WHAT IS SIN?

Module 4
Every part of our being is affected by sin--- our intellects, our emotions, our desires, our hearts, our goals,
our motives, and even our physical bodies. All are subject to the decay and destruction caused by sin. Our
actions, our attitudes, and our very nature all make us guilty of sin.

Our aim is that we would learn and appreciate that when we accept what Jesus has done (Christ’s death
paid for all our sins) we are forgiven, our legal standing before God is not affected. It does not affect our
fellowship with God, for God is grieved by our sin.

I. LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the module, the learners should be able to:

1. Understand and discuss what is sin, where sin came from and how does sin affect us by studying the
Bible verses.
2. Appreciate God’s forgiveness for their sins by understanding Christ’s death paid for all our sins
3. Realize the heaviness of their sins and that they need to earnestly “confess” their sins to God, for
God is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”

II. LEARNING CONTENT

A. What sin is?

B. Where sin came from?
C. How Sin Affects Us?
D. When we sin as forgiven Christians

III. OVERVIEW
Sin disrupts everything. We don’t live the lives we were originally designed to live, and we don’t live in the
world we were originally designed to live in. Sin mars the image of God in us; we no longer reflect the
perfection God created us to reflect. Because of sin, things simply aren’t the way they were originally
meant to be. The story of the human race, as presented in the Bible, is the story of God fixing broken
people living in a broken world. It is the story of God’s victory over the many results of sin in the world.

IV. DISCUSSION

A. What Sin Is?

Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature. God sets forth his moral
law in many places throughout the Bible. One such place is the Ten
Commandments, found in Exodus 20:1-17.
Sin is any failure to
Sin is any action contrary to God’s moral law, it makes sense that Exodus 20:13 conform to the moral
law of God in act,
says, “You shall not murder,” and Exodus 20:15 says, “You shall not steal.”
attitude, or nature.
But sin is also found in attitudes contrary to God’s moral law. This is why
Exodus 20:17 says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.”

Sin is also found in our nature--- the internal character that is the essence of who we are. This is why Paul
says that those who reject Jesus are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3).

God is eternally good in his character; all that he is conforms perfectly to his moral law. Therefore,
anything contrary to his moral law is contrary to his character, that is, contrary to God himself. God hates
sin because it directly contradicts everything he is.

B. Where Sin Came From?

Since sin is in complete contradiction to God, he cannot sin, and we should never blame God for sin or
think that he bears the responsibility for sin. God’s “work is perfect” and “all his ways are justice. A God
of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he” (Deut. 32:4). It is impossible for God even to
desire to do wrong, “for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13).
Yet the Bible also says that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11), so it
seems that God somehow ordained that sin would come into the world. Sin did not surprise God when it
came into the world, nor did it overpower him. Instead, God decided that he would allow moral creatures
to willfully and voluntarily choose to sin.

Sin existed in Satan and demons before the disobedience of Adam and Eve, and then it entered the world
of humans through their decisions. God told Adam, “of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall
not eat” (Gen. 2:17). So, when Adam and Eve ate from the tree (Gen. 3:6), they directly contradicted God’s
command. Neither God nor Satan forced them to eat from the tree; they did so willingly and so willingly
sin against God.

As a result, Adam’s nature became sinful. Sin became something Adam naturally did. Adam’s sin also
caused us to inherit a sinful nature, one that is naturally opposed to God and his moral law. That is why
Paul said, “I know that nothing good dwells in me” (Rom 7:18). It is why Jeremiah said, “The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). It is why David said,
“I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps. 51:5). It is why “the wicked….
go astray from birth” (Ps. 58:3).
 Although our inherited tendency is to sin does not mean we are as bad as we
Every part of our being is
affected by sin--- our could be, it does not mean that we, like Adam after he sinned, are unable on
intellects, our emotions, our own to do anything that pleases God. We lack any spiritual good in
our desires, our hearts, ourselves, and therefore, we are unable to do any spiritual good before God.
our goals, our motives,
Although from a human standpoint we may able to do things that seems to
and even our physical
bodies. be good, to God “all righteous did is like a polluted garment” (Isa. 64:6).

Every part of our being is affected by sin--- our intellects, our emotions, our
desires, our hearts, our goals, our motives, and even our physical bodies. All are subject to the decay and
destruction caused by sin. Our actions, our attitudes, and our very nature all make us guilty of sin.

We received not only Adam’s sinful nature, but also his sin-produced guilt. Adam’s action resulted not
only in his own guilt, but also in the guilt of every other human. As Paul explains, “Sin came into the world
through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom 5:12).
And, “by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners” (Rom. 5:19). Therefore, when Adam
sinned, God thought of us all having sinned.

Even if we don’t believe we are considered guilty because of Adam’s sin, we all would admit we have
contradicted God’s moral law either in attitude or action. And so, we are all guilty of sin and in need of a
way to make ourselves right with God. The good news is that God has designed the world in such a way
that our individual failings can be redeemed through the work of another. Our individual disobedience
can be made right by the obedience of another. Our individual sin can be removed by the sinlessness of
another.

C. How Sin Affects Us

Scripture is clear. “There is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46); “There is none who does good, not
even one” (Ps. 14:3); “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23); and as John tells us,
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Therefore, all
stand guilty before God.

God said the penalty of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
Through Jesus’ life, death
was death (Gen. 2:17). Death, Paul tells us, is actually the penalty for all sin:
and resurrection, God
“The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). But just as God didn’t bring the offers us freedom from the
penalty of sin immediately upon us. In fact, through Jesus’ life, death and condemnation sin brings.
resurrection, God offers us freedom from the condemnation sin brings.
Peter says about Jesus, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). For those who look to Jesus for the
forgiveness of their sins, “there is therefore now no condemnation” (Rom. 8:1).

D. When we sin as forgiven Christians

When we sin as forgiven Christians: 1) Our legal standing before God is not affected. We are still forgiven
because Christ’s death paid for all our sins. As Paul tells us, “Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3) ---
without any distinction among the past, present, and future sins. Although John tells us we all sin, he also
affirms that even in our sin, “we are God’s children now” (1 John 3:2).
Sin can also affect our
relationships with others. While sin does not affect our status or standing with God, 2) it does not affect
Sinful words or actions our fellowship with God, for God is grieved by our sin. This can often result
can result in a broken in God’s discipline in our lives since “the Lord disciplines the one he loves”
relationship, even
(Heb. 12:6). Sin can also affect our relationships with others. Sinful words or
between Christians.
actions can result in a broken relationship, even between Christians.

Even though all Christians still sin, 3) they should not participate in a long-term pattern of greater and
greater disobedience to God’s moral law. “no one born of God makes a practice of sinning” (1 John 3:9).
But if a person makes a practice of sinning, that is, if someone continues in a pattern of disobedience
without repentance, he may not have ever truly put his trust in Jesus for salvation. That is, the sinful
pattern of his life could show that he never really was a Christian.

In contrast, when Christian sin, 4) they should earnestly and quickly “confess” their sins to God. When
we do so, we will find God is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

V. EVALUATION
1. What is sin?
2. How does Sin affect our lives and the world we live in?
3. What are some of the negative results of sin in the life of a Christian?
4. What should Christians do if they sin?
5. How was sin defeated?

VI. REFERENCES
1. THE HOLY BIBLE (Any Versions & Translation)
2. CHRISTIAN BELIEFS by: Wayne A. Grudem; Edited by: Elliot Grudem (Zondervan Books)