Estimated Read Time: 12 min

Supporting Text: Isaiah 59:1-2, James 4:17, Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Romans 1:29-31, 2 Timothy 3:2-5, Revelation 21:8, Romans 14:23, 1 Corinthians 8:9-13, 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 1 Corinthians 6:12, Romans 6:14, 1 John 2:16, Genesis 3:6, James 2:10-11, Leviticus 18:22-30, Deuteronomy 18:9-12, Luke 16:15, Titus 1:16, Romans 6:23, Luke 12:47-48, John 19:11, 1 John 5:16-18, Matthew 12:31-32, Matthew 12:24, Mark 3:28-29, Luke 12:10, Romans 5:12-21, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, Romans 8:18-22, Romans 3:23, Romans 10:9-10

In the last article, we defined what sin is. Sin misses the moral standard established by God, but it also includes the rebellion and defiance involved when people sin against Him. At this point, we understand conceptually what sin is and, theologically, that sin is what has separated humanity from God. This is what the Lord declared through Isaiah:

Isaiah 59:1-2 - [1] Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; [2] but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

At this point, we have diagnosed the problem of humanity. But when a disease exists, there are symptoms that reveal its presence. That is where I want to focus this next part of our discussion on: What does the Bible explicitly identify as sinful behavior?

The purpose of this is not simply to point at certain behaviors, declare them wrong, and use that as an opportunity to judge another person. Rather, we need to understand that Scripture explicitly identifies certain things as sinful and calls us to turn away from them. For the unbeliever, that means recognizing sin and coming to Jesus Christ for salvation. For the Christian who is committing an act of sin, it means recognizing that sin, repenting, and laying that behavior aside. God doesn’t want there to be anything between Him and us. He has paid the sin debt for us. He is only asking us to walk in that victory and in the power of the Spirit to not remain in and with that which separates us from Him.

With that foundation established, let's look more closely at what the Bible declares to be sin.

As we begin discussing sinful acts, it is helpful to divide them at a high level into two broad categories. Those being sins of commission and sins of omission.

• Sins of Commission (Positive Violations): Sins of commission are actions in which we directly violate the commands and moral standards of God.
• Sins of Omission (Negative Violations): Sins of omission, by contrast, occur when we fail to do what God commands us to do.

James gives us one of the clearest statements concerning this second category:

James 4:17 - So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

These two categories help us recognize that sin is not limited to the evil things we do. It can also include the good things God requires that we refuse or neglect to do.

Let's begin with the more obvious category: direct violations of God's moral standard.

Throughout the New Testament, we find numerous behaviors explicitly identified as sinful. These include, but are not limited to, adultery, arrogance, coveting, drunkenness, gossip, homosexuality, greed, lack of self-control, murder, and many others. Several passages contain concentrated lists of such behaviors:

• Galatians 5:19-21
• 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
• Romans 1:29-31
• 2 Timothy 3:2-5
• Revelation 21:8

These passages give us behaviors that Scripture explicitly identifies as being contrary to God's moral standard. In these cases, we are not left to wonder whether God considers them sinful. Scripture tells us directly. What Scripture explicitly declares to be sin is just that, sin.

Sin though is broader than a list of prohibited behaviors. It also includes behaviors that are not acted on or right behaviors that are done incorrectly or in Christianese, done in the flesh.

This brings us back to James 4:17:

James 4:17 - So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Here we are told that failing to do what we know is right can itself be sin. It’s not just failing to do what is right though, it’s also failing to do what is right without faith being involved.  Paul tells us this in Romans 14:23:

Romans 14:23 - For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Between these passages, the standard becomes much more expanded. Sin is not merely doing something explicitly prohibited. We can also sin by refusing to do what we know is right or by acting contrary to faith and conscience. At this point you can see how it is impossible to meet God’s moral standard. Even if we are not attempting to sin, still we do. Unfortunately, we are totally depraved (Rom. 3:23).

This issue of sins of omission is also one that affects how we exercise our Christian liberty. We should be cautious not to use our freedom in ways that wound the conscience of a weaker brothers and sisters in the Lord (1 Cor. 8:9-13). Paul develops this further in 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, explaining that while something may be lawful, that does not necessarily mean it is helpful or builds others up. The Christian should not seek only his own good, but the good of his neighbor. If we do things that cause harm to our brothers or sisters in the Lord (even if the thing itself is not sinful) then it is sin. The Lord also instructed us that we if have sinned against our brother then we should go and leave our gift at the altar and ask for forgiveness.

Although I am focusing primarily on Christians here, this applies to the sinner as well. One last thing I’ll say specifically to the Christian in particular, even something that is not inherently sinful can become spiritually destructive when it begins to master us. When that begins to occur that thing becomes sin. As Paul writes, "I will not be dominated by anything" (1 Cor. 6:12). The Christian is not to be dominated by anything as Christ has freed us from bondage (Rom. 6:14).

Up to this point, we have categorized sins in terms of commission and omission. But John gives us another way of understanding the sinful desires associated with the world in 1 John 2:16:

1 John 2:16 - For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
John identifies three broad categories:

1. Lust of the Flesh - What appeals to bodily desires and appetites.
2. Lust of the Eyes - What we see and desire to possess.
3. Pride of Life - What feeds our pride in status, possessions, accomplishments, or ourselves.

These categories provide a useful framework for recognizing recurring patterns of temptation throughout Scripture.

