What is the definition of sin? | GotQuestions.org

What is the definition of sin? We're going to answer that question. You can also discover more on GotQuestions .org.

Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God and rebellion against God.

Sin had its beginning with Lucifer, the most powerful and beautiful of the angels. Not content with his position, he desired to be higher than God.

And that was his downfall, the beginning of sin. Renamed Satan, he brought sin to the human race in the

Garden of Eden, where he tempted Adam and Eve. Since that time, sin has been passed down through all the generations of mankind.

And we, Adam's descendants, have inherited sin from him. Through Adam, we became sinners by inherent nature.

Adam's inner nature was transformed by his sin of rebellion, bringing to him spiritual death and depravity.

The wages of sin is death. We are sinners not because we sin, rather we sin because we are sinners.

This passed on depravity is known as inherited sin. Just as we inherit physical characteristics from our parents, we inherit our sinful natures from Adam.

King David lamented, Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Another type of sin is known as imputed sin. Used in both financial and legal settings, the

Greek word translated imputed means to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another's account.

Before the law of Moses was given, sin was not imputed to man, although men were still sinners because of inherited sin.

After the law was given, sins committed in violation of the law were imputed, accounted to them.

All humans from Adam to Moses were subject to death not because of their sinful acts against the

Mosaic law, which they did not have, but because of their own inherited sinful nature.

After Moses, humans were subject to death because of inherited and imputed sin.

God imputed the sin of believers to the account of Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for that sin, death on the cross.

God treated Jesus as if He were a sinner, though He was not, and had Him die for the sins of the entire world.

It is important to understand that Jesus did not inherit sin from Adam. He bore the penalty for sin, but He never became a sinner.

In exchange, God imputed the righteousness of Christ to believers' accounts just as He had credited our sins to Christ's account.

A third type of sin is personal sin, that which is committed every day by every human being.

Because we have inherited a sin nature from Adam, we commit individual, personal sins, everything from seemingly innocent untruths to murder.

Those who have not placed their faith in Jesus must pay the penalty for these personal sins, as well as inherited and imputed sin.

However, believers have been freed from the eternal penalty of sin, hell, and spiritual death.

But now we also have the power to resist sinning through the Holy Spirit. If we confess our sins,

He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We are all three times condemned due to inherited, imputed, and personal sin.

The only just penalty for this sin is death, not just physical death, but eternal death.

Thankfully, all three types of sin have been crucified on the cross of Jesus. We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.

That answers the question, what is the definition of sin? On our website, GotQuestions .org, you'll find a deeper discussion and recommended resources.

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