Apr 26 2010
Sin, what is it?
What is sin?
You have probably heard of the Ten Commandments. If so, you might think that sin is what happens when you break one of these commandments. This is true. But the law of God is broader than just the Ten Commandments. As Jesus said in Matthew 22:34-40, the entire law can be summarized by the commandments to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind" and to "love your neighbor as yourself." So sin would be any instance in which you do not love God with everything you have or don’t love a fellow human being the way you love yourself. When defined this way, we see that sin might encompass a whole lot more than we may have thought at first. Have you loved God with everything you have today?
But sin can be defined still more generally. Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Falling short of the glory of God means that you do not reflect the character and worth of God as you should. If we are created in the image of God and are meant to reflect that image in the way that we live, then sin is anything that somehow obscures the glory of God. Therefore, we might define sin as anything that opposes, distorts, or obscures the revelation and enjoyment of the glory of God.
It might be helpful to understand what is at the root of sin for humans - and that is unbelief. God wants to be known and enjoyed and trusted and loved. Therefore, God reveals himself in creation, in the Bible, and in his son Jesus, and he also offers promises and commands to us. He shows us what he is like, and shows us the way in which we should live for our maximum happiness and well-being. So anytime we believe that he doesn’t exist, or is somehow a different God from the one he has revealed himself to be, or anytime we disregard the commands that he has given us for our good, or choose our own path to what we think will bring us satisfaction - this is sin. It is disbelieving the existence, character, and worth of God.
Why is sin so bad?
If God wasn’t worth much, then sin might not be so bad. And in effect, whenever we downplay the significance of our sin, we are saying precisely that. We are saying that sin isn’t so bad because God isn’t that glorious. But this thinking in and of itself is extremely wicked and sinful because God is infinitely glorious and valuable and worthy. As Revelation 4:11 says, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." God is infinitely worthy, but sin says that he isn’t worth much. God is perfectly glorious, but sin says that the things of this world hold more glory than he does. God is vastly valuable, but sin says that money and sex and fame and comfort are more valuable and should be pursued above God. God is abundantly good, but sin says that he holds good things back from us or gives us bad things. God is omnipotent in power, but sin treats God as though he were too weak or indifferent to change things. God is inscrutably wise, but sin suggests that God may not really know what’s best for you. God is perfectly loving, but sin tries to make us believe that God is impersonal or distant.
Do you see why sin is so bad?! Sin is an affront to the glory of God. It makes him out to be a liar, an impotent observer, a lesser option for joy, a cosmic bully, or an irrelevant abstraction. Sin is so bad because God is so good.
Am I a sinner?
Yes, you are. Although nearly everyone would admit that they make mistakes from time to time, probably very few would say that they are sinners. That is most likely because they have such a small view of God and his glory. Even among those who would admit that they are sinners, very few would think that this was anything of significance. The typical response might be: “Yeah, okay, I’m sinner. So what?! You know, to err is human. It’s no big deal…” If that is your response, let me say again - you are a sinner. No…you really are. And that is a HUGE deal. But it is not just you’re problem. The entire human race down to the very last person is a sinner - someone who belittles and tries to slander the living God. And “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).
Am I responsible for my sin?
Yes, you are. Everyone is ready to take credit for the good things that they do and the accomplishments they achieve. But when it comes time for receiving blame, people are blame-shifters from the start. People try to blame their sin on their genetic disposition, or their circumstances, their family, spouse, or friends, their bad luck, their mood or their “human limits.” But if that is your response, let me say again - you are accountable for your sin. No…you really are. Now certainly certain factors can make someone deserving of more or less blame. But the point is that everyone is ultimately responsible for their own sin. And you will have to appear before God on the Day of Judgment, and give an account for the sin that you have committed.
What does sin deserve?
Sin is so bad because it slanders a God that is so good. And because God cares about his glory, and wants all people to know him clearly and accurately, God must punish sin. God cannot sit back and let people ignore him, slander him, discredit him, ridicule him, and hate him. When a holy God sees sin, it makes him rise up in wrath and defend himself. Sin is evil and must be punished. That is why sin deserves God’s wrath and punishment. And because sin is an infinite offense to an infinitely worthy God, sin must receive an infinite punishment. Sin deserves Hell.
Where did sin come from?
Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, the first humans that God created. You can read about an account of this momentous event in Genesis 3. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, the human race was plunged into ruin. Death, pain, suffering, disease, toil, and separation from God’s presence entered into the world with their sin. Everything that is wrong with the world today was started in the garden.
Furthermore, Adam and Eve’s corrupted nature was passed on to their offspring. Everyone who has ever been born has been born spiritually dead and in sin. People are not inherently good. People are born sinners. The sin in the world today has come from people who lived in the past as well as our own sin. Remember that we are responsible for our own sin. We all propagate the deadness and evil in the world. Sin comes from us too. (If you have more questions about sin and evil, you might want to read the article entitled, “The Problem of Evil.”)
What are the effects and consequences of sin?
As you might imagine, because sin separates us from God, sin is the destroyer of everything good. Sin destroys love, joy, peace, and truth. Never be tempted to think that sin’s consequences won’t catch up with you. You reap what you sow. Sin will bring hatred and bitterness into your life, misery and strife to your relationships, depression and futility to you pursuit of joy, restlessness and insecurity and delusion. Sin blinds us and binds us. It will be the master of your life, and you will be its wretched slave. Never be tempted to think that sin will bring you happiness. Sin will make a mockery of your trust. Satan comes “only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). And at the end of your life, sin will bring you death. As Romans 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death.”
So please do not flirt with sin or calmly accept it. Do not pass it off or rationalize it. You don’t know how many people either deny sin, ignore it, or shrug it off while it is our worst enemy and greatest threat. Sin is ugly and it will destroy you. So please do not take sin lightly.
The good news is that there is an escape from sin - a real escape. The world offers plenty of "escapes" from sin in the sense that the world offers ways to avoid the reality and gravity of sin. Video games, television, movies, and computers can dull you to the reality of this world and to sin. Education and false religion can dupe you into believing that you have overcome sin by your own efforts. Drugs, alcohol, and sex can drown out the voice of your conscience and make you disregard your own sin. The allure of money, a successful career, and a comfortable life can make you forget about your sin. The lies of macroevolution, atheism, or other false worldviews can convince you that sin doesn’t exist. These are all "escapes" that blind you to your own sin and keep you from dealing with it.
The only true escape from sin is the blood of Jesus Christ that can wash sin away and atone for it. By trusting in Jesus’ death on a cross and his resurrection, you can truly escape the guilt, shame, and punishment for sin. It is only then that you will truly be free and begin to live the abundant life that Jesus came to bring.