*I'd like to note that this post & it's contents, as well as all of my posts, are simply my own deductions based upon my study of scripture...I'm in no way a theologian or biblical scholar*
SIN...perhaps the most commonly used word in Christianese. SIN...the very reason we need our own 'language' in the first place. SIN...a small word with massive consequence. SIN...the word we use to convince people that they need Jesus, but how can that term be effective if it is void of meaning or understanding? SIN...What is it?! Where did it come from? Why do I do it? Why is it such a big deal?
**for clarity's sake, I will also briefly define the word "unrighteous" as it is pivotal to defining Sin.
'Unrighteous'- morally bad or unpleasant, wrong according to religious law (God's standard)**
SIN: What is it?
Sin is anything & everything that contradicts who God is (His Character)
(1 John 5:17)
Sin is doing what we shouldn't do & not doing what we ought to do.
(1 John 3:4) (James 4:17)
Sin is rejection and rebellion of God's will.
(Isaiah 30:1)
Sin is not limited to physical action but extends to words & thoughts...a heart matter
(Matthew 15:18-19)
SIN: Where did it come from?
'Let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start...'
For real. Let's start at the beginning...the very beginning. 'In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth'...and water, and land, and dark, and light, and plants, and animals, and man, and woman...and it was good. He said so. It was more than good...it was perfect. God created the perfect paradise, & into it He plunked down the perfect man & the perfect woman. It was so good that God even walked among them...as I said, it was perfect...for a while. The perfect man & the perfect woman had free reign of the perfect garden, & were given just one rule...one simple rule: eat from whatever tree you want, but steer clear of the one in the middle. Easy peasy, right? Wrong. That selfish, gullible, ignorant woman (albeit with aide from a conspiring serpent) ate that fruit & so did her selfish, gullible ignorant husband. This was the first Sin. One might read the story & conclude that eating a forbidden fruit was not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. So what?! Well...that act, in & of itself, is a reflection of Adam & Eve's heart. The wily & conniving serpent knew their weakness, & he enticed them with it. The prospect of being 'like God'...stirred within Eve a desire, & she yielded to it. Yielding to that unrighteous desire, by way of eating the fruit, revealed the nature of her heart (and Adam's). This is why we cannot define sin by degrees of 'evil'. A vile heart is a vile heart, just as soured milk is entirely sour. That first sin began a domino effect of Sin that carries on to this day. (For the full Creation story, check out Genesis 1-3)
SIN: Why do I do it?
Let's skip ahead in the story a bit, about 6,000 years....to the year 1985 when a beautiful, precious, sweet, smiling baby girl was born...her name was Brianne. 😉 She was marvelous & darling...and she was fatally flawed. Tragic is it not?! What was her flaw? It was a genetic condition passed on by her bazillionth times great grandmother. From the moment of birth, poor Brianne was doomed. Her condition plagued her. The condition is called, 'Sin'. Remember I mentioned its domino effect? The moment that sin pervaded the hearts of Adam & Eve, it became a genetic condition of sorts. Each & every descendent henceforth was born with the malady of 'Sin'. In Christianese it's referred to as the 'Sinful Nature'...meaning quite literally that it is in our very nature to sin. I sin, you sin, we all sin because deep within us is rooted evil desire. We might look at ourselves & think..."hmmm I don't feel 'evil'." (If it were possible I'd say this in a Dr. Nefario voice)....and compared to a serial killer we might look darn good, but the truth is that his heart and mine look quite the same because, as we said before, there is no scale of evil & eviler...wrong or wronger...bad or badder. ALL sin stems from unrighteousness within. I sin because it's in my nature to do so...it's in yours to do the same. As I mentioned before soured milk is entirely sour...don't believe me? Take a swig next time your milk goes bad...you won't find a sweet drop in the carton! We are born with unrighteousness rooted deep...our hearts are vile through & through.
Think of it this way:
Remember that perfect garden with the perfect people plunked down in it? This bowl of clear water represents that time.
There was just one rule: Stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil. Adam & Eve had a choice...obey the rule or don't. They didn't. My drop of food coloring in the bowl represents that disobedience (Sin).
Sin didn't/couldn't just begin & end with that first one...it snowballed & infiltrated every single life from that moment onward...see the yellow bleeding into the clear?
One has only to glance at our culture to see how deeply sin has pervaded...so much so that it has become 'normal'...just as all that clear water is now entirely yellow.
Remember that sweet baby girl, Brianne? She was born a sinner because it was in her DNA, in her nature, to sin. It's in your nature too. Every single person from the first bite of that fruit has been doomed. We sin because they (Adam & Eve) sinned. Romans 5:12
SIN: Why is it a big deal?
Call to mind someone that you love dearly: spouse, parent, sibling, friend. Think of how very intimate that relationship is. You know this person as well as you know yourself. The love between you is immense...indescribable. Now think of a time when you have argued or disagreed. Think of the anguish you feel in those moments. As close as you are, during times of conflict the chasm between you is immense. It's hard to communicate...hard to be on the same page. A barrier divides you & makes it impossible to feel united. This is what happened between God & man when sin entered the picture. Adam & Eve's relationship with their creator was one of bond. HE made THEM. From dust & rib, He formed every facet of their being. Their betrayal created an abyss between them. Isaiah 59:1-2 speaks of this gulf. God is perfect. He is wholly good & righteous (pure, ethical, honorable, upright, moral). Our sinful nature results in our being quite the opposite...and the truth is that good & bad just don't go together. Forgive me, my intellectual friends, for this simplistic explanation...but I truly want to be as simplistic as possible so that it will be understandable for those of whom this is new information. Righteousness & unrighteousness, good & bad, virtue & evil, God & Sin are like oil & water...they don't mix...they can't.
Summary:
SIN: What is it? unrighteousness within our nature that expresses itself via our thoughts, words, & actions. Anything contradictory to God's nature.
SIN: Where did it come from? It began in the Garden of Eden when Adam & Eve yielded to their desire to be 'like God' via eating the forbidden fruit.
SIN: Why do I do it? I sin, you sin, we all sin because Adam & Eve sinned. Their disobedience became a genetic disease that ALL descendents are born with. The first sin caused a snowball effect that still impacts you & I some 6,000 years later. Romans 3:23
SIN: Why is it a big deal? Like oil & water are sin & God...they cannot mix. We cannot be in relationship with God while we operate under our sinful nature. It's a big deal because it separates us from God, our Abba (Daddy) & Creator, who loves us. As long as we live as slaves to our sin, this will always be so. Also, Sin = Death & Eternal Damnation. Romans 6:23, Matthew. 25:41...and who really wants that sort of 'Unhappily Ever After'?
Believers, it's important that we are able to define sin, to explain its origins & repercussions. We cannot afford to present unbelievers with vocabulary that is misunderstood. Vague ambiguous concepts are not only ineffective but harmful. Expecting Nonbelievers to speak & understand Christianese is like expecting a Duck to "oink". We must SCRIPTURALLY define our language & accurately convey it...both in the midst of the Body & in the evangelizing of converts. There are various responses upon understanding the definition of SIN and acknowledging that YOU and I are SINNERS...some will become emotional, others are piqued intellectually...some will be pragmatic, yet others will be indifferent. However you process this information, the important thing is what you do with the knowledge...but that is another post entirely.
