This is a question we all need to answer. Lately, I have been meeting with people that are on the opposite spectrum of what I grew up believing. We have had great discussions about “What is Truth” and “Is there something like ultimate truth”?
This past week I had the privilege to sit with them and look at the question: What is a sin?
This is a great question especially based on the previous week of discovering that Truth is a person and that Jesus is that Truth. If that is true, He alone can give us the proper perspective on what sin is. Sin is not what we define or understand. That leaves very little room to interpret or define what sin could be.
Before we go any further, we must establish a line in the sand. The first thing we must understand is how we think about sin. We can be sin conscious or God-conscious. What does that mean?
Sin consciousness is when I look at myself and see myself or others through my perspective.
God-consciousness is when I look at myself or others through Gods perspective.
This is pivotal because it will determine how we define sin. From my perspective, it will steal my hope and keep me under condemnation. From God’s perspective, it will show me what God did and how He sees me, redeemed and restored to a relationship.
The second line in the sand is this: Sin does not separate us from God, we separate ourselves from God because of our sins. God did not stay away from Adam and Eve after they sinned, they hid from God. Because God has the answer to our sin problem He chooses to engage us even while we are still in sin. Romans 5 says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
So what is sin from God’s perspective. Let me make it simple. Lying, stealing, killing, unforgiveness, bitterness, sexual immorality and anything else is not the problem. These are all just manifestations because of a much greater issue. These are the fruit of a tree that we all are eating. There were two trees in the Garden. The Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Only one of these trees produces Life. The second Tree produces death through Good and Evil. There are a lot of things that feels good, looks good and sounds good but still brings death to us.
Jesus said that you shall know a tree by its fruit. All these things we see are just the fruit. What about the Root?
The Root of sin is our hearts. See what Jesus says: Mark 7-14-23:
And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he said unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without enters into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it enters not into his heart, but the belly, and goes out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said: That which cometh out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Jesus makes it clear that what defiles us is what comes from our hearts. What we see people do is just an expression of what is in the heart. Sin is not what you do, it is what you are. The very first thing Jesus says about His ministry is this:
Luke 4:18-19: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
God knows that we all have brokenness and we need our hearts changed and redeemed. It is amazing to think that sin is not what I do, it is who I am. For that reason, God did an amazing thing. 2 Cor 5:21:
God made him who knew no sin, TO BE SIN FOR US, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
God made Him what we are, so we might become what HE is. This is too great to understand.
Even the Prophets understood this principle of what sin is.
God is talking with Moses and this is the requirement God asks of Moses and Israel. Jesus repeats that in His conversation with the people.
Deut 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your strength.
It is a heart problem. David prays in Psalms 51:10 after he was caught in adultery:
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. David knew that it was more than the act of adultery, it was what was in his heart. He also prays in Psalm 139:23-24.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Jeremiah helps us further understand the scope of our sin as a heart issue. Look at what he says:
Jer 17:9-10: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
We will be judged for what we had in our hearts, not just our actions. Sin is a heart issue, no matter what you do. We must stop calling the actions people do sin. They will never change until their hearts change.
Jesus makes this statement against the religious people of his time. Your traditions have made the Word of God of no effect. You worship me with your mouth but your heart is far from me.
Matt. 15:8 This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
In acts when Peter stood up and preached on the day of Pentecost, look at what happened. Three Thousand people were saved that day, but how?
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men, and brethren, what shall we do?
Salvation is when God gets your heart back. LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, ALL YOUR SOUL AND ALL YOUR MIND. Salvation is when the enemy no longer has your heart and sin no longer has a place to stay.
Next time we will look more into what God does with your heart. Just in closing:
What is a sin? Sin is a heart issue. We all need to pray this every day: Search my heart O God and see if there is any wicked way in me.
