Bible Study What does it mean to sin?

[alaric]

The superficial answer is “Breaking of God’s law.”

The deeper answer is “Sinning is the state or condition of all man.”

For example, a fish swims and a sinner sins. Everyone is born into a condition called sin (Except for Jesus who is without sin).
No one can escape this condition by obeying the law or doing righteous works. The bible compare the righteousness of a sinner to a filthy rag.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The law was given to make everyone aware that he/she is a sinner.

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The law cannot save anyone. But the law is necessary. Because without it, everyone will not know what is sin. Resulting in not having the need for a saviour (Jesus).

 

[Who Me]

We are slaves who have been set free, yet keep behaving as if we were still slaves.
Indeen some of us have never left the slave owners house, or keep returning to it.

It is a mark of Jesus's love for us that he continues to return us to where we should be.

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

Different sins have a different hold on people.

Jesus warned us even of sins of the heart, and sins of our words. Not just murder to being a sin, but anger without cause is also a sin, as is calling another an idiot, a fool, or worthless. These sins even Jesus warned us of consquences of them. But these kinds of sins are the kind that cause fights, violence, and undermines others. Causing us to not love another, or making it harder for them to love do to our actions.

Lies, greed, selfishness, and arrogance likewise are a different set of sins that seem to roam together. Either in defending ourselves, or in reaching for what we want. "You deserve this" is a rationalization to sin to get what we want, or just to sin because we want that sin. Though arrogance can feed anger, I would put this in a different culture of sins then the ones that cause us to fight one another.

Lust is a poison. I don't know how else to put it. I'd put it in the same boat as drunkeness and addictions. It's no small matter that Jesus warned that a lustful eye is the same as adultry in the heart. The only redeeming part of lust compared to drunkenness is that alochol and drugs lead to other sins much more easily then lust does.

My thoughts are that different sins feed a culture of simular sins. What it means to sin (whether you meant to or not) is an invitation to other sins. Just as God warned Cain to not be angry and conquor it, or sin would be at the door waiting. It also harms our ability to come to God sometimes. Or harms our ability to be protected from sins and temptations due to God and the Holy Spirit's protection.

Sin is no small matter. Even though we are saved because of Jesus, (in spite of our sins), we should strive to not sin anyways.

Our sins harm us, harm others, and grieve the Holy Spirit. I don't know how sins harm our relationship with God, but I fear how mush they do.

 

[iLOVE]

A Christian commits acts of sin. A non-Christian practice sinning. The truth is sin can not attach itself to a Christian because we are in Christ (as longs as our Faith is placed and maintained exclusively in Christ and the Cross). If Christ is a law-keeper, than I am a law-keeper because I am in Him. So, do I still repent and confess my sins? Yes we do. To maintain fellowship with our Father in Heaven (1 John 1:9).

Justification" delivers me from the penalty of sin, and "sanctification" delivers me from the power of sin

 

[iLOVE]

Those who walk in the spirit will always have shortcomings (acts of sin) until the trump sounds (Joshua 13:1). We must rejoice in whatever Glory we are in. God is the potter and we are the clay. He moves us from glory to glory and faith to faith. No man or woman can change their life without the Holy Spirit. Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil (Jeremiah 13:23). The scripture says before He formed me in my mothers womb He approved me.

This is why we must understand what justification is and why it is the first subject in the book of Romans. It lays down the foundation as I go through sanctification.

Justification gives me the ability to get back up from every failure no matter how many times and stand up and go through this process and learn it. Justification gives us a legal standing with God that is not cancelled because of the acts of sin. So if I fail (and we will) at this same thing a thousand times - God forbid! We are a work in progress. Remember Jesus said I did not come to condemn (John 3:17).

Justification is not what we do, and not what I am, and not what I worked for. It is what Jesus did and my faith in it that gives me the standing with God that I need to carry on my Christian experience. Sometime I do it well, and sometimes I do it not so well, but his justifying Grace will not fail unless my faith fails. It is just if I have never sinned and just if I have always obeyed.

Pastor Loren Larson - JSM

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

THANK YOU JESUS FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!

 

[iLOVE]

I feel like peaching now! Glory be to God. Hallelujah!

 

[JohnDB]

Remember though that sin and sinful lifestyles aren't an identity, they are an attitude which results in actions.

And where nobody self identifies as a liar or an adulterer... people still want to justify their sins. The person who steals "only steals from businesses instead of individuals" or the adulterer licenses his cheating because "she made me do it". And the list of excuses is endless.

Admitting our poor attitudes, our weaknesses, and our vices is almost unheard of in today's "self improved/self actualised world".

We hate to admit mediocrity in any capacity. The notion of being average and common is self deprecating at best and wallowing in self pity at worst for most of us.

But Christians are supposed to excel in admitting our faults. Until the "holier than thou" contests begin...then it becomes a race to see who hasn't sinned in so long they have forgotten what it was like to have done so...and where they used to commit them regularly, they just haven't since they became so full of the Holy Spirit it's as if God and them are best buds sipping coffee while commenting on the sorry state of the spiritual condition of those around them.

Sigh