Sin

Deviation from the known will of God, either by action (doing something that He has specifically forbidden) or by omission (neglecting to do what He specifically commands).

The main Old Testament Hebrew terms used for "sin" are _chatta’th_ (missing the objective), _‘awon_ (perversity), _pesha’_ (transgression) and _ra’_ (evil). Some of the Greek terms used in the New Testament are even more explicit. Words like _hamartano_ (miss the mark), _parabasis_ (transgression with violence) and _adikia_ (injustice) give a strong idea about the significance of "sin".

Sin originated with Lucifer, in heaven, as the result of his pride in the characteristics bestowed upon him by God (Ex. 28:17) and of an overwhelming desire to have what was due only to God Himself (Is. 14:12-14). Sin entered Earth when Adam and Eve were convinced by Lucifer that by disobeying God they would achieve a superior state of wisdom and life (Gn. 3:1-6).

The Old Testament does not give a definition of sin, even if some texts clearly show that the portrayed activities are sinful (Gn. 13:13; Gn. 39:9 _inter alia_). The New Testament, nevertheless, has a very exact definition of sin: it is "transgression of the law" (1 Jo. 3:4). By law, John means all of God’s revealed will, which is abridged in the Decalogue (Ex. 20) and in the words of Jesus (Mt. 22:36-40).

The law of God was so important for Jesus that He stated (Mt. 5:18) that He did not come to render it obsolete, but (in Greek, _alla_, a strong opposite) to take it to new heights by means of a perfect obedience. This obedience to the will of God should be a reality for God’s followers (Rm. 8:3,4) through love (Mt. 7:12; Mt. 22:36-40; Rm.13:10).

When God first instructed Adam (Gn. 2:16,17), He announced that the result of disobedience was to be death. Paul states (Rm. 6:23) that the wages of sin is death. The prophet Isaiah presents separation from God as the ultimate result from sin (Is. 59:2), bringing back the fact that, after sin, man could no longer be face to face with God (Gn. 3:8-10) and was expelled from Paradise (Gn. 3:22-24).

Together, these texts help us to understand that the death which is spoken of – the death that is the wages of sin – is not the physical death. Physical death is compared by Jesus to a sleep and is a mere consequence of the lack of access to the tree of life (Gn. 3:22). The death which is spoken of is the eternal death, the one that tormented Jesus Himself in His last moments (Mt. 27:46; Mk. 15:34).

Sin – and the death it brought with it – is not without solution. Eternal life is a free gift from God (Rm. 6:23) on the sole condition of faith (Acts 16:30,31). Thus, God solved the problem of sin.