What is sin? Sin is not merely a list of do’s and don’ts. It is not my opinion of what sin is because that seems to be what it is in this postmodern world in which we live today. Truth is not whatever you want it to be. It is not like God’s standard is higher or lower from one person to the next. The scripture serves as the standard in which we are commissioned by God to live. Truth is the very foundation of the Word of God. We must live by it in order to walk in truth and avoid sin. The reason why the world hates the church so much is because of the truth we claim and proclaim through the Bible. It defines what sin is, and we must take notice.

Several definitions are given of sin in the Bible, and I will go over each of them. 1 John 3:4 says, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” Sin is going against the law of God. Of course, our minds go back to the law that was given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the presence of the Lord, but the law was designed to distinguish God’s people from the world. They did not participate in the paganistic ideas and rituals of the worshipers of gods like Baal or Osiris, but they choose to worship the God who brought them out of Egyptian bondage. They needed to be distinguished from them by not committing their acts of perversion. Therefore, God designed the law to set as a standard for man to live by, and if the law was broken by a man who had then become imperfect through sin, sacrifices had to be made because there is a voice in blood that when it was shed it was a sacrifice unto God. Sin has always been and can only be atoned through the shedding of blood. The fact of the matter is that sin did not originate with the breaking of the Mosaic law, but it began in the Garden of Eden.

 

Sin is transgressing the commandments of God. 1 John 5:17 says, “All unrighteousness is sin.” When you go against what God has told you to do, whether that is doing something He instructed you not to do or avoiding doing something that He told you to do, it is a sin. This can be divided into sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of commission are those acts that transgress God’s commandments. Sins of omission are those deeds that God tells us to do but we refuse to do or avoid doing. The sin of omission is revealed in James 4:17, which says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” If the Holy Spirit draws us to do something, we must obey Him! If we refuse to do it, then it is a sin to us. In the case of Adam, he committed a sin of commission by eating of the tree that God told him not to. As a result, an atonement had to be made as a sacrifice for their sins because undoubtedly God had a backup plan of redemption in case main failed, and that was through sacrifices. It is the reason why God told the serpent, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This was signified when Judas Iscariot had “lifted his heel” against Christ as the ultimate betrayer), while Jesus bruised the head of Satan upon Golgotha’s Hill, the Hill of the Skull, at Mount Calvary. After this happened, the Bible teaches that God covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness, because sin will shame you, with coats of skins, meaning that He made the first sacrifice of animals to cover their sins. This act of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was the first act of sin ever committed because it was a work of unrighteousness and transgression against God’s commandments. This was way before the law was ever initiated. After the sin, it took a sacrifice to atone for it. Do not cover your sins with a bunch of fig leaves. Let the blood of Jesus cover them all!

 

In context of the story of creation, sin is going against the original, perfect will of God. It is not doing what God has created you to do. Everything and everyone that was created was to give Him glory in some way. Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Revelation 4:11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” We are created to give God the glory that He deserves, and when we do not do that, we are committing sin through idolatry. Satan cannot create anything, but He perverts and distorts creation in order to give him glory, which is sin. We choose to sin when we misuse God’s creation. It is following the will of the devil. Adam and Eve sinned because they went against God’s purpose and commandment by eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When God speaks to you to do something, obey Him and submit to His authority because regardless of whether or not you disagree, He knows what is best for your life. He sees what you do not see, and so it is best to just put your trust in Him and follow Him.