What Is Sin?

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Overview

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Willingdon School of the Bible, in one of the classes, provided a section on what sin is. I thought it would be helpful to share what the classes illumine in light of what Scripture teaches. I changed the notes a bit because I think they were not clear enough. I am aware that there will be others who might add another point or two.

The question, when looking into the Doctrine of Salvation or Soteriology, that we have to ask ourselves is, "What are we saved from?" We are saved from our sins. What is sin?

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What is sin?

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Sin is:

1. Anti-Theocentric (Romans 1:18-32)
• It is against God
2. Relational (i.e., anti-relational) (1 Corinthians 11:17-19; Psalm 51:4) 
• It can be between human and God, and between human and human.
3. Illegal (Romans 3:19-26; 7:7-13)
• Law-breaker 
• Transgressor
• Guilty
4. Universal (Romans 3:23) 
• Everyone is a sinner and separated from God.
5. Enslaving & Corrupting (Romans 6-7)
• Slave to sin
• Corrupts every aspect of our lives
• Total depravity
6. Sin elicits God's wrath (Romans 2:8; 1 Thessalonian 1:10; 2 Thessalonian 1:6-9, 2:10-12)

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Gospel (Reversal)

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The Gospel deals with all of the points that are above.

1. The Gospel reconciles our relationship with God and enables us to love Him. 
2. The Gospel reconciles our relationship with others and enables us to love both our neighbors and our enemies. 
3. The Gospel justifies us. 
4. The Gospel invites everyone to be reconciled to God. 
5. The Gospel sets us free from being slaves to sin (or power of sin) and converts us to being slaves to Christ.
6. The Gospel saves us from God's wrath now, and the wrath that is to come in the future. 

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:3)

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Conclusion

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The Gospel is indeed Good News.  Because of the Gospel, God is calling us to holiness, to follow Him, to obey Him and to forsake worldliness (1 Peter 1:22-2:3).

Sin still dwells in the lives of believers - trying to wage war against the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17). Christians still need to make conscious decisions to obey and to follow Christ (John 14:15, 21)

However, Christ is continually sanctifying His Bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). We wait for the day when sin, Satan and the evil ones will be completely destroyed - when we are in the New Heaven and New Earth with Christ (Revelations 21:1-8).