WHAT IS SIN?

         One of the challenges to evangelism is the fact that Christians, at times, seem to speak a foreign language to non-Christians. There are certain terms and words used in the Bible that Christians understand and assume others understand. This is not always true. When we fail to define our terms to individuals, then we fail to explain the Gospel message.

         Imagine that you had to explain the game of baseball to an individual that has never heard of the game. As you explain the rules, you tell them that if they get three strikes at bat then they are out. However, if you do not explain what a strike is, then you have failed to teach the individual about the game of baseball. If the person is familiar with bowling and believes that the term strike is the same in bowling as it is in baseball, you will have confused this individual. In order to accurately explain the game of baseball, one must define their terms properly.

         I often hear Christians (and have probably been guilty of it myself) quote Scripture to explain how we are in a lost state due to sin. Romans 6:²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. What does a Christian mean by lost and sin? If we are not defining these terms, then we are not teaching people Biblical truths. We should not think that all people know what we mean by the term sin.

         In the Bible, sin is breaking the will of God. God makes His will known through His Word, which is the Bible. A simple definition is that sin is breaking the commandments of God as revealed in the Bible. That is what John teaches us in his book called 1 John. 1 John 3:⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. Whenever you are disobedient to the will of God, you sin.

         What gives God the right to make commandments in this world? Why should He be able to tell us what to do? God is the creator of the universe, which includes this world. Genesis 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. As the Creator, He has the rights of ownership over this world. We understand the rights of ownership. If I enter into your house, I have to obey your rules or you have the right to throw me out. When we have ownership, we have the right to determine how that possession is used. Since God is the owner and we are living in His possession, we have to obey His rules. If you refuse to obey the rules, then you are abusing someone else's possession.

         A second reason that God has the right to determine the rules is that He gave us life and continues to give us the means to live. You are alive because of God. He created all life. He sustains life by providing the sun, oxygen, rain, and gravity. If God stops any of those functions (among others), life ceases immediately. We understand that we are to honor our parents in this world because they gave us our existence. Exodus 20:¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. We honor them by obeying their wishes and doing what pleases them. We honor God, who gives us life, by following His wishes on this earth. We owe Him our allegiance for what He does. We should be willing to follow His wishes and His commands because He gave us life.

         If we love God, then we should be willing to follow His commands. Jesus teaches us this point. John 14:¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. All sin is detestable to God. When we choose to sin, we are saying to God "I want to do what you hate." We are also saying there is something we love more than God. You cannot say that I love God while willfully and intentionally sinning.

         Earlier I stated that one who sins is "lost." The term lost means that we have been separated from God due to our sin. It is a term that Jesus used in some of His parables, such as the parable of the lost sheep. If we continue in sin, we will be excluded from God's home in heaven and find ourselves in hell. Hell is a place where we will be eternally separated from God. That is the danger of sin. We should do all that we can to avoid sin and follow God's commandments.