Consider humanity's first sin in Genesis 3. When Eve looked at the forbidden fruit, Genesis tells us that the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and desired to make one wise (Gen. 3:6). The parallels are striking:

1. Lust of the Flesh - The fruit was good for food.
2. Lust of the Eyes - The fruit was pleasing to the eyes.
3. Pride of Life - The fruit was desired because it promised wisdom.

Sin, then, is not merely a collection of disconnected bad behaviors. Beneath those behaviors are desires that pull us away from trusting, obeying, and loving God.

In one sense, all sin is equal: every sin makes us guilty before God and demonstrates our need for His grace. James writes that whoever keeps the whole law but fails at one point has become accountable for breaking the law (James 2:10-11). Therefore, regardless of its particular form, every sin is ultimately rebellion against the God who gave the command.

But this does not mean that every sin is equally serious in every respect. Nor does it mean that all sins receive the same consequences. Scripture distinguishes between sins according to several factors including kinds of sins, their intentionality, and the knowledge possessed by the person committing them.

Some of these sins are described by Scripture as "abominations" or "detestable." These terms emphasize how offensive these acts are before God.

Among the sins described this way are certain sexual violations, including homosexuality and bestiality (Lev. 18:22-30), as well as child sacrifice, divination, sorcery, and other occult practices (Deut. 18:9-12). Pride is likewise described as an abomination before God (Luke 16:15), and the New Testament describes those who profess to know God while denying Him by their works as "detestable" (Titus 1:16).

This language does not change the fact that all sin makes us guilty before God. Rather, it demonstrates again that Scripture does not describe every sin in precisely the same terms. There are sins that are in fact worse and more rebellious than others.

Ultimately, Scripture tells us that the consequence of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). This includes physical death, but the problem extends beyond physical mortality. Sin separates humanity from God (Isa. 59:1-2), and apart from reconciliation with Him, that separation ultimately results in eternal judgment.

Yet Scripture also makes distinctions concerning the consequences and seriousness of particular sins.

In Luke 12:47-48, Jesus teaches that knowledge affects culpability. The servant who knows his master's will and deliberately disobeys receives greater punishment than the servant who acts without that knowledge. Greater revelation brings greater responsibility.

Jesus even tells Pilate that the one who delivered Him over had the "greater sin" (John 19:11), demonstrating explicitly that Scripture can speak in terms of greater and lesser culpability.

We therefore need to hold two biblical truths together: all sin makes us guilty before God, but not every sin carries the same degree of culpability or consequence.

John in his first letter provides us with another example regarding Christians and sin. Apparently, there are certain sins that a Christian can commit that can lead them to death if committed.

1 John 5:16 - If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life - to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.

1 John 5:17 - All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

1 John 5:18 - We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

Whatever interpretive position one takes concerning John's precise meaning by "sin that leads to death," this passage, together with Luke 12, establishes an important point for our discussion: Scripture distinguishes between the consequences associated with sin and recognizes the significance of the knowledge a person possesses.

To take this one step further, there is even a sin that Jesus states that cannot be forgiven.

Jesus teaches that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, distinguishing it from other sins and blasphemies that can receive forgiveness (Matt. 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-29; Luke 12:10).

To understand what Jesus means, however, we need to understand the context of Matthew 12.

Jesus had healed a demon-oppressed man, and the Pharisees responded by claiming, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons" (Matt. 12:24). These Pharisees witnessed the work of God through Christ and deliberately attributed that work to Satan.

Jesus's warning concerning blasphemy against the Holy Spirit follows directly from that accusation. The issue, then, is much deeper than accidentally saying the wrong words. The Pharisees were confronted with the work of God and responded by calling that work demonic. They were calling good evil and resisting the very testimony of the Spirit that should have led them to Christ.

We have covered a lot concerning sin, so let's briefly bring everything together.

Because of Adam, sin entered the human race, and humanity now shares in the corruption and death that followed (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:21-22). Sin has not affected humanity alone. The whole creation now groans under the consequences of the Fall (Rom. 8:18-22).

We are therefore not dealing merely with isolated sinful actions. We are sinners who willingly commit sin and continually fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We cannot meet God's moral standard on our own, and our sin leaves us guilty before Him. While all sin brings guilt and ultimately leads to death, Scripture also teaches that some sins carry greater culpability and consequences than others.
Certainly, that leaves us with an incredibly bleak picture. But the story doesn't end there! If it did, we would be of all people most miserable.

God has given us hope through Jesus Christ.

Jesus took upon Himself the judgment for sin that we deserved. Through Him, we can be freed from the penalty of sin and reconciled to God. For the Christian, sin no longer has dominion over us because we are under grace (Rom. 6:14). And we now have the hope of resurrection, when even the presence and corruption of sin will finally be gone.
That is the hope of the Gospel.

If you have not come to Jesus Christ, the answer to your sin is not to try harder, become more religious, or attempt to clean yourself up first. Scripture calls you to repent of your sin, confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and place your faith in Him (Rom. 10:9-10).

But there is something you must be willing to leave behind.
Your idol.

The sin that separates you from God (Isa. 59:1-2) is often the very thing you refuse to surrender to Him. You cling to it because, at that moment, you desire it more than you desire God. You have allowed something created to occupy the place that belongs to your Creator.

That is the idolatry at the heart of sin.

So the question is not merely, "What does the Bible call sin?"
The more personal question is: What sin are you unwilling to surrender to God?

Whatever that idol is, it cannot save you. It cannot forgive you. It cannot reconcile you to God. And it cannot give you eternal life. In fact, the opposite is true.

However, Jesus Christ can.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God Bless