What is Sin?

Yes, I was giving the definition of sin. No matter the definition of sin, Jesus Christ has paid the price for all our sins.

Quantrill

JAMES 2:10.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

JAMES 2:11.
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery,
yet if you kill, you are become a transgressor of the law.


1JOHN 3:4.
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

those who freely transgress the ''10" Commandments, written upon their hearts, after being called out and chosen, elected,
if they have any 'doubt' about the 'outcome of these transgressions after a 'certain point in their required 'works'
that our Saviour has layed out before us, then, they will 'reap what they sow', there is NO DOUBT about this, for the
Scripture can not be comprised and nullify itself...

In the 21st century
Even in the 21st century, most people's consciences usually tells them that there is a "right" and a "wrong". An inbuilt check, often more powerful than the fear of being caught, can prevent us from doing something inappropriate, improper, or even illegal. We are instinctively aware of an invisible benchmark.
Yet, the word "sin" is becoming increasingly obsolete - its definition increasing vague.
To some people the very concept of "sin" seems rather quaint - remnants of simplistic and naive religious beliefs. On the other hand, many of us downplay any sense of personal responsibility because we tend to consider ourselves (and others) victims of social or biological forces, As said by Wayne Jackson of Christian Courier,

• Some will suggest that the idea of sin is an arrogant imposition of "religion" – an invention of the priest craft and clergy for the purpose of exercising control over the masses. Others will pontificate that "sin" is simply an ignorant appellation for those cultural and psychological aberrations which plague our society. [01]

Even those that believe in a higher power tend to have extremely diverse opinions regarding sin and its consequences. Considering the place of honour the Ten Commandments often occupy on the walls of our courtrooms, school rooms, and churches, I suspect the vast majority of people, Christians and non-Christians alike, believe that these are basic rules by which all of us are to live. But is this true? Are these the rules by which present-day Christians are supposed to live their lives? Since this is a subject too detailed to cover here, SeeJesus and The Law
Other very popular beliefs include

• A "Loving" God: If there happens to be a God against whom we sin, He is too "loving" to actually hold our 'mistakes' against us, much less punish us for them.
  The Golden Rule: Others say that they try to live their lives by the Ten Commandments, or some form of the Golden Rule, which premise is simple - we treat others exactly as we ourselves would wish to be treated in the same situation.
  Not That Bad: If pressed, possibly the majority of people in the western world would place themselves in the 'not perfect' category, but a far cry from 'sinners', or really bad people, usually defined as the serial killers, rapists and child molesters of the world.
  Santa Claus: One of the more common beliefs is that, when we die, our good deeds and our bad deeds will be weighed on a pair of divine scales to determine whether we will spend eternity balancing on a fluffy cloud and strumming a harp, or in a blistering cauldron being constantly poked by a guy in a red suit and horns. This almost universal 'Santa Claus' mentality of rewards for those who's good deeds outweigh the bad, and punishment for those for whom the opposite is true, must mean God is quite busy keeping everyone's record up to date, carefully making tick marks in either the credit or debit column of everyone's ledger of life.

Additionally, the modern world has it's own definition of what constitutes sin that, needless to say, is going to vary from person to person. According to a survey conducted by Ellison Research in Phoenix, adultery (81%) and racism (74%) top the list of what people consider sins. However, only 45% call premarital sex a sin, while 30% say gambling is sinful. [02]
The problem is that none of these views come anywhere near agreeing with the Biblical definition of sin, judgment, or even heaven and hell - God and His word are no longer the yardstick by which sin is determined and measured. We tend to view sin not as God views it, but according to our own belief system. As said by Albert Mohler

• Even some people who say sin is real still steer by a compass of "moral pragmatics," not a bright line of absolute truth, Mohler says. "People say, I have high moral expectations of myself and others, but I know we are all human so I'm looking for a batting average.’
  We find a comfort zone of morality, a kind of middle-class middle level where we think we are doing well. We cut the grass. We don't double-park. But we ignore the larger issues of sin.
  Instead of violating the law of the Creator, it becomes more a matter of etiquette. … We want our kids to play well in the sandbox and know their place in line. We want people to do things decently and in order... [03]

This is simply because few know, or understand.
inplainsite.org

Sin can be defined as not trusting God.

