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NASB | 1 John 3:4 ¶ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 3:4 ¶ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God's law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing--being unrestrained by His commands and His will]. |
Bible Question:
Lawlessness is sin, that's true but are we to base sin just on the absence of right behavior or not abiding the law? Do we think if we can come up with a comprehensive enough sin list, and avoid all the items on the list, that the effort will make us sinless? |
Bible Answer: Hi inheavenseyes, love your handle (o: It helps me if I put sin into two categories: there are sins of comission, (ones that we commit) and sins of omission, (when we fail to do our duty) Sin is simply disobeying God, as Adam and Eve painfully found out in the 3rd chapter of Genesis. Yet, sin also includes any unintended trespasses. (my definition of trespass is to step over the line) see Lev. 4:1-2,"AND THE Lord said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, If anyone shall sin through error or unwittingly in any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and shall do any one of them-- (AMP) So, even if it is unintentional, it is still sin. Sometimes we may sin and not even realize it until later. This is why God's laws are such an important gift. They are there to teach and guide us so we don't keep repeating the same sin. We must remember that sin is our nature and it is the universal separation of people from God. Romans 6:23 says For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.(AMP) For God so loved the world , He gave His only Son... and He did this while we were yet sinners. Sorry, but my answer has to be No. There is no effort on our part capable of making us sinless. We must trust the truth that Jesus was sent to break through the barrier that separated us from God. When Jesus hung dying and said "It is finished" the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two, effectively removing the barrier between God and humanity. We still commit sin, but forgiveness is an ongoing process. Peace, Tim |