What is sin?

[ArchangelGabriel]

Is sin an act that is condemned by God or is it an act that goes against God?

rephrase: Is sinning doing something that God said not to. Or is sinning doing the opposite or what God is(supports, stands for, does)

 

[armothe]

rephrase: Is sinning doing something that God said not to. Or is sinning doing the opposite or what God is(supports, stands for, does)

Certainly the Bible is filled with examples of God telling certain people not to do certain things. However we must approach these statements carefully as some of them may have never been intended to move past the original audience.

For example - God setup all sorts of rules for the Israelites - which didn't apply to gentiles. In the proper context it was a sin to kill idolators. It was a sin to eat certain meats at certain times.

Thus we can't base sin on simply what God condemns because just as He has condemned somethings for some people - the Bible simply doesn't list everything (Heroine addiction?).

Rather sin is based on what God IS. God is Love. Thus any act committed not out of love (ie malicious/hateful/ill-intent) is considered a sin.

Even though I strongly believe sin is based on actions, I do believe there is a point - just shy of actually committing the sin to which can be considered a sin - although not noticable by others.

-A

 

[Netopalis]

Personally, I'd define it as any action which separates us from God....

 

[armothe]

Personally, I'd define it as any action which separates us from God....

A noble definition; but how does one tell when they are or aren't separated from God? What sort of feeling/s would one have?

-A

 

[ArcticFox]

A noble definition; but how does one tell when they are or aren't separated from God? What sort of feeling/s would one have?

-A

Sin can be defined direclty from the Bible.

Romans 5:12, 7:17; Psalm 51:5; Galations 3:22

Sin is a human condition after the Fall.

Rom. 14:23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Anything we do, if not done out of faith, is sin. This includes even eating and drinking, things that we would normally consider unimportant spiritually.

James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Failure to do the right thing when we know what to do is sin.

Num. 14:22 none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice,

To see the glory of God, and yet not respond in obedience.

Heb. 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Failure to recognize that God exists, and that he rewards those who seek him (in faith).

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Since failing to obey God is a sin, and God commands that we delight ourselves in him, failure to delight in him is a sin.

You can see the very broad definition of sin presented by the Bible. It far surpasses the idea of individual actions, and includes a condition of mankind, heart attitudes, failure to act (inaction), to spurn the glory of god, or to fail to take joy in him as a rewarder of those who seek him.

 

[Isidore_AK]

A sin is any action, word, or thought that is harmful to our immortal soul and seperates us from God...

 

[armothe]

Rom. 14:23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Anything we do, if not done out of faith, is sin. This includes even eating and drinking, things that we would normally consider unimportant spiritually.

So is your interpretation that if we eat without giving thanks - we are sinning?

-A

 

[FallingWaters]

Is sin an act that is condemned by God or is it an act that goes against God?

rephrase: Is sinning doing something that God said not to. Or is sinning doing the opposite or what God is(supports, stands for, does)

Yes to both. There are sins of commission and sins of ommission.

 

[holyrokker]

Rom. 14:23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.


Heb. 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

I think these two verses are important when considering the question "What is sin?"

Romans 4:3

What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Faith is the key to a right relationship with God. It seems that faith and sin have converse relationship.

 

[sawdust]

Is sin an act that is condemned by God or is it an act that goes against God?

rephrase: Is sinning doing something that God said not to. Or is sinning doing the opposite or what God is(supports, stands for, does)

Sin is any action in thought, word or deed that breaks God's law/command. In other words sin is doing something God said not to.

The opposite of what God stands for/supports is evil. Evil is creating a lie to replace God's truth.

Evil preceeds sin and if not repented of will produce more sin for it must, of necessity, justify the proir sin by creating another lie which will lead to another sin. And so the cycle goes.

We repent of evil (ie change our thinking) and we confess our sins (ie acknowledge our wrongdoing to God).

However we cannot repent until the truth is made known to us. This is why Christ said the truth will set us free. Truth overcomes evil and the automatic outcome of that is to not sin.

Whenever we find sin in our life, the only way to overcome is to learn the truth. This is why learning the word of God should be a young man's (and woman's) first priority in life. The Word is Christ and Christ is the truth!

peace

 

[FallingWaters]

Is sin an act that is condemned by God or is it an act that goes against God?

rephrase: Is sinning doing something that God said not to. Or is sinning doing the opposite or what God is(supports, stands for, does)

Why do you ask? Do you have a particular situation in mind?

 

[armothe]

Faith is the key to a right relationship with God. It seems that faith and sin have converse relationship.

I have plenty of faith, yet I still sin. How can they be converse?

-A

 

[sawdust]

I have plenty of faith, yet I still sin. How can they be converse?

