What is…
Sin

Hebrew: חַטָּאָה or חַטָּאָ —transliteration: khata or chatta'ah

Greek: ἁμαρτία or ἁμάρτημα or ἁμαρτάνω —transliterations: hamartia or hamartéma or hamartanó

In addition to being a violation of God’s law, “Sin” is also the name of a biblical Egyptian city, a noted area of Sinai wilderness connected to the Exodus (see bottom of this page), a name of a Babylonian moon-god, and a place the idol was worshipped—the Temple of Sin.

What is sin?

also known as: disobedience of God’s commands/laws, wickedness, evil, iniquity, perversity, turning away from what is right and good, transgression, wrongdoing, unrighteousness

See this button? One simple rule—do NOT touch it in any way, including with your mouse, finger or stylus. Do not click it.

Sin is a word used to denote the willful breaking of God’s law—doing evil (or wishing to)—or failure to do what is good and right, in accordance with His law.

Sin is the transgression of the God’s law” (1 John 3:4; Romans 4:15), in the inward state and habit of the soul, as well as in the outward conduct of the life, whether by commission or omission (Romans 6:12-17; 7:5-24). The moral character of a person’s actions is determined by the moral state of his heart.

The disposition to sin—the habit of the soul that leads to the sinful act—is itself also sin (Romans 6:12-17 ESV; Galatians 5:17; James 1:14-15).

It is “not a mere violation of the law of our constitution, nor of the system of things, but an offense against a personal lawgiver and moral governor who vindicates his law with penalties. The soul that sins is always conscious that his sin is…

1. intrinsically vile and polluting, and…

2. that it justly deserves punishment

   —Charles Hodge, Princeton Sermons: Outlines of Discourses Doctrinal and Practical

More information

• What is a conscience?
• About the fall of mankind to worldwide depravity
• Spiritual darkness
• What is IMPUTATION?
• What was Adam, the first man, really like? Learn the amazing facts about this unique man from whom we all descended! See why the First Adam needed the Last Adam.
• darkness versus the light
• carnal and of the flesh
• Are you good enough to get to Heaven? Answer
• How good is good enough? Answer
• Why is the world the way it is? If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving, would He really create a world like this? (filled with oppression, suffering, death and cruelty) Answer

Origin of sin / original sin

Sin apparently began with a prominent and proud angel in Heaven, known now as Satan, and it spread to many other angelic beings. It is deduced that this happened soon after the Creation of Earth, and Adam and Eve, and before the conception of Cain and his younger brother Abel. As a result, Satan and his rebels were cast out of Heaven to Earth. The Son of God watched him “fall like lightning from Heaven” (Luke 10:18).

These supernatural beings (devils, demons) are treacherous, hate-filled opponents of all goodness and righteousness—relentless adversaries of God and man. Satan’s temptation and deception of Eve, led to the sin of Adam.

See: God’s Story (God’s Creation page 3)

Adam’s sin (Genesis 3:1-6) consisted in his yielding to the assaults of temptation and rebelling against God by eating the forbidden fruit.

This sin involved…

1. the guilt of disobedience to a positive command

2. the lack of trust in God’s goodness in what He might do about his mate, Eve—she having been deceived by Satan into disobeying God’s command

3. the sin of unbelief, virtually believing God is a liar

• Tree of knowledge of good and evil
• Tree of Life
• Adam and Eve

Consequences

By this sin, Adam became an apostate from God, a rebel against his Creator. He lost the favor of God and intimate communion with Him; his whole nature became fundamentally depraved.

The sin of our nature is like a sleeping lion, the least thing that awakens it makes it rage. Though the sin of our nature seems quiet, and lies as fire hid under the embers, yet if it be a little stirred and blown up by temptation, how quickly may it flame forth into scandalous evils! Therefore we need always to walk watchfully. “I say to you all, Watch” (Mark 8:37). A wandering heart heeds a watchful eye. —Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity, page 148

This Great Fall from innocence to evil set consequences in motion that man and all creation groan under, to this day (Romans 8:22). Adam immediately died spiritually, and his body began to inevitably die physically.

Adam was created by God to be the head and representative of all his posterity, and therefore when he fell, they fell with him (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:22-45). His probation was their probation, and his fall their fall. Because of Adam's first sin, all his posterity came into the world spiritually dead, in a state of sin and condemnation, i.e., (1) a state of moral corruption, and (2) of guilt, as having judicially imputed to them the guilt of Adam’s first sin.

Imputation—sin nature passed on in the DNA of all descendants

Our sinful propensity to do what is wrong, impure, hurtful and unholy is inherited from our parents, without exception. And this sin nature soon becames evident, even when we were tiny children.

