Over the last couple of days, I've been listening to Straylight Run and wondering, "What is sin?" Straylight Run is not related in any way. But really, what is sin? We always think of sin as a list of dos-and-don't's, and while that's very elementary, there is some truth to it. But I just can't believe that sin is a list God drew up and labeled bad. Why is cheating bad? Why is lying and stealing a sin? Why is premarital sex bad, if you love each other; why is marriage needed for sex? Why is masturbation wrong, if it doesn't hurt anybody? I really can't just accept that those things are wrong because God says they are; sure, that's the truth, but why does God say they are sin? Sin is rebellion against God, right? How is cheating and stealing and lying and sexual immorality rebellion against God? I'm not question the idea of sin itself, I just want to know the underlying, basic, bedrock, eternal truths that make these things certain rebellion against God. Does anyone know?
And also, is cussing a sin? I don't cuss because I hate the sound of it, but if anyone has input...
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None of those things honor and glorify God they are all
man(self)glorifying behaviors They cause pain and hurt to others as well as yourself which makes them a rebellion against God If you think about all those behaviors, they are done in darkness or secret in contrast to light which represents God
Cussing is a sin "And the tongue is a flame of fire.It is full of wickedness that can ruin you whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction,for it is set on fire by hell itself. ..sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely my brothers and sisters, this is not right!" James 3:6,9,10
Anthony,
Sin is the willful disobedience of God. Sin is committed in the heart when you make a conscience decision to disobey God. To some that may mean cussing is a sin, or alcohol, or tobacco, or r-rated movies, etc. To others those things may not mean sin. I could tell you the areas in my life that the Holy Spirit has revealed to me as areas of disobedience and sin that I am working towards reconciling, that might not even have crossed your mind as sin to you, and it may never.
I see preachers bring hell fire down on smoking, drinking, and cussing, however they over look poor stewardship, caring for the marginalized, and the one area that preachers will rarely touch...the most common unhealthy practice... over eating or eating poorly, which is just as unhealthy as smoking or drinking when it is not done in moderation.
They are missing the point of what sin actually is (willful disobedience of God) and re-issuing a list of do's and don't's that are in-line with what is socially acceptable within the fundemental values of the evangelical church, falling yet again into the snare of becoming modern day pharisees.
Live your life according to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, Anthony. Ask God to reveal sin in your life daily. When He does, respond to it by repenting or "turning" away from it and giving more of yourself up to Him.
Here's the underlying, basic truth of it all Anthony... God's desire is to reconcile man with Himself. We were made in the image of God and that image was tainted when sin entered the story. Remember being "saved" does not mean necessarily that you are a "good person" versus a "bad person". When we are "saved" by the "grace" (an undeserved gift) of God we are no longer dead, but rather Alive!
Love ya bro... keep the faith, keep running the race.
I couldn't have said it any better than Doug.
Many time when we question whether something is a sin in our lifes it is probably because we have been convicted by the Holy Spirit that it is. Most of the sins you listed are specifically identified as "sinful behavior" in the Word of God.
Society would like us to soft-peddle God's word and try to fit it into what we think is OK or maybe really not sin. Who are we to question God's word???????
Annonymous,
Too bad you didn't believe in your comments strong enough to tag your name to it. You had some really great points in your comment. I would absolutely agree with you. Often when we have questions about something being sin in our life or not, it most often is the conviction and workings of the Holy Spirit in our lifes, changing us from the inside out.
However, when we begin to make a "list" od do's and don't's, we often get caught in a snare of cultural and socially deemed wrong's and rights that the pharisee's were bound by. Christ came to give us freedom, not condemn us. With that freedom however is incredible responsibility. We can not go around a live a life doing what our flesh desires, but rather what the Holy Spirit desires for us.
Since some of us are hung up on a legalistic view of freedom in Christ, let's go down "The List".
I would agree, pre-marital sex is sin. Absolutely, no question, no doubt. It affects the image of God. It affects the natural order that God set up during Creation.
Masturbation I would say is not sin, unless it involves lust. Lust is a absolutely a sin. Jesus said lusting after someone in your heart is the same as adultery. Masturbation is often the result of the lust, however masturbation in the context of a marital relationship where two people mutually meet each other's physical intimate needs within the confines of marriage...I don't see the "sin" in that.
Cussing is a culturally unacceptable or deemed vulgar practice in society. However is it sin? Does it glorify God? No it does not glorify God, but neither does eating a Big Mac that has over 30 grams of fat, or leaving work 5 minutes early because "they owe you" in your mind, or passing up a homeless person who is marginalized and taking a different route to your destination because that person "bothers" you for a dollar. When the Bible speaks of "cursing" it is not referring to "cussing". Cursing is saying destructive things. Cursing as noted in the Bible deals more with gossip and lying than it does with cuss words.
