Sin Defined

... for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4

Over the years, I have repeatedly been made aware of the lack of knowledge among believers regarding the subject of sin.  As a whole, believers today cannot give an accurate, biblical definition of what sin is, nor do they consider the topic to be of significant importance.  Preachers also offer little light upon the subject, for if and when they do speak of sin they do so vaguely, treating it as a general problem within society, without ever clearly establishing within the minds of their hearers what it actually is.   

Yet a proper definition of sin is essential to a proper Christian experience, for if we do not know what sin consists in, how do we know what salvation consists in?  For salvation necessarily deals with deliverance from the practice and penalty of sin.  But if we do not know what sin is, how will we know if we have been saved from it? Likewise, if we rely only upon our own opinions and imaginations in our defining of sin, and ignore what the Scripture says regarding the same, is it not certain that both our repentance and consecration will be incomplete and unacceptable?

Sadly, this is indeed the case for many professing believers.  Their repentance is incomplete at best, and in many cases non-existent.  They profess to have a new life in Christ, yet continue in a life of self-indulgence, while failing to see the incompatibility of the two.

But the Scripture indeed clearly defines sin so that there should be no doubt as to what it consists in.  There are certain verses that we shall consider which establish its definition.  The first definition is our text, taken from the following verse.

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4

This is no doubt the most important verse in establishing the biblical definition of sin.  Simply stated, sin is the transgression of the law.  We need not argue and debate over what is and is not sin, for it is clear that sin consists in a violation of the Law of God

But what is meant here by “the law?”  Is this the Law of Moses?  Is this the Levitical law with all of its rite and ceremony?  Is it the civil law given by Moses to the Israelites? 

I have commented upon this in earlier articles, and so will be brief here.  The “law” which John refers to is the moral Law of God.  The Moral Law is that divine principle to which all moral agents should conform.  It is no arbitrary decree, but rather the eternal rule of conduct which emanates from the very character and moral nature of God.  The Law of Moses, which may be considered to be all of the commandments which he delivered from God to the Israelites, is based upon this law.  The Ten Commandments as well proceed from this law, serving as a practical and specific exposition of man’s moral duty as it pertains to both God and man.  According to the Lord, this moral law is summed up in two commandments:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  And,

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  Matthew 22:37, 39

Christ states that the first of these two commandments is the first of all commandments with regard to importance- that it is the “Great” commandment, and in conjunction with the second, defines the whole of man’s moral responsibility- for, He declares, “On these two commandments hang all of the Law and the prophets” Mattthew 22:40.

Thus we see that the Moral Law consists in supreme love for God and in proper love for our neighbour as well.  This love does not consist in mere emotion, but rather is that love which seeks the happiness and welfare of another without seeking personal gain.  We are therefore to love God supremely, considering his happiness to be of infinitely greater importance than that of our own, and to also consider our neighbour’s happiness as of equal value to our own.  Thus, all actions whereby men pursue their own happiness and welfare at the expense of others- whether God or their fellow man- all actions which cannot be harmonized with supreme love for God and love for mankind are transgressions of the law, and as such, are sins.

For sin is the transgression of the law.

The second definition of sin that we will consider is found in the Epistle to the Romans:

… for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.  Romans 14:23

If one will read the entire text of Romans 14, he will see that Paul is addressing matters of personal conscience.  According to Paul, some men had a clear conscience regarding the eating of various types of meats, while others were restrained in conscience to eat only vegetables.  Likewise, some considered certain days of the year to be of greater importance than others and were bound in conscience to observe those days accordingly.  Others however, did not consider one day to be of greater significance than another and were thus free with regard to conscience to treat every day alike.

Thus, the statement whatsoever is not of faith refers to those actions which one cannot harmonize with his own conscience before God.  Hence, doubtful actions, those actions which one partakes in without a clear sense as to whether they are indeed acceptable or not, are sinful actions. 

Now someone could raise the objection that because there may exist differences regarding what one man’s conscience may dictate in comparison to his neighbour's, that conscience is not a reliable standard in the defining of what is and is not sin.  To this I would say that if conscience is not reliable in the defining of sin for the whole of mankind, it most certainly is for the individual!  No man can violate his own sense of right and wrong and at the same time possess a consciousness of the approval of God.

