SIN

Sin is a subject that may be covered at many churches and is definitely covered in the bible yet many people do not understand the true meaning of sin.  Dictionary.com has the meaning of sin as "Transgression of Divine Law: the sin of Adam."  Well that is helpful but it really doesn't break it down much for us.  Basically sin is anything we do or think about doing that is against Gods will. 

Here are a few questions for you to answer so you can figure out if you are a sinner: 
Have you ever envied someones possessions? 
Have you ever lied to some one, no matter what the size of the lie is? 
Have you ever stolen something, no matter the cost of the item? 
Have you ever caused harm to someone physically or emotionally without reason?

It seems almost as there is no way to get away from it.  We have all sinned, and the level of sin doesn't matter it is all seen as the same to God.  The Bible tells us about this in Romans 3:23  

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

We now know that we will all sin, and have all sinned but lets look a little deeper at the basic laws we break as we sin.

First you have in the Old Testament the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:3-17

 ³ “You shall have no other gods before^[a] me.
 ⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
 ⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
 ⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
 ¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
 ¹³ “You shall not murder.
 ¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.
 ¹⁵ “You shall not steal.
 ¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
 ¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

We break these commandments on a daily basis because that is the way we were made.  We were built to carry on the sins of Adam.  We are not Holy and until the day that we sing in heaven we will not be.  God knows this and he tests our love and reliance on him with these Commandments that we can not hold.

Now in the New Testament the Bible gives Jesus' interpretation of the Commandments in Matthew 22:36-40


³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
 ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^{[a] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[b] 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

If you read into this you will see that the greatest commandment actually includes the first 4 Commandments in Exodus and the second covers the last 6 commandments.

So if we are born sinners what can we do about it?  
If it is the way we are built how can get away from it? 
You will never get away from sin it will always be a part of your life on this earth as a human, however there are some ways to deal with sin as God has instructed us.
First, repent from you sin.  
Figure out what it is you are doing and do 180 degree turn away from it.  
Second, confess to God your sins.
God already knows your sins, but when we confess our sins to him we strengthen our relationship and trust in him.
Third, ask God for forgiveness.
Only God can forgive you of your sins and he will not do it unless you ask him.  This is where we put everything on God and trust him fully that he can and will forgive us, this builds our reliance and faith in God.

Some questions you may have are: 
What if I sin again? 
If I repent how can I stay away from sin if it is what I am built for?  
 If you repent and want to change your habits of sin then you must go to God in prayer and ask him to strengthen you so that you do not sin again.  Whenever you are tempted go to God and ask for strength he will always give you a way out of sinning.
If you do sin again don't give up on yourself, no human is perfect, no person is without sin but if you go before God with a truthful and repentant heart and ask for his forgiveness he will bless you.  

So why can I be so optimistic if I am doomed to a life of sin while trying to reach a pinnacle of Holiness that is only reserved for those in God's presence, because I have God's grace.  Next weeks blog will cover what God's Grace is.  Until then if you would leave some comments about how you have overcome sin in your life that would be awesome.