what is
Sin
Sin
(NOUN)
To put it simply, sin means to miss the mark. It is knowing we are supposed to do something and not doing it—or knowing we are not supposed to do something and doing it. Sin is a violation of God’s law and His love.
HEBREW, OLD TESTAMENT
Strong's Number H2398, חָטָא (châṭâʼ), means “to miss the way, forfeit, purify from uncleanness; to bring into guilt”
GREEK, NEW TESTAMENT
Strong’s Number G264, ἁμαρτία (hamartía), means “to violate God’s law; to commit an offense; to wander from the path of righteousness”
Did you catch that?
in the word
What God Has to Say
GENESIS 4:6-7
“Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’”
LEVITICUS 5:5-6
“when he realizes his guilt in any of these and confesses the sin he has committed, he shall bring to the LORD as his compensation for the sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.”
1 CHRONICLES 21:8
“And David said to God, ‘I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.’”
PSALM 25:7
“Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.”
ISAIAH 44:22
“I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
JOHN 8:34
“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.’”
ROMANS 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
HEBREWS 3:13
“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
The Revelation of Sin
Because God is Holy, He cannot exist where there is sin. Sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden and separated us from God, which is why He sent His Son Jesus to be crucified as an offering for our sins. When we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are set free from the wages of sin, which is death.
For All Have Sinned
All of us have sinned and all of us deserve death. You cannot claim to need a Savior if you do not believe you have done wrong. Acknowledging your sins and where you have fallen short is the first step to accepting Christ into your heart and walking with God.
Romans 3:23-25 tells us: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
All have fallen short, and all can be justified through the redemption of Christ Jesus. Nothing you’ve done can separate you from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39).
From Offerings to Freedom
Before Christ, the Israelites had to sacrifice offerings in exchange for their sins. The Book of Leviticus details all the different ways someone could sin or become unclean and how to sacrifice an offering for redemption. Christ was the ultimate sacrifice, a man without sin, who fulfilled the laws laid out in Leviticus. He died for our sins and rose again three days later so that we would no longer be separated from God. Because of Jesus, we no longer need to sacrifice animals or pray to priests to receive forgiveness. We can simply repent and ask God to forgive us our sins. This is a free gift, offered to all.
God’s kindness is what leads us into repentance (Romans 2:4). When you realize all the sacrifices God made for you and all the ways He loves you with an everlasting love, you will seek the mercy of God—and you will find it.