Furthermore, the discrepancies in conscience of which Paul speaks have to do with practices, and not with absolutes such as morality, chastity, sobriety, and temperance.  These discrepancies are the product of differences in culture, religious observances, customs, and in upbringing.  In these differences, there is both liberty and responsibility.  For him who has no specific convictions regarding such practices, liberty.  But to him who is convinced of the importance of these practices, responsibility- responsibility to observe what he believes to be right in the sight of God.  

But with regard to moral issues, there naturally exists solidarity of conscience within society as to what is right and wrong.  By naturally I mean that state of mind prior to the sinner’s determination to rewrite eternal moral codes to suit his own lusts.  To be sure, once sinners are bent on justifying their rebellion against God, this solidarity of conscience is silenced, confusion as to right and wrong settles in, and the defining of morality is left to the subjectivity of the depraved mind.

But if men will be honest, they will acknowledge that there exists a general consciousness in man as to right and wrong.  For if a man is no murderer, no thief, no adulterer, no hater of God, no idolater, no liar, does he have an issue with the Ten Commandments?  Does he disagree with moral law? Is he at odds with what society in general regards as proper conduct?  Thus, conscience is a reliable standard in determining what is right and wrong, and any actions which violate it are therefore necessarily sinful.

For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.  

For the third definition of sin we will return to the first epistle of John:

All unrighteousness is sin… I John 5:17

This is a simple, concise definition:  All unrighteousness is sin.  Now righteousness consists in right conduct, right behaviour, right actions, and uprightness of character.  Unrighteousness is thus a deviation from these.  Hence, all that is contrary to proper conduct, all that deviates from sound behaviour, all that is inconsistent with uprightness of character, is sin. 

Now this definition implies two self-evident truths.  Firstly, that there indeed exists a definitive standard whereby righteousness and unrighteousness are determined- otherwise, no action could be classified as either or. Secondly, men are capable of distinguishing between the two- otherwise they would not be accountable. 

What then is to be gained by engaging in life-long debates regarding what is and is not sin? What advantage is there in challenging God, fighting against the Scripture, in justifying one’s self, in endless circumventions of one’s moral duty?  In the end, God will of necessity prevail, will uphold his own standards, and will judge accordingly, while the sinner will be forced to acknowledge the truth which he knew all along, but was determined to suppress.  

For it is written:

As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Romans 14:11

We will now move to the fourth definition of sin, taken from the Epistle of James.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17

This definition of sin once again deals with the transgressing of that which we know to be right or good.  However, in this case, the emphasis is not upon the doing of that which we know to be wrong, but rather the failure to do that which we know to be right.  It is not so much the sin of commission that is here addressed, but the sin of neglect-  for sin not only consists in the doing of bad, but also in the withholding of doing good.  Thus, they who glory in having done no evil against their neighbour may have cause for sorrow in having done him no good as well.  For if one knows to be generous, but instead refrains, or knows to be compassionate, but instead hardens his heart, or knows to deny himself for the sake of Christ, but rather preserves his own comforts- to him it is sin.

The last definition that we will consider is from the Book of Proverbs.

The thought of foolishness is sin. Proverbs 24:9

This definition may require some explaining.  We are told in this verse that sin consists in the thought of foolishness. But does the Scripture mean that every foolish thought that enters the mind is sin?  Is every ungodly thought which arises within us necessarily sinful?  Although it is difficult to always discern properly as to which thoughts are and which thoughts are not sinful, one fact must be accepted: there must exist the possibility for the mind to incur foolish or ungodly thoughts without necessarily transgressing.  Otherwise, temptation could not exist.  For temptation is the suggestion or thought to do wrong.  But if the suggestion is in itself sin, then no distinction exists between temptation and transgression.  But the Scripture certainly makes a distinction between the two.

So what does this verse from Proverbs mean?  The thought of foolishness implies the devising of folly.  It is the meditation upon a course of action that is contrary to godly wisdom.  It is that moment in which the mind rejects the counsel of God to pursue a path contrary to it.  It is the consideration and subsequent choice to abandon the restraint of conscience and reason, for the unrestrained course of passion, emotion, and impulse.  Thus all reasoning of the mind which leads away from the wisdom of God and inclines toward inappropriate actions is both foolish and sinful.

