Sin is disobedience, any evil action or motive that opposes God. Simply put, it attempts to take God’s rightful place in our lives. It controls our behavior and even our thoughts. Most of us have been born with a conscience, an inner voice that warns us when we make a wrong moral decision. Yet, we often ignore it.
“If you don’t do what you know is right, you have sinned” (James 4:17 | CEV). We frequently fall short even when we want to do the right thing. The apostle Paul confessed, “Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong” (Romans 7:19 | CEV). Sin is a genetic disease. We are born sinners. And we sin because we are sinners. No one is immune “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 | NIV)
God’s Image-Bearers
God made humans in his likeness. (Genesis 1:27 and 9:6) He intends us to reflect his holy character. So, sin is any behavior that runs contrary to his nature. In the beginning, humans were innocent. But God gave us freedom of choice or what we sometimes call “free will.” When faced with a moral choice, our first parents sinned. Adam and Eve put more faith in Satan’s lies than in God’s truthful warning. (Genesis 3)
Their rebellion, lack of faith, and desire to be like God produced the first sin of disobedience. The apostle Paul said “everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).
Adam and Eve caught and, subsequently, transmitted sin’s disease to every succeeding generation. Thankfully, there is an antidote. “Yes, Adam’s sin brought punishment to all, but Christ’s righteousness makes men right with God so that they can live. Adam caused many to be sinners because he disobeyed God, and Christ caused many to be made acceptable to God because he obeyed” (Romans 5:18-19 | TLB).
It affects our relationship with God, other people, and even nature. Jesus fixed what Adam broke. Apart from accepting God’s grace, humans can do nothing to make things right with God. Jesus has already done it. God justifies and declares us innocent by his grace through our faith in Jesus. Totally and permanently rejecting Jesus is the only sin that God will not forgive.
Many Words
There are 33 words for sin in the New Testament. One word often used as a synonym for sin in English translations is transgression. The Old Testament uses six different nouns and three verbs to describe sin. No matter what word you use, God hates it. There are no “little” sins. In Old Testament times, an animal without defect was sacrificed to atone for or pay the price for sin. “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 | NIV). We sin today because we are sinners.
We usually don’t kill animals to compensate for our failures or transgressions. Yet, the penalty is still death—a spiritual death, separation from God. For God to be just, a price must be paid for sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23 | NIV). The gospel’s Good news is that Jesus already paid it with his life. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 | NIV).