If you believe the Ten Commandments define sin, you have left yourself lots of wiggle room.
Sin is breaking any of God's 10 commandments. These are the root of all sin which Jesus says begin in the heart (Matthew 5:22-28).
Whatsoever is not of faith is sin (not believing or following God's WORD).
To him that knows to do right and does not do it to him is sin (James 4:17). If you know God's WORD tells you to do something and you do not do it then it is sin.
This does not mean according to the OP title that sin is not breaking Gods 10 commandments.
That teaching is against God's WORD.
BREAKING GOD'S 10 COMMANDMENTS IS STILL SIN
JAMES 2:8-12
[8], If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:
[9], But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
[10], For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
[11] For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, YOU ARE BECOME A TRANSGRESSOR OF GOD'S LAW
Yep, James is pretty clear if we brake ANY of God's Law (10 commandments) then we are a TRANSGRESSOR of God's LAW and commit SIN. James quotes two of the 10 Commandments that are summed up in the 2nd great commandments of LOVE to our neighbor in v11
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1 JOHN 3:4 [4] Whosoever commits SIN transgresses also the law: for SIN is the transgression of the law.
John is saying the same thing as James and states that if we TRANSGRESS God's LAW then we commit SIN because SIN IS THE TRANSGRESSION OF GOD'S LAW. So it is very clear that SIN is breaking ANY of God's LAW (10 commandments). We will look at the chapter context shortly which give the example in v15 of MURDER God's 6th Command of the 10.
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ROMANS 7:7 [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.
Well here we have Paul in agreement with James and John also telling us that SIN is breaking God's commandments and uses the 10th commandment as an example of breaking any of God's LAW (10 commandments) = SIN (
Exodus 20:17)
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ROMANS 3:20 [20], Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:
FOR BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.
Context is v9; both Jew and Greek ALL under SIN, v10 None are righteous no not one, v11 None seek after God, v12 All have gone out of the way, there is none that does
good [χρηστότης means MORAL excellence]. v13-18 Peace they have not known, destruction is in their way; they do not fear God. Now the CONTEXT is there is none that do GOOD which is in reference to χρηστότης MORAL excellence. Now let's look at v19-20
ROMANS 3:19-21
[19] Now we know that whatsoever things the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Context is no one does good χρηστότης MORAL excellence. God's LAW (10 Commandments) are the standard of RIGHTEOUSNESS.
PSALMS 119:172 [172], My tongue shall speak of your word: for all your commandments are
righteousness [צדק; tsedeq means; the
right natural, moral or legal; also (abstractly) equity or (figuratively) prosperity: - X even, (X that which is altogether) just (-ice), ([un-]) right (-eous) (cause, -ly, -ness)].
RIGHTEOUSNESS צדק; tsedeq in God's LAW is the standard of χρηστότης; MORAL excellence
The CONTEXT then is doing GOOD in reference to God's LAW (10 Commandments) v19 that is defines SIN and makes all the world guilty before GOD.
[20], Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
No one is justified by God's LAW which is the standard of RIGHTEOUSNESS [Moral excellence and Good] because if broken it gives us a KNOWLEDGE of sin. Already defined in James as breaking any of God's 10 Commandments.
[21], But now the
righteousness of God apart from the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
God's LAW is the standard of RIGHTOEUSNESS (
Psalms 119:172) MORAL EXCELLENCE standard of what is GOOD. The RIGHTOUENESS of GOD outside of the LAW being witnessed by the LAW and the prophets v22 which is by FAITH in Christ; WHY? v23 because ALL HAVE SINNED broken God's LAW. v24-28 we are only made righteous by faith in Christ without the deeds of the law. v31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
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CONCLUSION: PAUL, JAMES and JOHN all agree together that if we break any of God's LAW (10 commandments) we commit SIN. All three use example of breaking the 10 Commandments as what defines sin.
Sorry Steve God's WORD disagrees with your teaching
1 JOHN 2:3-5
[3], And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
[4], He that said, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. [5], But whoever keeps his word, in him truly is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
We should believe and follow God's WORD over the teachings and traditions of men that break the commandments of God. Those who CONTINUE in KNOWN UNREPENTANT SIN will NOT enter the KINGDOM of HERAVEN * HEBREWS 10:26-27.
Hope this helps
From the beginning, any grouping of people governed their families, tribes, countries without the necessity of the Ten commandments to define sin. The Law wasn't given to define sin it was to make trespasses/transgressions increase. And with the increase of trespasses/transgressions scripture says there was an increase in sin following. All the jumping around with definitions of what trespass/transgress mean has been amusing to me. They aren't 'little' sins 'big' sins, that's just a Catholic throw back to venial sin and mortal sin. As someone did correctly post in the other thread "Sin is sin", period IMO. Theologians just have never figured it all out yet. They call an iniquity sin and transgression sin, and of course 'sin is sin'. But what does scripture do?
