What is Sin?

What is sin? Some say it’s anything that separates us from God. Some say that it’s breaking any of God’s commands. 1 John 5:17 says, “All wrongdoing is sin.” Some versions translate “wrongdoing” as “unrighteousness.”  The Greek word used here is “adikia”.  The meaning of this word is “injustice”.  The root word of “adikia” is “adikos” and it is defined as “descriptive of one who violates or has violated justice”. This appears to be more of a social or moral rule rather than a rule of the Mosaic Law and a breaking of that rule would still be called a sin.

1 John 3:4 says, “sin is lawlessness”.  Here, John defines sin using a different word, lawlessness, than the one I have outlined above and it is translated from the Greek word “anomia”.  It is defined as “the condition of without the law” or the condition where there is no law. But it is interesting because the root word for “anomia” is “anomos” and this word is more specific in its meaning in that it reflects a condition where there is a lack of Mosaic Law.  This appears to have a closer relationship with what most would call the “law and the prophets”.  But, it also appears to include custom or social rules as well as the “law and the prophets”.  And this makes sense be in my mind when I think of how we use “lawlessness” in today’s world, I think of people breaking not only the written law but also social and moral laws. 

One other interesting note is that both of the words “adikos” and the word “anomos” have a connection.  “Adikos” comes from 2 separate Greek words.  The first is “alpha” which is defined as “Christ is the beginning” and the end.  You know, “I am the alpha and the omega.” In this word, it is used as a negative participle meaning that whatever comes next, comes in the negative form.  The second Greek word that makes up this word “adikos” is “dike” which is defined as “a custom” thereby linking it to the breaking of cultural or social laws.  “Anomos” also comes from 2 separate words.  The first is “alpha” (as outlined above) and the second word is “nomos” which is defined as “of any law whatsoever” including both the social/moral law in addition to the Mosaic Law.  So, the link to these 2 words comes in that they have the same root first word of “alpha”.

Is it surprising that both these 2 words used to define sin use Christ in the negative form? 

Then, in James 4:17, it says that sin is NOT doing the good we know we should do.  The Greek word used here for “good” is the word “kalos”.  I am always joyfully surprised when I come across some of these words and how they are defined because it all of the sudden becomes so much more fulfilling.  “Kalos” is defined as “beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable.” Sure sounds like the opposite of sin to me.  

Romans 14:23 says that sin is anything that “does not come from faith.”  While some say this defines sin, I believe that it is simply a reiteration of what Paul has said earlier in this chapter.  Earlier in Romans, Paul asks us to accept those who are “weak” in the faith because that weakness puts them in situations where they break some of the hard and fast rules of those whose faith is strong.  Supposedly, those whose faith is strong live a life of strict obedience to both the social/moral law in addition to the Mosaic Law. This is where Paul says in verse 5 that “each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.” It seems that the focus here is whether or not your focus is on Christ and if your focus is on Christ then you should not “sweat the small stuff”.  But, Paul goes on in verse 17 to say that the “Kingdom of God” is about “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” And how to we obtain righteousness? In Romans 4 Paul uses Abraham as his example and tells us that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” So, it begins with a belief in God.  Living a life in righteousness begins with having confidence in your decisions, having been persuaded by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, to live a life of “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17) because it is this person who is “pleasing to God” (Rom 14:18).  

The phrase that I hear most of all is that sin means that you have “missed the mark”.  This phrase comes from the Greek word, “hamartano”. It is first used in the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew 18:15 and it is used all throughout the New Testament after that.  In both of the verses above from 1 John, the word for “sin” is the Greek word “hamartia” which comes from this root word “hamartano”.  The I assume at this point that you will not be surprised that this word is derived from 2 other Greek words.  The first word is…that’s right, you guessed it…”alpha” and, yes, it is used here as a negative participle.  The second word is outlined as “meros” and this word is a noun that is defined as “a part due or assigned to one” or “lot, destiny”.  The biblical usage of this word does include to “miss the mark”, but in my mind this is outlining sin as any action that would separate you from Christ lot. It is outlining sin as anything that would take you away from what Christ has already assigned you, or at least desires you to be.  Our sin is any action where we pass on our assigned lot in life.  Our sin is any action where we say to God we give up on His plan for us and that is…to be His child.  Sin is any action where we pass up the opportunity to be “adopted to sonship”. 

But, how do we avoid this? How instead do we accept this adoption?  John 14:12 says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  And then in John 15 Jesus tells us to “remain in my love.” Then, in what again seems to be clear direction for us as Christians, Jesus says in John 15:12 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” And just to make sure we got it straight and are not confused he hits us over the head again 5 verses later when he says “This is my command: Love each other.”

So, after all of this mess I have made of translations and different words used to explain sin, the best way to describe sin for me is anything that does not come from love.  Because the moment you don’t have love is the moment you become disconnected to Christ.  But, in order to accept the “adoption to sonship” you have to have faith.  You can’t love what you don’t believe in.