What is Sin?

The Hebrew word for sin means “To Miss the Mark”.  This infers sinning is anything that misses God’s desire, purpose, and will.

Ephesians 4:19:  Paul says sinners “being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness”.  Lasciviousness is Behavior Without Restraint and Disregard for Anything/Anyone.

In verse 17, Paul talks of the “Walk of Life” which should not be futile, meaning life should not be chaotic, or haphazard without purpose.  Confusion is the word that best describes a sinful life.  “God is NOT the author of confusion, but of peace…” (I Cor. 14:33).

Paul also talks of sinful people being blinded because of the “ignorance that is in them” because of their heart.  The heart Paul is speaking of is our Heart’s Attitude toward God.  Let’s look at the progression of the Heart’s Attitude.

In verses 17 through 19 of Ephesians chapter 4, Paul provides a reason for a futile walk (lifestyle) and futile mind (thought life).  He first says it’s because of ignorance, which is because of a blind heart.  The blind heart is the problem.

Why do people have a blind heart?  Because they made a CHOICE.  The choice begins with greediness (self being more important than ANYTHING OR ANYONE).  This Heart Attitude leads to lasciviousness which causes behavior of uncleanness.  Uncleanness is impurity; God is pure.  A habit of unclean behavior leads to becoming “Past Feeling”.

Being “Past Feeling” is the “Unpardonable Sin”.  Jesus tells us all sins are forgiven by God but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven and is in danger of eternal damnation (Mark 3:28,29).  What does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?  It means to reject God’s calling to forgive.  The one who rejects God’s offer to forgive is telling God “No, I want to live for myself and my own pleasure”.

How can we know this is the only sin God won’t forgive?  We know forgiveness is awarded to “whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).  When one calls upon God they are looking to God for salvation.  Sin is looking away from God, a complete “180”.  Sin is living for self.  Repentance is “turning away from”; It is a complete “180” of living for self and self-pleasure to living for God.

The original sin of mankind, Adam and Eve was to live for self, enjoying pleasures of living as one pleased because they had been given scientific “knowledge” to be capable of living life without God.

Satan was and is the great deceiver.  He convinced mankind they could live without relying on the God who created them.  All mankind had to do was choose to 1) turn away from God and 2) look to Satan for guidance for “Knowing” how to accomplish this by using the “Knowledge” Satan would teach them.  In other words, looking to Satan for guidance was to elevate Satan to being honored more than God.  Isn’t this what Satan attempted when he and a third of the angels attempted to overthrow God in heaven?  Wow, now here on earth, he could be “like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14).

With the goal of living for self and self-pleasure, mankind would “Miss the Mark” (Hebrew meaning of the word sin).

The irony of living for self is that people believe living for self and self-pleasure is freedom.  Who wants to be enslaved to someone who demands all your attention?  No one!  But after sinning, and making ourselves our own god, we find we are truly enslaved to the consequences of living for self and self-pleasure.

Truly, there is freedom in worshipping the Most High God.  Jesus even tells us “committing sin makes us the servant of sin BUT Jesus sets us free and we are Free indeed” (John 8: 34-36).  There is Freedom in serving God.  This is Liberty!

Look at the world we live in, it is full of sickness, suffering, death, and pain, both emotional and physical pain.  We live in a world of fear and anxiety with NO real peace.  God is the author of PEACE (I Cor. 14:33).

“Missing the Mark”, sin, is a general term and is not specific.  When we assign a definition of sin listing what is right and what is wrong it can be easy to, also miss the mark.  The listing of sins most religious people list as being sinful is actually the characterization of the Heart’s Attitude and the natural behavior of that attitude.

Heart Attitude leads to intent which leads to behavior.  This is why Jesus said if you think an evil thought, you have already sinned (Matthew 5:28).

Proverbs 23:7 says, “as a man thinketh in his heart so is he”.