What is Sin?

“Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.”  1 John 3:4

The Bible warns that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), and “The person who sins will die” (Ezek. 18:20). These are strange days, however, and there are many who call “evil good and good evil” (Isa. 5:20). Who is to say what is right and wrong, when even our U.S. Supreme Court implies that there are no absolutes?

God is the One Who defines sin because it is He Who will judge sin. The definition is multi-faceted, for sin takes many forms. Most basically, as our Scripture says, sin is the transgression of the law - not just certain laws, but all of God’s law. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10).

But there must be more than just formal obedience to God’s commands, for “All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17). Furthermore, there are sins of omission, as well as sins of commission. “To one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

When there is no specific law or command to guide our actions in a particular situation, the principle to follow is that of faith - that is, the confident inward assurance that we are doing that which honors the Lord, for “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23).

There is much more that could be noted, but it is clear that no one could ever measure up even to these demands, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). All of us deserve the wages of sin, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Now “apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested...even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Rom. 3:21-22).