Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What is sin? How do we know what sin is?
The New Testament word for sin is ἁμαρτία/hamartia. Here is how the word is defined: failure; missing the mark; guilt, sin, a fault, failure, sinful deed.
The first time the term “sin” is used in the Old Testament is Genesis 4:7.
Genesis 4:7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.
The Hebrew word translated as sin is chatta’ah. Within in the context of the passage of Genesis 4:7, sin is simply not doing the right thing. One did not achieve the set standard.
A person can do their best with the best of intentions and fail to meet the standard. It is still a sin. Clearly, people can willingly choose to disobey God’s statute. This is a sin.
We stand before the dart board of life. The bullseye is the standard. The intent is a perfect shot. The stance is good. The technique has been mentally rehearsed. Confidence reigns supreme. The bullseye is coming. With all your heart, the dart flies. Woops… missed. We are all sinners.
Which leads to another question, how do we know what is the right thing? Who sets the standard for what is right and what is wrong?
Sin is rebellion against God’s righteous and just character. Sin has its roots in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
We are all sinners. How are we going to manage our sinful ways? What is our response going to be to sin? God knows we are all sinners.
Cain’s response to his sin was to murder his brother Abel. Adam and Eve tried to cover and hide from their sin in the Garden. Judas hung himself. At Golgatha, one thief next to Jesus lashed out at Christ.
David turned from adultery, lies, deception and murder and moved his heart towards God. Saul was killing Christians until he was blinded and became the Apostle Paul. Matthew was a corrupt tax collector swindling his fellow Jew. Matthew was upholding the “laws” until he answered the call of Jesus. At the The Skull, one thief on the cross revered God the Man and admitted his guilt and understood his consequence. And today, that thief is in Paradise.
Psalm 51:4-5 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
