What is Sin?

In the last question, we began working on the topic of sin. But before we move on, we need a definition of sin.

Q. 14. What is sin?
A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.

Let’s work through this backwards. First, we see that sin is defined in terms of the law of God. Beginning in question 39, the catechism goes into great detail about the law, but for now, we can simply say that the law is both a reflection of God’s own holiness and his requirements for men. These are summarized in the Ten Commandments, but Jesus summarizes them even more into the laws of love: we are to love God and love neighbor. So sin is what happens when we live in a way contrary to the law.

That can happen in two ways. One way is transgression. This is drawn straight from 1 John 3:4, which says, “Sin is the transgression of the law.” To transgress means to go across something. In this case, transgression is walking across the law. Imagine you’re following a trail through the woods. If you decide to walk off the trail and start carving your own path, you have transgressed the trail. In the same way, when we transgress God’s law, we leave his marked out path of righteousness.

But when you leave the path, while that is a singular action, it puts you in a different state. This is lack of conformity. If you wander off into the woods, each additional step takes you further and further away from where you’re supposed to be. While you’re wandering through the woods, you remain out of conformity with the path. When we transgress God’s law, we find ourselves not only doing something wrong, but being something wrong. We remain in sin until we return to God’s path.

So sin is when we are not being or doing what God commands. Repentance from sin is returning to the law of God, stepping back onto his path. As we continue in the next few questions, we’ll learn about how we got off the path in the first place, the origin of sin.

Updates

Wednesday’s prayer meeting was fantastic, and the children packed a whole lot of Operation Christmas Child boxes! If you missed either of those things, we’ll be back at it this week, so be sure to join us!
Next week, our youth membership class meets Friday evening and Saturday morning. If you haven’t already, let me know if your child will be joining us.
Mark your calendars for the congregational meeting on December 8th.

Your friend in Christ,
Reid