Sin is a really fundamental term/concept that needs to be understood in biblical texts. On top of that, I also feel like it is something that is misunderstood at times. The way I like to think about sin is that it is 1.) immoral and 2.) disobeying God. Those two points can go hand-in-hand.
Something I’m sure we’ve all experienced is a parent or manager telling you to do something and when you ask why, they respond with, “Because I said so”. I always hated that. I wanted to know the answer as to why I should follow that instruction. Deep down in my heart, I knew human beings were flawed, and sometimes our logic, reasoning, or understanding doesn’t make sense. So in that case, how can I be 100% confident that what you’re telling me is something that I actually should do? Sometimes the Bible can feel like that too when reading about what you should and should not do as a Christian. What gives me more confidence is that we are talking about God, a powerful being outside of time with infinite wisdom. If I expected to understand every single decision God made, that really wouldn’t make God that special. He affirms that when he says:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
Are God’s Rules Arbitrary?
The longer you are Christian and think about God’s laws, you will start to realize why God made a rule to begin with. An example of this for me was fornication. From the perspective of a nonbeliever, I never cared to think about the benefits of waiting until marriage for sex. Most people do not wait, so why would I just be a prude for no reason?
After being a Christian and seeing many Christian relationships and marriages, I think it makes a lot of sense. Even beyond the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, I think it also makes sense for the good of the relationship. There is a lot of benefit to focusing on compatibility and a personal connection rather than relying on the physical as a crutch to carry your love for each other. If you are already married and did not wait, you are not doomed. But this is just an example of God wanting the best out of us and it is deeper than the surface.
The Evil of Disobedience
Another topic that I think modern Christians may struggle with is that sin can be classified as disobedience to God, not just evil actions. When you start to think about sin as just an evil action, you can understand murder, stealing, or rape. But some struggle to put homosexuality or fornication in that same box. Sometimes for me, I feel the same way. I’ll think “They aren’t doing anything to hurt anybody, so what’s the big deal? “. But we need to understand that the sinful part isn’t just in the action itself, in the disobedience to the guidance that God gave.
This is demonstrated best through the fall in Genesis 3. Without context, eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil doesn’t sound too bad. Why would God want us to not know good and evil? Is that worth sin spreading throughout all humans? Maybe not. But when the author of life tells you not to do something, your disobedience is just as bad as any other sin.
The Definition of Sin
The word used for sin in Hebrew is chata (חָטָא). The interesting part about this term is that it does not have the same meaning as the way we use the word sin now. The definition of this word is “to miss the mark” or “to fail”. This is is also true with the Greek word hamartia which means the same. Hamartia was actually an archery term meaning to miss the bullseye. I hope this puts things in perspective to you. This means sin can be evil, but it mainly means that you have not hit the mark that God has planned for you.
Now it is a conversation about trust. Seeking understanding from God’s commands is fine but questioning God could lead to dangerous territory. The analogy I use for myself is if I am traveling to another country. If there is someone I trust from that country, I am going to listen to what they say. Directions, restaurants, and neighborhoods are not things I always want to find out myself if they’re bad or dangerous. God is similar to that but infinitely more knowledgeable and trustworthy. If we listen to God, remember he has seen the world an infinite number of ways for his decisions. I know that even if a command or decision God made doesn’t make sense, I can trust that it is the best decision possible.
Reference
“G266 – Hamartia – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible, www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g266/kjv/tr/0-1/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
Strong’s Hebrew: 2398. חָטָא (Chata) — to Miss, Go Wrong, Sin, biblehub.com/hebrew/2398.htm. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
