What Is Sin?

                                                                                                            Carlton Foster – 8/14/2016

Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). Transgress is to do something that is not allowed (Webster Dictionary).  Now, who set the rules of this something?  If we start with God, he sets many rules, laws – written and spoken that we should not do or allowed to do. Next, we have kings and leaders of many countries who also set up laws; next, we have many cities and towns who enacted laws; we have many companies, organizations, and groups who established laws. Next, we have many families who have their own rules and regulations where there are some things that are not allowed. When someone violates these rules, they have sinned against the leaders (or body of people) who established these rules.

When a child who has a curfew set at 9:00 pm, but the child transgresses that rule and comes in at 11:00 pm, that child has sinned against that parent (or whoever sets the curfew).  When a driver runs a red light, that driver has sinned against the city (groups of people) who passed that law. When a citizen commits treason. That citizen has committed a sin against the leaders of that country. When a person murders another person, that person has committed sin against God who said, “Thou shall not kill”.  We read where Adam and Eve did something that was not allowed. They sinned against God.

The Bible says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  Wages denotes a weekly activity or activities that reoccur more than once. When we violate a law more than once, according to Bible we will die. What is dying? The dictionary said dying is fading, vanishing, disappearing, or decaying. Eventually to permanently disappear.  Sins committed many times will result in the fading away of the individual or the object to eventually permanently disappeared.

There are many examples where people died because they sinned against God. People are executed for breaking the laws of the land. Many people disappeared – incarceration because of their sins against the city or town. Many family members are not together, they are dysfunctional, shattered as a result of sin against each other – doing something that was not allowed within the family.  Whenever a spouse slowly withdraws his or her affection from the other, or when a child withdrew from his or her family, it is normally because of one sinning against the other.

Sin is a measuring stick to measure or check where we are within the confinement of the law. If you are law-abiding, honest and just, your actions will not have any effect on others, but others with many sinful tendencies can affect you. Death, fading away, or disappearing affect us all (honest or not).

Here is a list of Bible verses showing sin against different humans:

SIN AGAINST GOD

Genesis 39:9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?

Exodus 32:33 And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Numbers 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.

Psalm 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

MAN SIN AGAIN MAN

1 Samuel 2:25 If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them.

Genesis 42:22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

1 Samuel 19:4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:

1 Samuel 24:11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

2 Chronicles 6:22 If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house;

Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

1 Corinthians 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

SIN AGAINST YOUR BODY

Proverbs 20:2 The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.

1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.