​Understanding Sin

Hi Mike,

I have this question:

What differences lie among these definitions of sin:

– All unrighteouness is sin​ ​- 1 Jn 5:17
– Whatever is not of faith​ ​- Rom 14:23
– Not doing well​ ​-​ ​Gen 4:7
– Not doing the good you know how to do​ -​ Jas 4:17

I look forward to hearing from you.

Ybic,

M​____

Hi M​____,

Thank you for your question.

There is no difference in any of those definitions. Faith and obedience are inseparable. We cannot say we have faith in Christ and believe Him and at the same time disobey His commandments. Sin is not doing what Christ tells us to do:

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

When the Lord commands us to offer our child as a sacrifice and we  refuse to do so​,​ then that child has become an idol of our heart, and we have sinned by disobeying the Lord.

Gen 22:1  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
Gen 22:2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

I have been required to offer my own children​,​ and if I had failed to do so​,​ it would have been a sin to place them ahead of being obedient to the Lord. Their demand was that I disobey​ God​​,​ and in being faithful to the Word of the Lord I was offering them up to the Lord as a burnt offering. My two oldest sons and my olde​r​ daughter, all insisted vehemently that I put them ahead of the Lord and return to keeping days, months, times and years. In putting the Lord first​,​ I was offering them up as a sacrifice to Him.

​O​n the other hand ​if you fail to change with ​the Lord ​when He ​says “Do not touch the child”, then that,​ too​,​ is disobedience and therefore a sin.

Gen 22:7  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Gen 22:8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Gen 22:9  And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
Gen 22:10  And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
Gen 22:11  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
Gen 22:12  And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

God knew in advance exactly what Abraham would do. This story is for our admonition​ ​(1C​o​ 10:11). It is not as if God did not know what Abraham would do until after he had passed the test. This story is here for us to learn that when the Lord changes administrations from the old to the new, then we are to change with him.

So “Kill anything that breathes” is a commandment for the Lord for a period of time “until the time of reformation”​.​

Deu 20:16  But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

What the Lord treasures over all else is obedience:

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

So if we truly love the Lord​,​ we will obey Him, and if we truly love each other​,​ the only way to know for certain if our brother truly loves us is if He obeys the Lord:

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

So there you have it​ – ​love, obedience and faith are all the one inseparable mind of Christ within those who are given that mind.

I hope this is of some help to you and that you can see that there are no differences in any of those verses you referenced  which define what is sin.

Your brother in the Christ,
Mike