What is Sin?

The purpose of this essay is to examine and explain what sin is its origin and consequences. 

Introduction

Sin, though we may not be able to clearly explain what it is, everyone has some idea about it. We know how it feels when we do something wrong. We didn’t want to do something but we still did it. People are conscious of their wrongdoing when they do it. They may not see it as sin. But, it does make them feel bad about it. Therefore, to some extent, everyone is conscious of sin.

Cultural understanding of sin

All cultures have norms and values set by the society in which we live that determine what sin is. Sin in Nepali is “paap” which is associated with an action or wrong done towards others or against other people’s practices. Right and wrong are defined differently by each culture based on a set of norms and values each culture has. In the context of Nepal, to kill a cow is immoral, wrong and sinful because it is considered as sacred and worshiped. This is the value based on the religious belief of the people of this country. Killing a cow is inconsistent with the values and belief system of society. Sin, therefore, we can say is an act committed against the deeply held values of the people of the society in which we live.

Similarly, what one culture thinks of what sin is may not be true to all cultures. For instance, it is permissible to eat beef in the western culture whereas it is not in the Nepali culture. What we think is right or wrong might not be true to everyone across cultures. Therefore, sin is largely understood according to the cultural norms and values each culture has. These values are either handed down and taught through the years or learned from our teachers.

What is Sin?

Everyone has their own definition of sin. I argued earlier that what one thinks is right may not be right to another. Based on where we live, the norms and values that we grew up with, sin is generally perceived as an act inconsistent with the set of the society in which we live.

However, this understanding is not enough why people sin in the first place. It does not tell us what’s wrong with the people who commit murder and rape. There is a deeper issue with the human heart and about why people do heneious acts which none of the religious books or any textbooks explains clearly. Only the Bible has a proper and reasonable explanation of the origin and the problem of sin.

Definition of Sin

Sin in Hebrew Katha and Greek “Hamartia” which simply means to fail or miss the goal or mark. To help us understand, we can think of an example of a bow, arrow and a target. Our aim or goal is to shoot at a target. To miss the target means to miss the goal or miss the mark. 

But what is the goal or the mark which has been missed? The Bible provides an insight into the idea of sin and what really happened in human history.

The Origin of Sin

Creation

In the Bible, when we study the book of Genesis (the beginning, Origin), we find a story of God’s creation of everything. God created everything (the sun, moon and stars, every living animal of its kind, the earth and universe and everything in it) in six days (Gen 1).

 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good (Gen 1:24-25).

On the sixth day, God finished his work and on this day he also created human beings. There is something interesting about the creation of human beings. Unlike other animals and created things, when he created man, God said:

“Let us make mankind in our image (representation), in our likeness, so that they may rule over (authority) the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Gen 1:26-28).

God created humans distinct from other creations and with a purpose.

Two things very important to note from these verses. Firstly, God created human beings in his own image and likeness. There is something in us that represents God. It does not mean that we are like God or God is like us in the human sense, but we are like God in our being.

Secondly, God made us with a purpose and the purpose is to rule over his creation. Not to exploit it but to look after as he would take care of it (Gen 2:15). And the way to rule God’s creation is to obey his command (Gen 2:16). 

The Fall of Mankind

Since the very beginning, humanity’s biggest mistake is the inclination of the human heart to disobey God. God gave a simple command to Adam, the first human being, to obey him with a consequence of the disobedience:

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die (Gen 2:16-17).

Adam was to take God seriously and obey him. The command was simple: the choice to do or not to do.

But instead of taking God seriously at his word and what he said, they listened to Satan (the adversary/trouble-maker). God did pronounce consequence of what will happen if they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because he knows what’s best for humans. Nonetheless, they chose to disobey God by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree and the consequence of it is devastating. Instead of what they thought would happen after they eat the fruit, things happened beyond conceivable. Sin entered into their hearts. Their eyes are opened, and they are naked (3:7). First time in their life, they now are ashamed because they are naked and are trying to cover their shame. But their effort didn’t work. God had to clothe them (3:21).

The rest is history. God pronounced judgment upon the woman and the man and gradually things become not so pleasant and nice after the fall (Gen 3:14-19).

The consequence of sin continues to take its toll (harm/damage). As we keep reading the book of Genesis, we find the story of Cain and Abel where Cain kills Abel (Gen 4:3-7). Here we see Cain failed to do what is right. Therefore, sin is failing to do what is right in the sight of God as he intends.  As the biblical story progresses, God is dealing with sinful people and their sins throughout history.

