What is sin?
Without knowing the definition, we would not fully understand the need for a Savior.
The Gk. word for sin is “Hamartia” which literally means “to miss the mark”, to err. It’s like missing the bulls eye in sports like archery, shooting or while playing darts. They come under 2 catagories, “Sins of commission” (Things we should not do and we do) and “Sins of ommission” (Things we should do but we do not). The way Bible defines it is seen in the following 4 passages –
- Ignoring, neglecting, disobeying or violating God’s moral law (think of the 10 commandments in Exodus 20) is sin – living the way you want rather than how God wants. Sin is moral evil and moral evil is personal rebellion against God. 1 Jn. 3:4 says, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”
- Anything believers do apart from faith is sin, for faith glorifies God by trusting him, and lack of faith dishonors him. Rom. 14:23 says, “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
Whether it is eating a certain type of meat or meat at all or having a small amount of fermented drink, if we violate our conscience by acting against our convictions then it is sin. - Anything wrong is sin. Whether it is a crime like murder and stealing or common sins like pride and jealousy they are sins. 1 Jn. 5:17 says, “All wrongdoing is sin.”
- Any good and right thing that a believer doesn’t do is a sin. This is called as the “sins of omission”. It is not only what people do that matters; the good that they fail to do is equally important to God. Jam. 4:17 says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
There are the four ways in which we sin – We sin by thinking evil, speaking evil, acting evil or omitting
good.
In essence, sin is anything that we do against God. Though we might sin against a person, it’s always and ultimately against God.
Ps. 51:3-4 says, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”
This is the reason we cannot save ourselves. We are sinful by nature and sinners by birth. It is only in Jesus that we can be saved from God’s wrath. He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds we have been healed [spiritually] says 1 Pet. 2:24.
Don’t depend on your sin tainted good works to go to Heaven but mourn over your sin and pray saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner” and only then you will become God’s child!
