Is the word “sin” is very much more than just a three-letter word? Sin is an act of offense against God. Sin is the transgression of God’s law. To “transgress” means “to step across the law,” the divine boundary between good and evil and to “miss the mark.” Sin is rebellion against God. Sin is also lawlessness. The Bible declares, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (1John 3:4). And again we read, “All wrongdoing is sin” (1 John 5:17). A brief summary of sin is, rebellion, lawlessness, pride, arrogance, evil, and wickedness. Man sins because he is a sinner. That is his nature.
The subject of sin has been around from time immemorial, and will continue until the second advent of Jesus Christ. In regard to the origin of sin, we must consult the Holy Scriptures. Sin originated with Satan. God’s Word gives us the following account. “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! “You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; “‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15). It seems very obvious that the description here is definitely referring to Satan. In reinforcing this fact, the Lord Jesus said: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).
Pride is a very serious sin. Satan was completely banned from heaven because of his sin of pride. He wanted to be God. “Isaiah uses the arrogance of the king of Babylon to illustrate the insolent pride of Satan. The devil fell from his lofty position because he wanted to make himself “like the Most high” (Is. 14:4). Pride is an overemphasis on self—we get to the point where we think we’re equal to or above God and we don’t need Him, or that our goals and desires are more important than His. Be warned: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Prov. 16:18,19)” (Dr. Charles Stanley, Life Principles Bible, p. 812). Some of us today are guilty of pride in our lives. Sooner or later it eventually catches up with us. Dr Stanley points out the danger of pride and reminds us of the Scripture which states, “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Let us take note.
Sin entered into the world through the first man God created. Adam’s sin was his disobedience to God. The apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 8:12). Adam’s sin brought physical death and “spiritual death,” which is eternal separation from God. But praise be to God, by the obedience of one man—Jesus Christ, many can be made right with God. And Paul continues, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). The obedience by Christ to His Father’s will led Him to go to the Cross and lay down His perfect and sinless life for sinful mankind. In His prayer to God, and as He contemplated His death His death, Jesus said, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
The only effective remedy for sin is in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The Bible states, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus Christ paid the penalty for man’s sin through His substitutionary death on the Cross. And it is only availed by faith. Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). A person can only enter the Christian life by faith—not by good works. If this was the case, the person who was not capable of doing good works would be at a tremendous disadvantage, and lost forever. The Christian life has been referred to as the “faith life.” And this is absolutely true, because “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).The big problem for some is that they don’t believe in the existence of God. We have the atheists for example. The stark reality is whether people believe or not, God, the Creator of the universe, is alive and rules in the affairs of mankind.
Sin is universal because it affects every man, woman, and child since Adam. No one is exempt. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). King David admitted, “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). This means. that without exception, from the very point of conception in our mothers’ womb we are all sinners. No one can escape. Sin also incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death. God warned Adam, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall no eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). God lavishly made provisions for man’s wellbeing in the Garden of Eden, which Adam could always enjoy but with the one exception, and the consequences therefrom. However, Adam and his wife allowed the “serpent” (who is identified with Satan) to tempt them into disobeying God (Genesis 3).
The Bible also tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). The choices that people make is most important, because they have eternal consequences—either “the wages of sin” or “the gift of God.” Sin has earned us death. It is either you pay it and forfeit your life, or Jesus Christ pays for it and gives you eternal life. Everyone has to make that choice. The absolute best choice is the “free gift of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” Sin is missing the mark. That is the failure to meet the divine standard. “For all have sinned and fall shot of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Man is without excuse. He violated God’s holy laws, hence he is judged guilty by a holy God. This means that there is absolutely no way he could every hope to attain God’s presence in such a wretched condition. Jesus Christ is his one and only hope. This shows the true nature of sin and its manifestations.
God is holy and righteous, therefore sin is offensive and unacceptable to Him. As an ‘act’, sin is the violation of, or want of obedience, to God. As a ‘state’, sin is the absence of righteousness. As a ‘nature’, sin is enmity toward God. Wouldn’t you rather accept Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, into you life as your Savior? In doing so, your sins will be forgiven and you will be on your way to God’s heaven. Jesus is willing and able to save you from your sins right now. God loves you. Make this your decision and prayer. Confessing to God: I am a sinner, and believing that the Lord Jesus died for my sins, and was raised for my justification. I do now receive Him and confess Him as my personal Savior. May God help you to make this most important decision. God bless you.