What is Sin anyway?
If the only way i can get into Heaven is having my Sin forgiven, then I'd like to know what Sin is.
Generally we all know the difference between a little sin (lying, stealing, or swearing etc.) and a big sin (adultery, murder etc.) But there are degrees of those sins as well, stealing a car is worse than stealing a pack of gum. It's all just so confusing...
So what does the Bible say about it?
1 John 3:4 says "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness."
The Law reffered to here is God's law and not the laws of states or scountries even thought Jesus did command us to obey the laws of where we live.
Romans 6:12-17 says "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey— whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
So Sin is something we are 'slaves to' and then can be 'set free' from, still not much more clear on exactly what Sin is.
Lets see if the Greeks can help us...
The primary Greek word rendered "sin" is "hamartia". This word was originally an archery term, literally being the degree by which an archer "missed the mark" or fell short of the target. The essential idea being conveyed by the use of this word, since a Christian's aim is to be Christlike and righteous, is that of "missing holiness"; thus "hamartia" means to sin; to depart from God's standard of holiness; to become unrighteous; to fail to live up to what God requires of us.
So Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and fallen short of the Glory of God" is really a great explination of sin itself, as well as being an assessment of the human condition.
For all have Hamartia (missed the mark) and fallen short of the glory of God.
Generally we all know the difference between a little sin (lying, stealing, or swearing etc.) and a big sin (adultery, murder etc.) But there are degrees of those sins as well, stealing a car is worse than stealing a pack of gum. It's all just so confusing...
So what does the Bible say about it?
1 John 3:4 says "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness."
The Law reffered to here is God's law and not the laws of states or scountries even thought Jesus did command us to obey the laws of where we live.
Romans 6:12-17 says "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey— whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
So Sin is something we are 'slaves to' and then can be 'set free' from, still not much more clear on exactly what Sin is.
Lets see if the Greeks can help us...
The primary Greek word rendered "sin" is "hamartia". This word was originally an archery term, literally being the degree by which an archer "missed the mark" or fell short of the target. The essential idea being conveyed by the use of this word, since a Christian's aim is to be Christlike and righteous, is that of "missing holiness"; thus "hamartia" means to sin; to depart from God's standard of holiness; to become unrighteous; to fail to live up to what God requires of us.
So Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and fallen short of the Glory of God" is really a great explination of sin itself, as well as being an assessment of the human condition.
For all have Hamartia (missed the mark) and fallen short of the glory of God.
posted by Modern Day Magi @ 1:03 pm
5 Comments:
At 1/07/2006 08:35:00 pm,
Anonymous said…
Yes sin can be so confusing.
...Whatever is not of faith is sin...
How great it is that the sanctified (saints) who before they were redeemed were slaves to Sin yet after they become slaves to Christ who is now in them to do and to will according to His good pleasure.
At 1/09/2006 07:01:00 am,
Guy Montag said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 1/09/2006 07:03:00 am,
Guy Montag said…
Another thought with regards to the Greek word for sin, and its connection to archery.. An archer generally aims for the target, whereas to make it truly analogous to the way a sinner acts, it might help to picture the archer turning around 180 degrees and shooting away from the target!
At 1/09/2006 12:09:00 pm,
Modern Day Magi said…
I was thinking how that worked as well.
The Christian, who knows Jesus, has the target in their sight, each shot hopefully getting nearer God's Bullseye.
however, the sinner is in the troublesome position of shooting blind and may only have their eyes opened by hearing the Gospel and by comming to know Christ.
This is why a Christian's sin is worse. Although we should be getting 'closer to the mark' we can see where we are aiming so our failures are more obvious that that of the unsaved as they are shooting blindly (how can they be expected to hit a target they cannot see) where we are not.
At 1/20/2006 12:35:00 pm,
Unknown said…
I just recently did a post on this very same subject. It got a few responses from some folks.
I dealt with not only "hamartia", but also "adikia", "anomia", asebeia", and "parabasis." All of which can be translated as "sin."
You may want to stop by and check it out. Follow the link in my profile or directly at: http://kjkebblog.blogspot.com/ .
~Kevin
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