Sin Corrupts the Core of our Being

Sin is not just about what we do. It is in the core of our being that corrupts the original purpose God has for humanity in creation. The fall affects every part of our life. Therefore, sin is both an attitude and action.

It’s helpful to look at a few biblical texts to understand what it means to sin in our attitude and with our action.

Sin, most of us tend to think that it is about being a bad person. If we do good to others, we are generally seen as good people. When we do something that hurts others, we are considered as bad people. But sin is deeper and broader than we think. Sin at its heart has two aspects to it.   

Firstly, sin begins with our attitude. Attitude is defined as a ‘way of thinking or way of looking at things’ (An online dictionary definition). When someone thinks about stealing in their mind, it does not spring up in a moment. The thought of stealing has conceived way before actually committing it.

If sin is an attitude even a thought of stealing is sin whether it has been committed or not. It may not be a big sin like killing someone. But it still is a sin. No one commits a crime (stealing) without thinking twice about it. Therefore, sin is a process that results in more serious sins, like rape and murder as it grows. This is the point of James 1:15 where he says, “after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death”.

A classic example of how sin works in the Bible is the event of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). David, one evening is roaming around while everyone has gone to the war. As he is out, he sees (an attitude) a woman bathing. And then he asks someone to find out (action) who she is. Then he asks to get her and sleeps with her. David did not sleep with the woman when he saw her. But there is a process of sinning which starts with his attitude towards her. Similarly, Exodus 20:17 “do not covet” because it is a sin which starts with our attitude.

Secondly, sin is also an action. Breaking the law of God requires action on human’s part which results in death (Rom 6:21). When God gave ten commandments, he asked people to keep and obey it. Disobeying God would be breaking the commandments which God gave them. That’s why the commandments read, “do not murder” and “do not steal” (Ex 20:13; 15). Both of the commandments result in action when they are committed. Therefore, sin is not just about what we see. It flows deep down in our hearts which is reflected in our action.

Sin is committed against God

We might feel bad when we sin. Doing bad or saying things that hurt other people can make us feel guilty about it. Nevertheless, we continue to do it. Why? 

Sin is in our human nature which affects everything we do. At the core of the human problem, we’ve alienated from God. Therefore, when we sin it affects God as beings created in his own image. 

In the book of Psalm, this very idea of fallen human condition and nature are clearly reflected. The man, David, who wrote this Psalm knew the condition of his own heart. He says to God, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Ps 51:4). It makes sense what he is saying as we think of what he did with Bathsheba. Although David’s actions were human-centered, he knows deep down in his heart what he has done is something wrong against God.

John tells us that “everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Sin is breaking the law (command) of God which he established in the garden of Eden. The law was given not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16). Sin was already there before the fall. If evil is a sin, it existed even before the fall. The consequence of disobeying the law of God would result in death (Gen 2:17). That’s what happened after the disobedience of human beings. Therefore, sin is the breaking of the law of God.

The Consequence of Sin

Guilty (Gen 3)

Before the fall, people did not have any guilt in them. They didn’t have a sense of what guilt is. They were innocent. They didn’t even know that they were naked. They have a perfect life without any problem. But after the fall, sin exposed their guilt and they know that they have done something wrong and felt guilty about it. That’s why they start to blame each other (3:11-13). 

Shame

After the fall, sin entered into the world. The sin caused their eyes to be opened. But unfortunately, it didn’t happen as they expected (3:4-6). Instead of the desire to be like God, it brought shame (3:7). They now know that they are naked and ashamed of it.  

Spiritual and physical death

Before the fall, they don’t have a sense of what death is. There is, in fact, no death recorded and they could live forever. It’s a perfect picture of what it looks like to be in the presence of God. But after the fall, they are spiritually dead instantly – they could see that they were naked. And later physical death reigned. The book of Romans says that the wages of sin are death (Rom 3:23).

Broken relationship

Due to sin and disobedience, the relationship with God and each other have been broken. There are conflict and confrontation instead of peace and prosperity. God is searching for a man, man is hiding from God, man blaming the man and the pain and suffering are some of the consequences of the fall.

This all looks quite bad. We all can see ourselves in the story of the fall. But this is not the end of the story. The Bible tells us of an amazing story of God’s salvation plan to save sinners in Jesus Christ by sending him to the cross to die for our sins. In the next study, we’ll look at the “Salvation Plan of God”.

Questions for reflection:

Q. What is a sin? How does it affect our lives and the world in which we live? 

By Samuel Budhathoki, CGF