102. HOW TO OVERCOME THE POWER OF SIN IN MY LIFE AND IN MY CHURCH – What is sin?

Before we ask ourselves questions like “How will I overcome the power of sin in my life?” and “How will my church overcome the power of sin in our midst?” we need to identify the words used for ‘sin’ in the Old and New Testaments. That might help us better grasp the significance of sin and the effect it has on our relationship with God and our fellow man.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament uses various words to portray the essence of sin. The most important ones are:

1. chata = to miss, to miss the way, to sin.

This verb and its derivations are used to generally describe the act of sinning as being:

§  breaking God’s Covenant: “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep.” (Joshua 7:11**)

§  disobeying God’s Law: “You warned them to return to your Law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen.” (Nehemiah 9:29**)

§  doing what God hates: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” (Psalm 51:4**)

§  being unfaithful to God: “Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, ‘We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.’” (Judges 10:10**)

§  doing wrong: “We have sinned and done wrong.” (Daniel 9:5**)

God had warned Cain before he killed his brother Abel, saying: “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 master it.” (Genesis 4:7**)

The book of Proverbs declares that “haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.” (Proverbs 21:4*)

2. pasha = to rebel, to transgress, to revolt.

This verb and its derivatives describe the act of sinning as being the act of deliberate disobedience to God’s Word and His will:

-- In the 7^th century B.C., God commanded His prophet Hosea to explain to His people why the Assyrians would invade the Northern country of Israel and take them into exile: “Sound the alarm! The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the LORD, for they have broken my Covenant and revolted against my Law.” (Hosea 8:1*)

-- In Psalms 32 and 51, king David (11^th century B.C.) recounts his horrendous sin of adultery with the wife of Uriah (2 Samuel 11 and 12). In Psalm 32:5* he admits his deliberate disobedience to God’s Word and His will: “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (Psalm 32:5*)

3. shagag = to go astray, to err, to commit sin or error.

This verb and its derivatives describe the act of sinning caused by ignorance or negligence of God’s Word and His will.

According to the Mosaic Covenant, God required a sin offering for the person who sinned accidentally: “If you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments which the LORD has spoken to Moses …all that the LORD has commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day the LORD gave commandment and onward throughout your generations... the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.” (Numbers 15:22.23.28***)

In Psalm 119:67**, the psalmist confesses to God: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your Word.” It seems that this man disobeyed God’s Word, not because of wilful non-observance, but rather because of ignorance or negligence. However, in God’s sight sin remains sin even if it is committed unintentionally.

THE NEW TESTAMENT

 

The New Testament also uses various words to portray the essence of sin. Besides, the New Testament Greek clothes itself often with the meaning of the Hebrew terminology used in the Old Testament. The most important ones are:

1. hamartanó = to miss the mark, be in error, sin, do wrong, transgress.

This verb and its derivatives are used to generally describe sinning as:

§  lacking God’s image and likeness, and therefore falling short of His glorious standard (manifested in the Mosaic Law): “All [men] have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23**)

§  tracing the footsteps of Adam in disobedience to God: ^“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned...” (Romans 5:12**)

§  disobeying God’s Law: “As many as have sinned without Law (non-Jews) will also perish without Law, and as many as have sinned in the Law (Jews) will be judged by the Law.” (Romans 2:12***)

     -- “Those who sin are opposed to the Law of God, for all sin opposes the Law of God.” (1 John 3:4*)

§  dealing unrighteously with man means dealing unrighteously with God: “His son [the prodigal son]said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’” (Luke 15:21*; See also Psalm 51:4* “Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.”)

§  not believing in God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah: “The world's sin is unbelief in me.” (John 16:8*)

§  being under the power and control of the evil one (Satan, the Devil): “We know that... the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.” (^NLT 1 John 5:19*)

     -- “When people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. (1 John 3:8*)

§  acting in revolt against God: “He [God] will bring the people of the world to judgment. He will convict the ungodly of all the evil things they have done in rebellion and of all the insults that godless sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 1:15*)

2. paraptóma = a departure from living God’s way; a false step, a sin, a transgression as a serious offence against God.

This noun describes the act of sinning as being:

§  an offence against God: “For if by the one man's [Adam’s] offense many died [all men], much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's (Jesus’) righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” (Romans 5:15-18***)

3. skandalizó = a. to cause to stumble, to lead into sin, b. to stumble, to fall away, to take offence.

This verb and its derivatives are used to generally describe the act of sinning as:

§  being offended because of Jesus: “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11:6***)

§  leading others into sin: “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” (Mark 9:42**)

4. adikeó = a. to do wrong, to act wickedly, to act unjustly in violating God’s Law.

§  acting unjustly (toward others): “You yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your own Christian brothers and sisters. (1 Corinthians 6:8*)

     -- “If you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites who can get away with evil.” (Colossians 3:25*)

4. anomia = lawlessness, iniquity, disobedience, sin.  

The noun anomia is derived from the adjective anomos (without law, lawless, i.e. having an utter disregard for God’s Law). These words are used to generally describe the act of sinning as:

§  having a heart filled with utter disregard for God’s Law: “You (Pharisees and Jewish teachers of God’s Law) try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:28*)

§  breaking God’s Law: “Everyone who sins breaks the Law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4**)

§  joining in acts and/or a lifestyle opposed to God’s Law: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14***; See also Psalm 1:1)

           

§  being addicted to a lifestyle opposed to God’s Law:“I speak this way, using the illustration of slaves and masters, because it is easy to understand. Before, you let yourselves be slaves of impurity and lawlessness. Now you must choose to be slaves of righteousness so that you will become holy.” (Romans 6:19*)

     -- “Then I [Jesus] will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23***)

We see in these biblical examples that ‘sin’ in all its manifestations is always a violation of God’s eternal Law which He revealed to His people Israel after their liberation from bondage in Egypt (circa 15^th century B.C.).

Jesus summarises this divine Law with the words: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets [i.e. the entire Old Testament] hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40*)

These two commandments bring to light the abysmal wickedness of our human heart.

-- King David (10^th century B.C.) acknowledges: “I was born a sinner-- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5*)

-- The prophet Jeremiah (7^th century B.C.) laments: “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9*)

-- Jesus declares: “From within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” (Mark 7:21**)

-- The apostle Paul confesses: “I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:18-19*)

Then the apostle cries out in desperation: “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?” (Romans 7:24*)

In the next meditation, we will see how God’s Word (the Bible) shines its light through the darkness of our tormented souls. 

  

Translations: * New Living Translation; ** New International Version; *** New King James Version.