What is Sin, Anyway?
What exactly is sin? Well, for starters, it’s a word that has fallen out of favor except in some Jewish and Christian circles where we have a general idea that it’s not a good thing and it results in our being called sinners.
In the world at large, people don’t use the word sin anymore. Shortcomings, mistakes, faults, alternative, choices, imperfections—all of these are far more palatable. These terms make us feel better about being sinners.
The truth is I’ve minimized it, too. I say we fall short, we make mistakes, we err, or we miss the mark. Part of that is intentional so as to be a better evangelist by getting people to agree step-by-step to their need for a Savior. But part of it is that I don’t want to offend people before I even get to the good part of the Good News.
Books and chapters and dissertations have been written on the subject of sin and the problem of evil, but you probably didn’t tune in here to have me write a book. So I will summarize my thoughts on the subject and begin by a definition of my own before elaborating on the next page:
Sin is any thought, word, or action that does to the Image of God (in God or other people) what God Himself would not do.
In other words, if God wouldn’t do it, you shouldn’t either…because that’s sin.
Let’s move beyond a definition and dig deeper on the next page.
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