Sin

Sin is falling short of the glory of God. We sin when we do not do what God wants us to do, or when we do what He does not want us to do. The word sin comes from the Greek word hamartia, and it means "to go apart from a mark." The mark of God is perfection. We, as his children, are suppose to strive to meet God's mark.

There are two other words which refer to specific kinds of sins. The first is iniquity. Iniquity means twistedness or crookedness. It is a perverseness, a twisted desire to do something contrary to an established norm. Since Jesus Christ is our standard, repeated conduct deviating from His example is iniquity. In short, iniquity bends and distorts God's will for our lives. The second word is transgression. Transgression means the deliberate breaking of a known law or standard. Transgression deliberately cuts across God's will and breaks it.

There is one final definition of sin. The apostle Paul said that "whatever is not from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).

There are many areas where we have to ask ourselves if what we are doing is right or wrong. To one person something may seem to be all right, while to someone else, it might not be. If that something causes one person to fall short of the grace of God then no one should partake in it.

For example, If your brother is an alcoholic, do not drink alcohol in front of him.

It is written in Romans 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 14:15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. 14:16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of: 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. 14:20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Having faith in God means having faith in his word. His word tells us that we should apply the teachings of Jesus (God's son) in our lives. His word reveals to us that we should mimic Jesus (to follow His example in life) and no one else.

But in Jesus Christ there is perfection. Jesus is the only sinless man, and there will never be another. When we trust in Christ, we ask Jesus into our lives. Our bodies are a temple unto God, a dwelling place for the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.

When we ask God to save us, He enters into His temple, our body, and we take His sinlessness upon ourselves. It is God in us that is Holy and through God we can meet His desire for us.

Romans 6:22-24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

The Bible says, "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7).

As we are walking with Jesus, whatever sins we commit by our contact with the world are being continuously forgiven by the blood of Jesus as we confess them.