What About Sin? (part 1) A Definition of Sin

No one who seriously reads the Bible can deny the reality of sin. Sin is explained and exposed in Scripture. The Bible simply declares: “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Bible says “all.” That means you, me and everyone else. We all have sinned. We all are sinners. We may compare ourselves to each other, and perhaps even come out “better” than someone else, but sin is not necessarily egregious because we sin against each other. Sin is bad because ultimately we sin against God. Perhaps there are those who say, “I’m ok, after all, I’m not a murderer.” We often think of sin in terms of some serious criminal activity. But that isn’t genuinely Biblical. The Bible, God’s Holy Word, reveals for us what sin is in 1 John 3:4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” The point is that sin is breaking God’s law. It is basically rebellion against God. Sin is rotten because we offend a Holy and Righteous God. Sin is bad whether the sin is lust, or stealing, or lying, hating or disobedience, since all sins are ultimately offensive to God. The broken window illustration shows that whether or not a person throws a brick or a small pebble, the window is, at any rate, broken. And so it is with God's law. Whether the sin is "big" or "small" we all have broken God's law, therefore, we all are sinners.