Bottom line: sin is sin. Makes no difference if we choose to acknowledge (fill in the blank) as sin, if the Word says it is – then it is. The Authority? God. How do we know? Because God made it known to us in His Word. We know. One very clear ‘proof’ is when we try to argue that it isn’t sin. (PS – there’s no such thing as a ‘little white lie’.)
God never ignores sin… NEVER. How about us? Do we try and water down sin to the lame – missing the mark. Sin is terrible, we can’t diminish it and the effects from sin. And it is far more than merely ‘missing the mark’. I must admit I do wrestle with the possibility that there is unknowing sin. However, if we never were taught differently, it is the rare individual that would understand that what they are doing is sinning. So I have abandoned this thinking. Sin is precisely what it says it is – SIN.
And from the opposite end of the spectrum… you know, don’t you, that satan never gives up. Ever. You will always have a target on your back. You did realize this, didn’t you? He may go quiet for a bit but since he hates the Father so, he will never give up trying to tempt or seduce you into sin and then tell you that you’ve committed the unpardonable sin and have no place in the Book of Life. I’ve always believed that it isn’t so much that the devil wants us, he just doesn’t want the Father to have us.
So how do you define ‘sin’ and what do you do when you discover that this is precisely what you did? Sin is far more than merely ‘missing the mark’ or making a mistake. Google says: “The doctrine of sin is central to Christianity, since its basic message is about redemption in Christ.” True, no argument but this really isn’t telling us much.
“Augustine of Hippo: sin is “a word, deed, or desire in opposition to the eternal law of God,” or as scripture states, “sin is the transgression of the law.”
Got Questions says:
“Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18). …
We, Adam’s descendants, have inherited sin from him. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam sin entered the world, and so death was passed on to all men because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).”
Helpful? Do you understand sin in terms of who you are, what you do, and how you go about being you? Let me pose a question: if a person who is very dear and important to you was involved in something that could cause harm to them or others, would you try and dissuade them from continuing on that path? Of course, this is how you need to respond when that ‘something’ is sin.
“My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and falls into error and [another] one turns him back [to God], let the [latter] one know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save that one’s soul from death and cover a multitude of sins [that is, obtain the pardon of the many sins committed by the one who has been restored].” (James 5:19-20, AMP)
The next issue is how we receive this information from others. We do need to discover the ‘truth’ in this – is it true, are they mistaken or misunderstanding, have you prayed about this and also done what scripture says (test the spirits – 1 John 4:1)? If you have and the answer is that it IS true – repent and act on 1 John 1:9. If false – rebuke, because of the false witness by another. But never lash out in anger or defense. Act calmly on truth. But never ignore.
If we are sinning, covering up or ignoring never works. Remember Numbers 32 which reminds people that if they did not do what the Lord said, their sin would find them out. In this case, the sinning was deliberate, no accident. True in all cases of sin – it will find us out… and rarely is it unintentional.