“Our first parents being the root of all mankind, the guilt of their sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature were conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation.”

The term “original sin” is frequently and properly used to denote the moral corruption of humanity’s whole nature, inherited by all from Adam.

This inherited moral corruption consists of:

1. the loss of original righteousness

2. Steals happiness

   “Sin is a robber. It steals your joy, your happiness, your fellowship with God.” —Franklin Graham

   the presence of a constant proneness to do evil, which is the root and origin of all actual sin

It is called “sin” (Romans 6:12, Rom. 6:14, Rom. 6:17; Rom. 7:5-17), the “flesh” (Galatians 5:17, Gal. 5:24), “lust” (James 1:14-15), the “body of sin” (Romans 6:6), “ignorance,” “blindness of heart,” “alienation from the life of God” (Ephesians 4:18-19).

It influences and depraves the whole man, and taking us downward to deeper and deeper corruption, there remaining no recuperative element in the soul. It is a total depravity, and it is also universally inherited by all descendants of Adam (Romans 3:10-23; 5:12-21; Rom. 8:7).

• Question: Did Jesus Christ inherit the sin nature of Adam? No, see article about Mary, the mother of Jesus, which explains why Jesus did not inherit the DNA of any descendants of Adam and Eve.

Penalties for sin

• spiritual death
• physical death
• justice of God
• judgments of God
• Ultimately, eternal death—The Second Death—but, in God’s grace, this is avoidable (see: • Is Jesus Christ the answer? • What is the Gospel?, What is the Kingdom of God?, and What is a Christian?)

Does time cancel your sins?

“We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. I have heard others, and I have heard myself, recounting cruelties and falsehoods committed in boyhood as if they were no concern of the present speaker’s, and even with laughter. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin. The guilt is washed out not by time but by repentance and the blood of Christ: if we have repented these early sins we should remember the price of our forgiveness and be humble.” —C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Why was sin ever allowed by God?

Because God is omniscient and omnipotent, He could have blocked sinful events from ever taking place. His permitting them, however, in no way makes God the author of sin. We do not know all the reasons God allowed these events, however, believers trust by faith in His supreme wisdom and love that this course was necessary and serves an eternally good purpose that brings great glory to God.

God tells us that, at the proper time, all evil will ultimately be defeated, and the curse of spiritual death and physical death that it brought upon all living creatures will forever be lifted.

“His Omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible. You may attribute miracles to Him, but not nonsense. This is no limit to His power.

If you choose to say, ‘God can give a creature free will and at the same time withhold free will from it,’ you have not succeeded in saying anything about God: meaningless combinations of words do not suddenly acquire meaning simply because we prefix to them the two other words, ‘God can.’

It remains true that all things are possible with God: the intrinsic impossibilities are not things but nonentities.

It is no more possible for God than for the weakest of His creatures to carry out both of two mutually exclusive alternatives; not because His power meets an obstacle, but because nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God.” —C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Denial of the fall of mankind

Pelagians (and many people today) deny the reality of the original sin, and regard man as by nature morally and spiritually well. Semi-Pelagians regard humanity as morally sick.

Augustinians and Calvinists acknowledge that human beings are (as previously described above), spiritually dead in sins and are living in spiritual darkness (Ephesians 2:1; 1 John 3:14). This is indeed what Scripture teaches.

The doctrine of original sin is proved by…

• The fact of the universal sinfulness of human beings

  “…of Adam and fall short of the glory of God” —Romans 3:23

  “There is no one who does who does not sin.” —1 Kings 8:46 ESV

  “All we like sheep have gone astray;
  we have turned—every one—to his own way…” —Isaiah 53:6 ESV

  “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
  O Lord, who could stand?” —Psalm 130:3 ESV

  Also see: Romans 3:19; Galatians 3:22

• The total depravity of mankind

  All men are declared to be destitute of any principle of spiritual life; man’s apostasy from God is total and complete (Job 15:14-16; Genesis 6:5-6).

• Its early manifestation (sinful from birth) (Psalm 58:3; Proverbs 22:15)

• The necessity—absolutely and universally—of regeneration (John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

• The universality of death (Romans 5:12-20)

Types of sin

Various kinds of sin are mentioned in the Bible.

1. “Presumptuous sins,” or as literally rendered, “sins with an uplifted hand”, i.e., defiant acts of sin, in contrast with “errors” or “inadvertencies” (Psalm 19:13).

2. “Secret”, i.e., hidden sins (Psalm 19:12); sins which escape the notice of the soul.