Why It Is So Important To Understand How The Bible Defines Sin
The subjects of sin and salvation are the warp and weft of very the fabric the Bible is woven out of and crucially important to every one of us. As the prophet Isaiah told us..

• "... your iniquities have separated you and your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2).

If you do not know or understand how the Bible defines sin, then you have absolutely no idea what it is that separates you from God, and why He will not hear you.
Also, as the following statement shows, the penalty for sin is permanent

• "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

However, understanding God's view of sin means having at least an overall knowledge of Old Testament law and what the consequences were when a person disobeyed them.


Greater and Lesser Sins?
It is without doubt that the Old Testament drew a distinction between sins committed mistakenly or inadvertently, those that occurred because of moral weakness, and those that were committed willfully or "with a high hand".
Although, all sin merits the death penalty and requires the blood of Christ for expiation, God's Word reveals that some sins are indeed worse than others. The more serious ones brought stiffer penalties and greater condemnation to the perpetrator. For example, the penalty for stealing and selling (or killing) livestock was restoration, with considerable interest. On the other hand, the punishment for abducting and selling another human was death.

• He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death. (Exodus 21:16 NASB)
  If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. (Exodus 22:1 NASB)

Jesus' words to Pilate during His trial also confirmed that there are greater and lesser sins.

• Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." (John 19:11 NASB)

Shegâgâh - Unintentional Transgressions
Many believe that if a sin is committed unintentionally, the perpetrator was innocent in God's eyes. However, the Bible makes it very clear that no one was acquitted by virtue of ignorance - even unintentional sins had to be atoned for by a blood sacrifice. In Ezekiel 34:6 shegâgâh gives us a sense of going astray without meaning to.

• "My flock wandered (Heb. shegâgâh) through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them."'" (Ezekiel 34:6 NASB)

If someone, through ignorance or perhaps a misunderstanding of the law, did what God had forbidden, or left undone what God had commanded, he could not use ignorance as an excuse and go about his daily business as if nothing had happened. Much to the contrary, as soon as the transgression or omission came to the person's attention, he or she was to offer certain sacrifices -

• A one year old she-goat for the inadvertent sins of an individual. (Leviticus 4:27-29
  A male goat without defect for the inadvertent sins of one of the leaders (Leviticus 4:22-24)
  A bullock was offered for the inadvertent sins of the priest or the entire congregation. (Leviticus 4:2-3, 13-14)

Note that these rules applied both to the children of Israel, and to any stranger that lived in their midst.

• 'You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally (Heb. shegâgâh), for him who is native among the sons of Israel and for the alien who sojourns among them. (Numbers 15:28-29 NASB).

It also has to be noted that the 35th chapter of the book of Numbers is largely devoted to the question of premeditated murder vs. manslaughter. Six cities were assigned as places of refuge to protect the person who unwittingly killed another, whereas those who committed intentional murder received the death penalty.

• then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally (Heb. shâgâh) may flee there. (Numbers 35:11 NASB)

Unintentional Sin In the New Testament
Jesus knew that the people who sentenced Him to death did not realize who He was - thus were sinning unintentionally. However this did not get them off the hook. As He died on the cross He prayed for his executioners. His words "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34) tells us that they were accountable for their sins and needed to be forgiven.
Similarly, when Peter addressed the people who were amazed at the healing of the lame man who daily sat at the door of the temple, he told them that this miracle had been performed by Jesus whom they had delivered up, and denied before Pilate. Peter then added that when they chose to have the Holy One executed in place of a known criminal, they had acted in ignorance. However they needed to 'Repent and turn, that their sins may be blotted out, and there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3:12-19)

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1st John 3 vr4 sin is the transgression of the law! this N T scripture still stands Gods law is eternal ,Christans keep it in the spirit tho, where even thinking on a sin and not rejecting it is required. Much harder than just the physical act!

