defines and identifies sin:

Rom_7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Sin was in the world until Moses, but it was not imputed when there was no law. So... what happened to people before Moses who sinned?

Romans 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

What does Paul mean by the sin was not imputed when there is no law? It seems that he is implying here that there was no law from Adam until Moses.

Originally Posted by Esaias

As for 'the devil', the word devil means 'accuser'. It is a term that is taken from the concept of satan being one who accuses the people of God of their sins (see Job, etc). So the 'devil' is generally a NT term for 'satan', which is a Hebrew word for 'adversary' or 'enemy'. So then the 'devil' is the Adversary, that is, one who is opposed to God, his dominion (law), his grace, his divine Plan, etc. The devil 'sins from the beginning', that is, the enemy of God is in transgression, and is from the beginning. One who sins, ie one who transgresses God's law, is 'of the devil', much as Christ said to the Pharisees 'You are of your father the devil'. Being a 'child of' someone is a Hebrew figure of speech (a Hebraism) meaning one is partaking of the characteristic of someone, as if they were biologically descended from that someone. So the sinner is one who follows in the devil's footsteps, and bears the likeness of the devil - the enemy or opposer of God.

Thus, sin is the opposing of God and His ways, which are revealed in the law as explained and understood by the gospel.

Yes, I agree with this.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

Thanks. I wanted to see if someone else had found anything different.




I thought it was interesting that sin is talked about all through the scriptures, but 1 John is the only place where sin is actually defined, and detailed. Jesus spoke about sin all the time, but He never defined it. I find that interesting.

Everyone understood that 'sin' meant transgression against God's law. It would be like if we talk about 'crime', would we need to always be saying 'now crime is the violation of the law'? We would have learned that as children.

Sin was in the world until Moses, but it was not imputed when there was no law. So... what happened to people before Moses who sinned?

Romans 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

What does Paul mean by the sin was not imputed when there is no law? It seems that he is implying here that there was no law from Adam until Moses.

He does not say there was no law. In fact he specifically says those before Moses 'sinned'. Thus, there HAD to be law before Moses. Not the law COVENANT, but the laws of God. Consider this about Abraham:

Gen_26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Abraham knew and kept God's commandments, statutes, and laws.

[Scott Pitta]

All unrighteousness is sin. I can even say that in Greek.

Later today, I will look up a decent definition of sin.

The ducks are calling my name.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Scott Pitta

All unrighteousness is sin. I can even say that in Greek.

Later today, I will look up a decent definition of sin.

The ducks are calling my name.

Happy hunting! Do you have snow there yet? We got our first large snowfall today, and it is beautiful!

I will look forward to your comments when you get back

[Monterrey]

It just means the offense.

Whatever God dislikes is sin.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Monterrey

It just means the offense.

Whatever God dislikes is sin.

Do you sin?

1 John 3:9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin: for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin because he is born of God."

This is a serious question actually. If we really are born of God, and we speed on our way to church, is that sin? Or if we let someone think that we did something, and we didn't do it, and we don't correct their understanding (a white lie of sorts) is that sin?

How serious should we as disciples of Christ be when it comes to considering what sin might look like in our lives?

If we are truly born of God, as John says... then we should not be sinning.

So we need to know exactly what "sin" is.

[Aquila]

God is love. Anything contrary to the very nature of God, love, is sin.

[shazeep]

Originally Posted by Aquila

God is love. Anything contrary to the very nature of God, love, is sin.

Are all Muslims "lost," Aquila?

[Godsdrummer]

Originally Posted by shazeep

Are all Muslims "lost," Aquila?

Maybe a better question would be, "are all Christians lost except those that have exclusively followed Acts 2:38"?

Which brings us full circle to the question, what does it mean to be saved? Jesus said "whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life". What does that mean have everlasting life? Or shall not perish? Perish from what? Everlasting life, when?

Luke wrote "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved", saved from what?

John proclaimed when he saw Jesus come to be baptized, "behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world" did Christ take away the sin of the world and when?