For the thought of foolishness is sin

From the verses which we have considered, we have established for us a five-fold, biblical definition of sin, and should therefore no longer be in the dark as to what sin does and does not consist in.  It is the transgression of the (moral) law (1John 3:4).  It is whatsoever that is not of faith (Rom.14:23).  It is all which may be considered unrighteousness (1John 5:17).  It is that knowing to do good and doing it not (James 4:17), and lastly, it is the reasoning of the mind which is contrary to the revealed wisdom of God- the thought of foolishness (Prov.24:9).  

Now with sin defined, there should also come a better understanding of what salvation must be, hopefully resulting in a clearer path toward sanctification.

Born of the Spirit

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.  John 3:8

Within the evangelical church, regeneration, or the new birth, has always been understood to be the work of the Holy Spirit.  Although there are differences among evangelicals as to the extent of the Holy Spirit’s work in this process, there remains a consensus that it is indeed his work, and that apart from him regeneration would be impossible.  

However, there is at the same time an ever increasing ignorance as to what his work consists in.  Believers are aware that it is the Spirit of God who brings about the new birth, but are quite unaware as to how he actually does this.  This lack of understanding regarding the true work of the Spirit in regeneration has no doubt led to a decline of the true “born again” experience within the church and has opened the door for various other religious experiences to take its place.  It should be noted that not every religious or spiritual experience whereby men become Christians or believers is of necessity the new birth spoken of in Scripture.  This may be a shock to some, but in truth, it has always been the case.  Men may, and do, embrace Christianity for many reasons, and not necessarily because they have been born of God.

Now it is not my desire to undermine the fact that individuals come to Christ in a variety of ways and through a variety of circumstances.  This cannot nor should be disputed.  But it is my desire to show from Scripture that work of the Holy Spirit which is essential to and present within all true conversion experiences, that there are certain elements of spiritual experience that all true believers will have in common- although perhaps to differing degrees- and that there is but one intent within the mind of the Spirit of God when He undertakes the regeneration of sinful men.

So what is the work of the Spirit in regeneration? The above text is taken from a passage of Scripture in which Jesus expounds upon the new birth.  This verse is part of his answer to Nicodemus’ question, “How can a man be born (again) when he is old?”   In the text, Jesus speaks metaphorically, comparing the work of the Spirit to the blowing of the wind.  The “wind,” or the “Spirit,” for so it may actually be translated inasmuch as the Greek word pneuma means “wind” or “spirit,” bloweth, or again the Greek, “breatheth” where it listeth.  This speaks of the sovereign aspect of the new birth.  The Spirit breathes or blows where He wishes and upon whom He wishes.  And thou hearest the sound thereof speaks of the perceptible effects brought about by the blowing of the wind, or by the “working of the Spirit.”  But canst not tell whence it cometh and wither it goeth speaks of that aspect of the Spirit’s work which in many ways is a mystery- we may not know exactly when and where it begins, nor may we know the conclusion of the matter.  So is every one that is born of the Spirit confirms that there is a unified experience- that they which are born again will have passed through the same process.

To elaborate further upon this text, consider the illustration of a man attempting to build a fire from the remains of one which has been allowed to burn completely out.  He first carefully rakes through the ashes to find some warm coals to work with, gathering as many as he can find into a pile.  He then crouches close to the black coals, and begins to blow steadily upon them until their edges begin to faintly glow.  With each breath the field of orange upon each glowing ember increases, until at length his heap bursts into flames. With his fire now revived, he quickly adds new pieces of wood- small followed by large- until it rages once more.   

The Holy Spirit’s work in regeneration is similar to this illustration for it is He who bloweth upon the coals of the sinner’s conscience causing it to glow with conviction until at last it is inflamed with guilt and a sense of impending judgment.

Now as I stated earlier, the evangelical church today is ignorant as a whole to the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration.  The modern church does NOT embrace a new birth which requires a preliminary work of conviction of sin, and shudders at the thought that the Spirit of God would press a sinner to the point where he is filled with guilt and sense of judgment.  Rather than embrace such an idea, the church today in many ways works against these efforts of the Spirit, being it seems bent on proclaiming a Christianity which is entirely concerned with making its adherents feel good about themselves, while never confronting, nor demanding a repentance from sin.

But this is NOT how the Holy Spirit of God makes converts!  For He does not care about filling church buildings with masses of professing believers to whom in many ways Christ is not real.  But He is concerned with births, that souls should be truly born of God, and not merely professing an evangelical faith which they have not experienced.  He is not content with making new converts, but rather seeks to make new creations in Christ.    

