You probably know that the Bible talks a lot about sin. But, the question is what does it exactly say about it? And, what does that mean for us today? 

Take a look at Romans 3:23,

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. NIV.

Paul, the author of the letter to the Romans is talking about three truths here. These truths aren’t things Paul has come up with or stuff he had learned from Greek philosophy, which were predominantly a part of the culture then. The truths, Paul brings up display the reality of the human condition, which originated with Adam and Eve, the original parents of all humans according to the Bible (Genesis 1-3).

These truths represent the foundation of what the Bible says about sin. Before delving into talking about the three truths, let’s see how the Bible defines sin.

 

The Biblical Definition of Sin

 

Sin means practicing lawlessness (see 1 John 3:4)

When it comes to the Law, traditionally, this has to refer to the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy).

That’s a list of over 600 commandments that we aren’t presumed to break according to the Old Testament. Among these commandments, there are laws that speak to the following:

• • • How to dress.
    • What and how to eat.
    • Worship of God the Father alone (not idols), and how to do it.
    • Relationships and how to honor them.

When Jesus came, according to the four Gospels, he said, in his conversation with somebody:

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40. NIV.

To sin, therefore, is to choose “not to love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all my mind.” It also means that “we’ve chosen not to love our neighbor as ourselves.”

So, do we then have to ignore the other laws in the Old Testament?

I don’t think that’s what we have to do. What Jesus is asking us is to focus more on our relationship with God and each other. This relationship should be grounded in true, unconditional, and genuine love.

Jesus refers to this love as what God has demonstrated to all humankind as stated in John 3:16,

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Paul also talks about that kind of love in-depth in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

 

Sin is choosing not to do the right thing when we know it (James 4:17)

The right thing is about our relationship with God, others, and our environment.

Failure to honor our relationships with God, and each other is sin. Choosing to love God, but not wholeheartedly, is sin. When we choose to love our neighbors, not at the same level we love ourselves, we sin.

 

Sin has to do with what’s going on in our hearts (see Mark 7:20-23)

Everything comes down to what’s going on in our hearts. And, our heart sometimes refers both to the center of our emotions (emotional state of being: soul), and the center where we make decisions (the mental state of being: mind).

The body allows us to express what’s on our minds. What’s on our mind shapes our soul, the area of being that enables us to express our feelings and emotions.

In Matthew 7:20-23, Jesus explains the above to the people saying that it’s not what comes into through mouth, which defiles you. It’s what is already in your heart (mind and soul) that does it.

 

 

Three Biblical Truths About Sin

 

Truth #1: All humans have sinned

Paul states first that all humans have sinned. It’s a truth that he stresses on his other letters: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 and 2 Timothy. 

 

Truth #2: All humans fall short

Five things that sin to us:

• • • Sin makes us miss the mark.
    • It breaks us.
    • It disorients us.
    • It enslaves us. 
    • It infects all our surroundings, including the people we love.

 

Truth #3: All humans fall short of the glory of God

Falling short has to do with the glory of God we lost from the very beginning. The glory of God implies:

• • • The place of order.
    • The place of harmony.
    • The place of balance.
    • The place of no pain and suffering.
    • The place clarity.   

 

The Good News

Jesus came to die for the sinners. He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He is the High Priest who walked into the real Holy of Holies, not with a sacrificial lamb, but with his own blood (1 Peter 1:19).

Does that mean that because of believing in him we will never sin again?

No. Temptations to sin will always hunt us until the second coming of Jesus Christ. But, every time we sin tempts us, Jesus is always there to help us not fall into temptation (Hebrews 2:18).

What he encouraged the disciples to do, just as he’s encouraging you and I today, is to watch and pray so that we don’t fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41).