What is Sin? Understanding Sin from the Biblical Perspective

What is sin? According to the Bible, Sin can be defined as disobedience to God’s commands. It is anything that goes against God's command and breaks the law.

According to the Bible, we commit endless sins every day, even if we do not physically act upon them. These sins come from within, from our hearts, and include sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.

Sin is is recognized through our individual consciences. However, the human interpretation of sin varies depending on factors such as social background, mental state, circumstances, and conscience. This variability means that the definition of sin differs among individuals, making it necessary for God to provide an absolute standard of sin through the 613 articles of the Law.

It is important to not base our standard of sin on our own consciences or social norms, as these may not align with God's definition of sin. Instead, we should adhere to God's commandments as the ultimate standard of sin.

The Meaning of Sin Differs Across Different Cultures and Regions

The meaning of sin varies from one location to the other. The sins of our consciences are not in agreement with what God has defined as sin. So cannot be used as the standard of sin.

Setting our own standards of sin based on social norms is not advisable since they do not always align with God's definition of sin. It is essential to base our understanding of sin on God's commandments instead of solely relying on our consciences. Everyone has their own perception of sin, and it may vary from person to person.

For instance, in Korea, people show respect to their deceased parents by covering their graves with grass and taking care of them throughout their life. In contrast, one of the primitive tribes in Papua New Guinea honors their dead parents by feasting on their bodies with family members.

Although the latter practice may seem barbaric to some, it is a way of preventing the body from being eaten by worms. These customs demonstrate how the human perception of sin varies widely and can differ from one society to another.

However, the Bible tells us that it is a sin to disobey God’s orders.

Mark 7:8-9

“‘For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.’ And He said to them, ‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition’.”

Our physical appearances are of no importance to God because He looks into the core of our hearts.

Mark 7:20-23

He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Are these sins evident in your daily life? You might think to yourself I did only 5 another one 8, 9, and others will say none. But what does the Bible say.

Matthew 5:27-28 states that looking at a woman with lust is equivalent to committing adultery with her in your heart, revealing that we commit adultery numerous times every day. Similarly, verse 21 of Matthew 5 teaches that murder begins in the heart, not just in the physical act, as whoever is angry with their brother without a reason will be subject to judgment.

Is There Big and Small Sin?

Some people may believe that there are big and small sins, or that thinking evil is not as serious as acting on it. They might say so and so is a murderer and very bad compared to someone who just coveted a house, dress or car.

According to the Bible, sin is sin, regardless of its kind. James 2:11 says For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker).

James 2:10 says that whoever breaks even one of the laws is guilty of breaking it all. Therefore, everyone, including young children, is born with the seed of sin and is destined to go to hell, as sin entered the world through one man, Adam (Romans 5:12).

Why Do Children Exhibit Cruel and Malicious Actions

The question arises as to why even young children exhibit cruel and malicious actions. The answer lies in the fact that everyone is born with the seed of sin and is destined for hell.

Romans 5:12

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people because all sinned.”

This means that everyone, including young children, is a sinner not because they commit sin, but because they are descendants of Adam. As mentioned in Mark 7:20-23, these sins are present within people's hearts from birth. Therefore, it can be concluded that individuals are born with these sins. Simply put, you are born with those sins.

Mark 7:18-23

So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

Psalm 51:5

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

Isaiah 48:8

“You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ears have not been open.

Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth.”

If you think that with time you could be a better person (that is sin less than often) then you should immediately discard such folly from yourselves.

We were born sinners... We don't sin because we want to, ...NO!!! We sin because we were born as sinners. That's why the Bible in Romans 5 says that we were the ungodly sinners who could not do anything to save ourselves.

Romans 5:6-9

“Christ in Our Place For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

Jesus Came to save us because we are incapable of saving or doing anything good to redeem ourselves from sin and its consequences.

How Did Sin Enter the World?

How Did Sin Enter into Human Beings?

Let’s explain this further.

Why does a human being sin? You may ask yourself, why do I sin? Why can’t I help myself but continue to sin? The Bible answers this in Genesis 6:5 “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Job 15:15 and 16 says “If God puts no trust in His holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes, 16how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?”

Human beings will commit sin till their last breath on this world.

The reason man is this evil and full of weaknesses that he can only spill sin is because he inherited the seed of sin from Adam. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” What entered the world through sin? Death.

People tend to think that death merely means that of the flesh. However, death here implies the meaning of being spiritually separated from God. It also implies hell and God’s judgment, along with the death of the flesh.

We were born as the descendants of Adam. Then do we or don’t we have sin as the descendants of Adam? Yes, we have sin. Are we born sinful? Yes, because we are the descendants of Adam, who is our ancestor.

Adam begot all humankind; however, Adam and Eve had sinned against God’s word under Satan’s deception when they were in the Garden of Eden. God told them not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but rather, to have eternal life by eating fruit from the tree of life.

But they were deceived by Satan and forsook God’s word and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve sinned by forsaking God’s word, which is the word of eternal life. After Adam and Eve sinned, Adam came to sleep with Eve, and all human beings came to be born through Adam and Eve. We are their descendants. We did not only inherit their outward appearances but also their sinful nature.

Therefore, the Bible says that a human being is a seed of sin. All the people of the world have inherited sin from Adam and Eve.

Once we know and accept that this is our true nature then we can be saved because we come to realize that only Jesus can save us since we are sinful till the last day of our lives in this world.

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