For observe what Jesus said regarding the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  For it is clearly stated what his ministry and work among the lost is to be.  It is not at the first one of encouragement but rather of reproof.  Not a ministry of comfort, but rather discomfort. Not a building of self-esteem, but a tearing down of self-approval.  It is no proclamation of heaven, but a forewarning of hell.

As it is written:

And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. John 16:8-11

Now the word reprove is a strong word.  It means “to convict or convince,” “to expose” with the idea of “putting to shame the one who is convicted.”  Thus, the work of the Holy Spirit among the unregenerate is to reprove and convince to the point of shame, with regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment. It is the Spirit of God who takes men to task regarding their sin, exposing them within their own consciences as the guilty transgressors that they are in truth.  It is He who reproves them regarding righteousness, convincing them of what is right in the sight of God and of how infinitely short of his standard they fall.  And lastly, it is the Holy Spirit who delivers the death sentence of Divine judgment at the bar of the sinner’s conscience, silencing any hopes he may have of gaining acceptance with God upon his own merit.

Sadly, what I have just described is so foreign a concept to the evangelical church today, that it seems obvious that it must be an equally foreign experience as well.

But this work of the Spirit, this work of conviction and reproof, is essential to all true conversion experiences.  To say that men can be saved without this work, that they are saved by the standard “sinner’s prayer,” by mere acceptance of the evangelical faith, and by trying to live according to the standards of the church, is certainly contrary to Spirit of God and the words of Jesus Christ.  Certainly, all they which have been truly born again are personally familiar with the work of the Spirit which I have described.  As I stated earlier, perhaps individuals have experienced these things to differing degrees and at different times.  One may have experienced this work of conviction very deeply prior to his initial repentance.  Another may have come to Christ sincerely, but without much light, and thus experienced many of these things after his initial profession of faith.  But one thing is sure, it is impossible to genuinely receive Christ and to truly abide in him and yet be ignorant of this work of the Spirit.

Now what is the intent of the Spirit of God in his work of conviction?  Simply, it is to destroy the sinner’s sense of righteousness.  As long as men feel that within themselves there exists some goodness, some piety, some commendable morality, they cannot truly believe in Christ.  For if they imagine themselves to be good- even to the slightest degree- they will consider that God in some way owes them something, that they somehow deserve the favour and blessing of God.  Therefore, if they do come to agree that perhaps there may be some sins upon their record, it seems to them only proper that God should forgive these relatively minor flaws- for after all they are for the most part good.  Thus, they think of the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross as a means whereby “the good” can be made better- in the same way that an already wonderful hot fudge sundae is made perfect by the maraschino cherry on top!

But men can only truly believe and appreciate Jesus Christ when this notion of personal goodness is eradicated.  For when men are convinced that they are indeed thoroughly sinful, when they are convinced that God is thoroughly just, when they know that they deserve hell and agree with God that they belong there, when they come to shame and regret how they have lived; it is then and only then that the Holy Spirit will point them to Christ to be justified by faith, and it is then that Jesus Christ is revealed as the Hope of the hopeless and Saviour of the sinful. 

And they which have come this way think of the death of Christ according to what it is in truth: a sacrifice made for undeserving, ungodly, and depraved men, to whom God owes nothing save the fires of eternal judgment, yet to whom He extends mercy – not because He sees good within them- but rather because of his own excellent goodness, clemency, and grace.

Where then is sense of entitlement, sense of importance, sense of worthiness?  It is abolished in that proper self-loathing which only the precious Holy Spirit can work.  And from this self-loathing springs an eternal well of love, passion and devotion for him who “gave his back to the smiters, and cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, who hid not his face from shame and spitting” that He might redeem sinful men.

O how precious is the work of the Holy Spirit!  Abasing the proud, crushing the self-righteous, bringing low the haughty, yet in turn cleansing the penitent, saving the “crushed in spirit,” comforting those who tremble at his word!

Keep the modern “gospel” of self-esteem, proclaiming how special, and valuable, and wonderful we all are!  Keep the converts of it as well, those believers who live in sin yet proclaim themselves the favoured children of God!

But give me “Christ and him crucified,” give me the Holy Spirit, and give me those upon whom He has breathed, the broken, the humble, and the sincere- those new creations in Jesus Christ- those born of the Spirit.