What is sin?

[TonyChanYT]

In the beginning, there was only one law: Don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve sinned by violating this spoken law from God. When they did, they acquired their own sense of good and evil.

Some years later in Genesis 4:

3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

Cain did not offer his best to God. He sinned against his own conscience, his sense of right and wrong.

6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Cain went one step further. He proceeded to murder his brother.

Can someone sin without breaking any law?

Yes, besides sinning against God's spoken or written laws, a person can sin against his conscience. Romans 14:

23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

If you eat something against your conscience even if there is no law against it, it is a sin to you.

What is sin?

1 John 3:

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

 

[amadeus]

Ro 14:23

And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

 

[Randy Kluth]

In the beginning, there was only one law: Don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve sinned by violating this spoken law from God. When they did, they acquired their own sense of good and evil.

Some years later in Genesis 4:


Cain did not offer his best to God. He sinned against his own conscience, his sense of right and wrong.


Cain went one step further. He proceeded to murder his brother.

Can someone sin without breaking any law?

Yes, besides sinning against God's spoken or written laws, a person can sin against his conscience. Romans 14:


If you eat something against your conscience even if there is no law against it, it is a sin to you.

What is sin?

1 John 3:

Sin is rebelling against and refusing to obey a word, or revelation from God, to our conscience. God's word goes out across the heavens and over the entire world, speaking to every man, telling us that there is a God, there is truth, there is love, and we should submit to it--not try to duplicate it for ourselves, but just obey it and submit to it. That is righteousness. Anything else is Sin.

The Sinful Life is one in which a person may obey God's word part of the time, but largely maintains freedom to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. I call it "autonomous living." That is Sin.

We all sin, but when we commit completely to Christ and to his way of *dependance upon God,* we clean up our act and overcome our sins. We are not perfect, but being on the right path we please God. We are on the "Path of the Just."