What is God's definition of sin?

Hobie

Hobie

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What is God's definition of sin?

If we look in scripture, God says that sin is breaking His law, "Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.

So if as some claim, the law no longer applies, is there no longer sin. Of course not, as we all clearly know.

So what does this mean, what does scripture identify as His law? Is sin breaking God's Ten Commandment law, and since the law of God is perfect, does it need changing? Or do the Commandments cover "the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13.

If they cover the whole duty of man, what do they tell us to do. If we look at them carefully we see the Commandments in the first four show love for God, the next six show love for our fellowman. So lets see how Christ explains it:

Matthew 22:34-40
"34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Thus was Christ covering all 10 when asked about them...
 
Bradley D

Bradley D

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Right Divider said:
Was it a sin when Cain killed his brother?
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Yes.

"When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (James 1:13-16).

Sin is a bad action, evil deed. It existed prior to Moses writing it down. It began with Adam and Eve.

"To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded (a given commandment) you,‘You must not eat from it,’..."(Genesis 3:17).
 
F

followHim

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It is an interesting question as God defines sin like this, others define sin like that.

There is simple to define sin, murder, theft, adultery, false testimony,coverting, miss-using
Gods name, worshipping idols etc.

A little deeper is promising something and then not delivering, not loving when you should,
harming someone physically, mentally.

The deeper question is the source of uncleanness, our hearts and its resolution.
Some seem to think Jesus cannot touch the heart.
Yet we are called to forgive from the heart, to love God from the heart, to love
our neighbours, which will come from our hearts. Unless our hearts are cleansed and
purified we will not be able to experience this.

Letting Jesus in to our hearts, accepting His forgiveness is really the beginning.
Our minds are also part, our souls, our strength. When God is invited into every part
then we find fulfilment.
 
Bright Raven

Bright Raven

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From Gotquestions.org

Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18). Sin had its beginning with Lucifer, probably the most beautiful and powerful of the angels. Not content with his position, he desired to be higher than God, and that was his downfall, the beginning of sin (Isaiah 14:12-15). Renamed Satan, he brought sin to the human race in the Garden of Eden, where he tempted Adam and Eve with the same enticement, “you shall be like God.” Genesis 3 describes Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God and against His command. Since that time, sin has been passed down through all the generations of mankind and we, Adam’s descendants, have inherited sin from him. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam sin entered the world, and so death was passed on to all men because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Through Adam, the inherent inclination to sin entered the human race, and human beings became sinners by nature. When Adam sinned, his inner nature was transformed by his sin of rebellion, bringing to him spiritual death and depravity which would be passed on to all who came after him. We are sinners not because we sin; rather, we sin because we are sinners. This passed-on depravity is known as inherited sin. Just as we inherit physical characteristics from our parents, we inherit our sinful natures from Adam. King David lamented this condition of fallen human nature in Psalm 51:5: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”

Another type of sin is known as imputed sin. Used in both financial and legal settings, the Greek word translated “imputed” means “to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another’s account.” Before the Law of Moses was given, sin was not imputed to man, although men were still sinners because of inherited sin. After the Law was given, sins committed in violation of the Law were imputed (accounted) to them (Romans 5:13). Even before transgressions of the law were imputed to men, the ultimate penalty for sin (death) continued to reign (Romans 5:14). All humans, from Adam to Moses, were subject to death, not because of their sinful acts against the Mosaic Law (which they did not have), but because of their own inherited sinful nature. After Moses, humans were subject to death both because of inherited sin from Adam and imputed sin from violating the laws of God.

God used the principle of imputation to benefit mankind when He imputed the sin of believers to the account of Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for that sin—death—on the cross. Imputing our sin to Jesus, God treated Him as if He were a sinner, though He was not, and had Him die for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2). It is important to understand that sin was imputed to Him, but He did not inherit it from Adam. He bore the penalty for sin, but He never became a sinner. His pure and perfect nature was untouched by sin. He was treated as though He were guilty of all the sins ever committed by the human race, even though He committed none. In exchange, God imputed the righteousness of Christ to believers and credited our accounts with His righteousness, just as He had credited our sins to Christ’s account (2 Corinthians 5:21).

A third type of sin is personal sin, that which is committed every day by every human being. Because we have inherited a sin nature from Adam, we commit individual, personal sins, everything from seemingly innocent untruths to murder. Those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ must pay the penalty for these personal sins, as well as inherited and imputed sin. However, believers have been freed from the eternal penalty of sin—hell and spiritual death—but now we also have the power to resist sinning. Now we can choose whether or not to commit personal sins because we have the power to resist sin through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, sanctifying and convicting us of our sins when we do commit them (Romans 8:9-11). Once we confess our personal sins to God and ask forgiveness for them, we are restored to perfect fellowship and communion with Him. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

We are all three times condemned due to inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin. The only just penalty for this sin is death (Romans 6:23), not just physical death but eternal death (Revelation 20:11-15). Thankfully, inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin have all been crucified on the cross of Jesus, and now by faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
 
OZOS

OZOS

Well-known member
Right Divider said:
Sin is anything that opposes God.

An example: Murder opposes God as He is the author of life.
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That is a fleshly view of sin.

It is the Spirit that gives life.
Jesus (God in the flesh) came to reconcile man to Himself (no longer independent).
"I came that you might have life"
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus"
"He who has the Son, has the life"
Salvation is passing from death to life.
We are saved by receiving His life (no longer independent).

Sin is independence.
 
OZOS

OZOS

Well-known member
Right Divider said:
No, it's not.
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It is.

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
"For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death."
"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:"

"Apart from the law, sin is dead"

Those who have received His life are "in Him" and "in Him" there is no sin.

Do the math.
 
OZOS

OZOS

Well-known member
Right Divider said:
Irrelevant to the topic.
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The topic is "What is sin?". Concentrate,

"For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin."

Your confusion about what took place when Adam died, and death spread to all men, prevents you from understanding.
 
OZOS

OZOS

Well-known member
Right Divider said:
I understand the gospel perfectly well.

You cannot stay on topic and get childish when you cannot "be right".
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You do not. And, it has nothing to do with my being "right". It has to do with God's word being "right", and you being wrong because you fail to understand God's word concerning sin and death.
 
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