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NASB | Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, |
Bible Question (short): What is sin? |
Question (full): I’m pleased with the flow of our discussion so far, Lifer. I started with a rather speculative question on the nature of regenerate man and we’ve moved to the more foundational subject of sin. Thank you for hanging in there, and I thank you for the time you took to give such and extended answer. By God’s grace we’ll continue to make progress. I hope, after we come to one mind on the more foundational issues underlying my first question, we can get back to my first question. Understanding what sin is is important because it is that for which the Lord Jesus came to save his people from. It is that for which the wage of death is paid. It is that which separates us from our God. (I wax eloquent.) And I agree with you that what ever sin is, it is both internal (in our hearts) and external (in our words, gestures and deeds). But what is sin? What makes sin sin? The same could be said of anything. What makes a thing a thing? In order for something to be a thing it has to fit into certain categories or else it ceases to be one thing and becomes another thing. In order for something to be a dog it has to have certain characteristics or else it’s a cat or a cow, or a hairy man on all fours. In your answer you define two things, sin and sins (or sinning), and I agree with much of what you said about both. But they are two different things, and I think it becomes confusing. In your definitions "sins" is not the plural of sin nor "sinning" its verb form. I’ve come to accept a biblical definition that will appreciate, capture and combine your two things into one. It's not one I've developed; it's been around for a long time. What makes sin sin, be it in the heart in the form of unbelief or be it overt, is the Law of God. Sin is any lack of conformity to or transgression of the Law of God. It is lack of conformity to or transgression of the Law of God to not believe in Jesus. It is also lack of conformity to or transgression of the Law of God to murder a man. Even in a most simplistic understanding the law does not deal with overt acts only, because it says do not covet, which is totally a matter of the heart. Understand, Lifer, that this definition doesn't mean you have to throw out everything you wrote. I just wish you to consider that the Law of God is internal as well as external and that it makes unbelief (as fundamental as it is) a sin as well. So we have one definition to cover both unbelief and other wrong thoughts and deeds. God says repent and believe the gospel. To not conform to or transgress this command is sin. This definition can be found in the letter our present discussion has taken us, I John. I John 3: 4 says, "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." (NKJV) You will note, Lifer, that this would be your definition of "sins" not "sin." |