3. “Sin against the Holy Ghost”, or a “sin unto death” (Matthew 12:31-32; 1 John 5:16), which amounts to a wilful rejection of grace. [See: Unpardonable sin]

How to identify sin

• The 10 Commandments, the the Decalogue
  also see: Why should followers of Christ use The Ten Commandments in evangelism? Answer
• breaking laws—judicial, moral or natural
• How do I know what is right from wrong? Answer
• How can I decide whether a particular activity is wrong? Answer
• What is “the unpardonable sin”? How does sin become “unforgivable?” Answer
• Is the new morality acceptable in Christian conduct today? Answer

List of sins (partial)

God’s remedy for sin

• What is repentance and why is it very important? Answer
• What is Regeneration?
• What is Sanctification?
• Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. —Romans 12:21 NASB
• Compare sin to these fruits of regeneration: love, goodness, righteousness, and holiness
• Forgiveness of sin | Pardon | Justification
• Faith
• The good news—Jesus Christ is the Answer
• Do you understand the big picture of what God has done and is doing? Take a journey in chronological order through the Bible, from Creation to eternity.
• Discover God’s promise for all people—told beautifully and clearly from the beginning. Discover The HOPE! Watch it on Christian Answers—full-length motion picture.
• Are you going to Heaven? Are you SURE you know the answer this extremely important question? Or have you made some common wrong assumptions? Find out now!…
• Will all mankind eventually be saved? Answer
• How can I be sure of my salvation?
• assurance of salvation
• How can I be and feel forgiven?
• If God forgives me every time I ask, why do I still feel so guilty?

More information

• What is SPIRITUAL DARKNESS?
• GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY, election, and man’s free will—What does the Bible say? Answer
• What is THE FEAR OF THE LORD? and why is it so important? Answer
• What is the “ANGER of God”? Answer
• What is the “FURY” of God? Answer
• Are we living in a moral Stone Age? Answer
• What are The 10 Commandments?
• About law in the Bible
• What is IMMORTALITY? Answer
• abomination
• What is a BLOT? Answer
• temptation
• What is REPENTANCE? Answer
• What is REPROBATE—or a reprobate? Answer
• What is a SIN-OFFERING? Answer
• salvation
• Justice…
  • justice of God
  • the final judgment
  • death
  • eternal death
  • atonement
  • azazel
  • expiation
  • forgiveness of sin
  • grace
  • imputation of sin
  • justification
  • propitiation
  • punishment
  • redemption
  • regeneration
  • sacrifice
  • sanctification

Places called “Sin”

Hebrew: סִין

• Sin—an important city in ancient Egypt

  also known as: Seyân, Sena, Pelusium, Pelousion, Per-Amun, Peremoun, Peromi

  The Greeks called it Pelusium (Pelousion), which means, as does also the Hebrew name, “clayey” or “muddy,” so called because of the abundance of silt clay found there.

  The prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 30:15) called this city the “the strength of Egypt,” because of its strategic importance and impressive fortifications. This gateway to Egypt was also famous for production of flax (linum) and beer, and was once Egypt’s second most important port, following Alexandria. Both ships and caravans stopped in this busy city, where goods from the Israel, Syria and beyond were sent throughout Egypt by way of the Nile and land routes.

  The modern name for the city’s ruins is Tell el-Farama, which is almost 4 miles long. Archaeologists have made many discoveries here, including a “20-acre fortress with 36 towers, 3 gates, and 7-foot-thick walls.” Much more remains to be uncovered.

• The Wilderness of Sin—an area of the Sinai Peninsula (Exodus 17:1)

  also known as: Desert of Sin, Ẓin

  The name “Sinai” means “of Sin”—that is, of the moon god named Sin.

  This wilderness is located between Elim and Sinai (Exodus 16:1; 17:1; Numbers 33:11; 3:12). In this area, the children of Israel murmured against God, and, in response, “the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud” (Exodus 16:10), and He provided them with quails and manna.

  Sinai Peninsula, Egypt—satellite view

Sin, the moon god of Babylonia

also known as: Sîn, Sīn, Su'en, Suen, Nanna

See: Moon worship

Temples to this false god have been found in…

• Haran/Harran (E-hul-hul)—a major ancient city in Upper Mesopotamia (near the modern village of Altınbaşak, Turkey)
• Sumatar Harabesi, Turkey
• Khafajah, Diyala Province, Iraq (ancient Tutub)—near Baghdad
• Ashur
• Ur (Temple of Sin)
• Sumer
• Akkad
• Assyria
• Babylonia
• Hadhramaut (south Arabian Peninusla)
• etc.

more information

• Moon god worship
• Who is Hadad, son of the moon god Nanna/Sin by Ningal?
• About idolatry and false gods in the Bible
• About idols in the Bible