See the legalistic snare we can fall in when we begin to make a "list"? There are most definitely areas in the Bible that are clearly defined as sin. Those are the black & white areas that leave no question in our mind, "what is sin". But we need to be careful when imposing the grey areas of our own life onto others. We need to listen to the voice and guidings of the Holy Spirit. When we begin to question areas in our life as sin like Annonymous said, those areas are typically sin in our life.
Preach the Gospel, Live the Gospel, Be the Gospel.... the Good News of Jesus Christ. The best advice I could offer.
Youll know when something is a sin..It will start eating away at your relationship with Christ. It will ruin your life and you will soon figure out what your doing isnt what God wants.
I really appreciate all the feedback, every bit of it. Yet I am still curious on one point. I know that sin is rebellion against God. But what makes certain things a sin to one person and not a sin to another? I am a big believer that something can be a sin to one person and at the same time be not a sin to another; I actually think that idea is in the New Testament somewhere. So my question, after having been gnawed on and consumed by so many awesome replies to my original question, is this: what makes something a sin to one person, yet not a sin to another?
Anth,
When you ask "what makes something a sin to one person, yet not a sin to another" - I'm not sure of the context.
Between two humans, a person commiting the "sin" would say it is not a sin, but the person judging him may say it is.
I'm not too sure that Jesus, in viewing two people doing exactly the same thing, would see one being sinful, and the other not.
Your getting too deep for me.
By the way, do you think it is a sin when you come unglued and ban people from your home?
Dad
When I say something is a sin to one person but not to another, I'm not speaking of, say, premarital sex or cutting the skin. Those are blatant sins no matter who you are. To some people, eating meat is a sin; to others, as Doug said, sin can be r-rated movies, or dancing, or drinking. To me, r-rated movies, dancing, and drinking (not being drunk) isn't sin. But it is to other people. In the New Testament somewhere, someone - probably Paul - says that if someone thinks eating meat is a sin, then to them, it is a sin as much as premarital sex; but to me, a lover of all poultry and beef, eating meat is not a sin. In seeing this, I come to realize that our established list of 'these are sins and these aren't' all but falls apart. So the sin, then, is not in the action, but in the intentions - what intentions, what underlaying truth, is there to all this?
Sin is an idea we take so lightly. I think if we really understood it we'd take it much more seriously.
And I don't think banning people from a house for disrespect is a sin :-).
Anthony,
Tyler made it plain and simple bro...
Sin is something that interrupts your communion or relationship with God. Sin is something that interferes or gets between you and God. That's what Paul is referring to when he discusses "stumbling blocks". If someone is a former alcoholic then it would be a sin for me to even drink a beer or have beer around him...because it will cause him to stumble in his walk with God.
Don't over think it Anthony. I truly believe you have a good grip on the concept of "sin". When you are convicted by the Holy Spirit regarding something, you'll begin to question it in your life....that's a pretty good bet it is "sin".
Anth,
The people that view r-rated movies, dancing, and drinking(not getting drunk) are probably focused on the sin it could lead to, rather than the act in-and-of- itself being a sin.
R-rated movies - As our society becomes more and more liberal R-rated movies focusing on sexual situations move closer to porn. Will the person watching the R-rated movie slowly, as satan would want, move towards soft porn sayin "its basically like R-rated".
Dancing - If you are dancing with your girl friend and getting horny are you going to be tempted to move it to the next level?
Drinking - When do you cross the line between just drinking and getting drunk? "I think I can have one more beer, without impairing myself" and before you know it the person is drunk.
These are similiar to "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil". Money itself is not evil, it is the love of money that gets you into trouble.
Dad
Speaking with my father, and reading through Galatians, I came up with two ideas as to what is the backbone of sin. The answer isn't a list of do's and don't's - as we've established - but something much deeper.
Jesus says, "Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself." These are the two greatest commandments. Wouldn't it make sense if sin were anything whose intentions, motivations, or after-effects went completely against these two eternal truths? Let's look at premarital sex. You hurt yourself, and you hurt others. I've talked to people who've been into this, people who are Christians, and they say it hurt the relationship, or at least strained it. How about cheating? You take advantage of others. Lying is deceiving another. Murder is obvious - killing someone isn't loving them.
But what acts of sin go against loving God? That's easy. Those things that are self-gratifying. Selfish acts. Lust may not hurt anybody, but it's self-gratification in a way not pleasing to God. There are more, but I'm hungry, so let me say this: all through the Gospels and New Testament, a life of selflessness is paraded as the right way to go. A life of humility and considering others better than yourself. So wouldn't it be the opposite side of the spectrum (sin) to focus on yourself all the time? I think this is where idols come into place. Serving gods that serve you instead of loving the God who really is.
Anth,
I wasn't sure you were listening much when we had our discussion last night - you seemed very tired.
Dad
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