Occasional musings drawn from the depths of my Reformed faith. 
What is Sin?
Posted 25th March 2010 at 09:30 PM by AMR
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 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, unremoveable 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”, 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).[/quote]
AMR
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 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, unremoveable 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”, 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).[/quote]
AMR
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Comments
 | With the departmentalization of sin in this post, you leave evil to undefined in areas outside of the human heart. Have you address evil in its other forms, other than the heart of man, and if so what are they? Because I am new to this forum I may have missed a post. If you have already addressed this issue, would you be able to send me the link “FireSpeaks” |
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| |  What sort of other evils are you referring to here? Malevolent forces, such as Satan? I need more information. |
| |
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