-A

Because "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen". (Heb.11:1)

And... "faith comes by hearing and hearing from the preaching of Christ." (Rom.10:17)

And ... "we are saved by grace through faith, and this is not of yourself, but a gift from God." (Eph.2:8)

In a nutshell, faith is truth metabolised in our soul. It permeates our thinking and stabilises it in the face of temptation. No-one can have more faith than they have truth. Yet one can be given more truth than they have faith.

When a person hears the word (Christ preached which is sound bible doctrine) and they understand what is being said, they then have a choice to believe it as truth or not. If they believe, God honours that by transforming that into faith. However if they don't believe they will not have faith. The Spirit cannot transform those who resist Him.

Jesus said "you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." Part of that freedom is from the power of the sin nature that still resides within us.

The fact that you still sin simply means you have not been perfected in the truth. (this is true for all of us) To be perfected in the truth is what the scripture would term "coming to the full stature of Christ". (Eph.4:13)

One cannot live in truth (which is living by faith) and sin. The two are opposed to each other because sin is always preceded by a lie.

peace

 

[armothe]

One cannot live in truth (which is living by faith) and sin.

So what you are saying is that nobody can ever live in truth (live by faith) - since everybody sins?

-A

 

[sawdust]

So what you are saying is that nobody can ever live in truth (live by faith) - since everybody sins?

-A

No. I'm saying the amout of sins you commit and how often you commit them will be in direct proportion to the amount of sound (true) doctrine you have been taught and believe upon and metabolised in your soul.

The more truth controlling your soul (which is where you make decisions from) the less you will sin.

As you grow in truth (Christ is the truth) you will sin less. But that doesn't mean you will be without sin because the sin nature dwells in our body. That won't be eradicated until we get our new resurrection body.

peace

 

[armothe]

No. I'm saying the amout of sins you commit and how often you commit them will be in direct proportion to the amount of sound (true) doctrine you have been taught and believe upon and metabolised in your soul.

The more truth controlling your soul (which is where you make decisions from) the less you will sin.

As you grow in truth (Christ is the truth) you will sin less. But that doesn't mean you will be without sin because the sin nature dwells in our body. That won't be eradicated until we get our new resurrection body.

peace

So then its impossible to know absolute truth, otherwise we would be able to lead sinless lives?

-A

 

[sawdust]

So then its impossible to know absolute truth, otherwise we would be able to lead sinless lives?

-A

I'm not really sure what it is you are trying to get at here.

Christ is the truth. His thinking is revealed in the written word. As we learn sound biblical truth and apply them in our lives we grow to be like Him.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Rom.12:2

As we change our thinking (which is repentance) to align with the truth (who is Christ) and apply it to our lives (metabolise doctrine), we are transformed in becoming like Him. It is a process that will produce a life that sins less but it doesn't make us sinless because the sin nature remains with us as long as we are in these mortal bodies.

peace

 

[armothe]

Right...as individuals we will never stop sinning. And since you mentioned that sin and truth are in direct proportion to eachother the it is impossible for us to know all truth.

no truth ------------------------------------ all truth
lotsa sin ------------------------------------ sinless

-A

 

[picnic]

sin is rebellion against God.

 

[sawdust]

Right...as individuals we will never stop sinning. And since you mentioned that sin and truth are in direct proportion to eachother the it is impossible for us to know all truth.

no truth ------------------------------------ all truth
lotsa sin ------------------------------------ sinless

-A

Like I said before, I'm not 100% sure of what you are getting at but my impression is that you see sin as something that prevents us from coming to know the truth. If that is so, then you are forgetting (maybe?) that Christ died for sin. The issue in both pre-salvation and post-salvation experience is not sin, but Jesus Christ. In other words, "who is Jesus Christ?"

We (all people) are not called to give an account for sin but rather the one burning question the Lord asks is ... "what do you think of Jesus Christ?"

It's our response to this question that will determine our progression, or lack of it, to a "sin less" life in time, but it is the Lord's own word that determines and guarantees we will inherit a "sinless" life. (ie. in the resurrection)

Now this life (sinless life), all believers inherit irrespective of their degree of "sin less" life here.

It is impossible to know all truth as God knows all truth but it is not impossible to know all truth in the sense that all the truth God has revealed to man can be known. However, even here, it is not necessary for each individual to know all that has been revealed. I don't know everything that has been revealed but it doesn't prevent me from growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I sin a whole lot less today than I did before but that does not make without sin nor does it mean I won't sin today, tomorrow or whenever. But ultimately, it is not my individual sins that keep me sinning, it is my response to "who is Christ". As I learn the truth of who He is as it is written and not superimpose my own ideas on who I want Him to be (as it suits me), then He causes me to be free fom the power of sin and subsequently I sin less.

peace