Deade this is NT scripture - 1st Jhn 3 vr4 also 1st John 3 vrs3 thru5 You can have faith you are obeying God if you obey Him ! Faith and Works it takes both as James tells us James2 vr 22thru 24

(Rom. 14:22-23) "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

Quantrill

The Old Testament - The Hebrew Words for Different Types of Sin
Which brings us to the most commonly used Hebrew words for sin - Châtâ is usually translated sin, âvôn - iniquity, pesha - transgression, and rûm, which literally means to lift up, is translated exalt, high-handedly etc.
There has to be some difference in the meaning of these words since two or more were sometimes used in the same sentence . For example, in Exodus 34:7, iniquity and transgression and sin are all mentioned as types of sins God will forgive. Notice that rûm is missing.

• keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity (Heb. âvôn), transgression (Heb. pesha) and sin (Heb. chattâ'âh) ; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity (Heb. âvôn) of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." (NASB)

Châtâ - Missing The Mark
The most common word translated 'sin' is the Hebrew châtâ - it's derivatives, and related words used literally hundreds of times in the Old Testament - including all the verses above. That the word means to miss - or to fail to achieve a certain result is made clear by two Old Testament verses that have nothing to do with sin. Neither the archers nor Solomon and his mother were guilty of any moral wrong.

• Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss (Heb. châtâ ) (Judges 20:16 NASB)
  Otherwise it will come about, as soon as my Lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered offenders (Heb. chattâ ) (1 Kings 1:21 NASB)

In other words, the word that the Bible uses (far more than any other) to define sin literally means to miss the mark. However, if merely falling short of some mark does not sound very serious to some, then note what happened when the nation of Israel made, then proceeded to worship, a golden calf. The people who 'missed the mark' did not merely suffer having a tick made in the debit side of their ledger - Many of them died and the Lord threatened to altogether blot them out of His book.

• On the next day Moses said to the people, "You yourselves have committed (Heb. châtâ) a great sin (Heb. chattâ'âh) ; and now I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin (Heb. chattâ'âh). "Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, "Alas, this people has committed (Heb. châtâ) a great sin (Heb. chattâ'âh), and they have made a god of gold for themselves. "But now, if You will, forgive their sin Heb. chattâ'âh) --and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!" The Lord said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned (Heb. châtâ) against Me, I will blot him out of My book. (Exodus 32:30-33 NASB)

However, on Moses' appeal, the Lord did not immediately inflict any further punishments, but instructed Moses to

• "... go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin." (Exodus 32:34 NASB)

Leviticus 26 lists the formidable punishments that the Lord would bring upon the people who, among other things, indulged in idol worship.
âvôn and pesha: Although there are opinions galore on the subject, whenever âvôn and pesha are used, I do not find that the context necessarily enlightens us as to the exact meaning.

Rûm - Presumptuous, Intentional, or Deliberate Sin
Rûm literally or figuratively means to raise or exalt. For example, rûm is used to describe Noah's ark being lifted up (Genesis 7:17) an Isaiah seeing the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted (Isaiah 6:1). It also applied in the sense of someone lifting themselves up' in pride and self magnification. To sin with a high hand - with an unwarranted and impertinent boldness..

• But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise (Heb. rûm) my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north". (Isaiah 14:13 NASB)
  Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt (Heb. rûm) and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. (Daniel 11:36 NASB)

However, regardless of the exact meaning of every word in the Old Testament translated sin, the one thing we dare not forget is that deliberate acts of transgression were seen as "despising" the word of the Lord, and breaking His direct commandments. When a serious intentional or presumptuous sin had been committed death, not sacrifice, was often the punishment.

• 'But the person who does anything defiantly (Heb. rûm), whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. 'Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.'" (Numbers 15:30-31 NASB)

Pay attention to the words of the prophet Micah

• Woe to those who scheme iniquity, Who work out evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it, For it is in the power of their hands. They covet fields and then seize them, And houses, and take them away. They rob a man and his house, A man and his inheritance. Therefore thus says the Lord, "Behold, I am planning against this family a calamity From which you cannot remove your necks; And you will not walk haughtily (Heb. rômâh), For it will be an evil time. (Micah 2:1-3 NASB) Note: rômâh is the feminine of rôm, a derivative of rûm

If you defiantly turned your heart away from the Lord then all the animal sacrifices in the world would do you no good.
The sins that carried the ultimate penalty were quite obviously done intentionally. They included blaspheming the lord, profaning the sabbath, sorcery, idolatry, murder, child sacrifice, adultery, incest, homosexuality, bestiality etc. See Footnote I for specific verses. Disobedience to priest and judge also carried serious consequences

• The man who acts presumptuously by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the Lord your God, nor to the judge, that man shall die; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:12 NASB)
  When Korah and a company of men accused Moses and Aaron of taking too much upon themselves, and challenged their right to the privileges of the priesthood, the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them and their households up, and they "went down alive into Sheol". (Numbers 16)

The leaders were certainly not immune from immediate and serious consequences were they to knowingly disobey the Lord.

• Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, the first High Priest of Israel were, in many respects, very privileged. They however, seriously transgressed against the Lord which resulted in instant death. (Leviticus 10:1-2) [See ]
  King Saul's failure to totally destroy the Amalekites as God had commanded resulted in him losing the kingdom (1 Samuel 15).
  Although Miriam was a prophetess and Aaron the high priest, God's anger was kindled when they spoke out against Moses. Miriam was smitten with leprosy, but later restored through Moses' intercession.

As Russell Kelly writes

• "The judicial punishment of presumptuous sins explains why God did not command a sacrifice when Aaron allowed the golden calves to be made (Ex. 32), when Moses struck the rock (Num. 20), when Achan was caught stealing (Joshua 7), and when David was declared guilty of murder (2 Samuel 12). The guilty persons "bore their own iniquity." (See Numbers 5:31; 30:15; Ezekiel 18:20.)" [04]

The point being that the sacrifices were meant to be offered by those that had realized they had inadvertently sinned, and those that had sinned in weakness, but had since repented. In other words, the regular sin or guilt offerings demonstrated the contrite sinner's desire for forgiveness. On Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, God demonstrated His willingness to deal with sin that had been repented of.
Arrogant sinners, on the other hand, are neither repentant nor do they seek atonement, and God does not forgive them. Exactly the same holds true in ...

inplainsite.org

I was curious as to what you might feel about GODs law being eternal,my question to you Is since the same GOD that spoke In the old testament Is the same GOD that spoke In the new testament and since GOD does not change,do you feel like you should try and keep the ten commandments?

Yes, Christ was the God of the OT, He gave the 10 Commandments to Israel and He came in the NT and told people to keep the commandments then quoted some of them! Yes, we are to keep the law of God, the 10 commandments ,not just in the physical but in the spirit! Will we always succeed ? No, and that is where repentance and Christs sacrifice come in We are forgiven thru His shed blood for our sins!

After we are begotten by Gods HS at baptism and the laying on of hands we then have Gods H S In us. The mind of Christ and our Helper giving us power and strength but we will still fail and that is where Christs sacrifice and grace comes in. When we repent and go to God He forgives us , removes our sin, and we begin again on our road to His Family and Kingdom!

But you would have to be perfectly righteous In your own strength and we all know that GOD will only accept perfect righteousness and the bible says that no one other than JESUS could be perfectly righteous ,so then how can you keep the ten commandments perfectly In your own strength?

After salvation do you feel like you can keep the ten commandments or do you keep the two commandments,love GOD and love your neighbor?

! Where do you get that idea? we are not and cannot be righteous in our own strength, it is only thru Christ in us that we can be righteous and that is always subject to slipping and sinning and then going to God for forgiveness thru Christs shed blood.That forgiveness is not a one time thing, it is there for us thru out our life if we stay true to God! That is Grace!

yes,but would you In your own strength be able to love?