Sin is missing the mark.
What is the mark? It’s not just keeping the 10 Commandments. It’s living out the Great Command.
Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39 (New International Version)
There are sins of commission and sins of omission.
Paul is writing to the Church in Rome about eating meat sacrificed to idols and he says basically “let your conscience be your guide”, but he also points out:
If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning. Romans 14:23 (New Living Translation)
That’s a sin of commission.
James is writing about the uncertainty of life and comments the sin of omission:
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. James 4:17 (New International Version)
Both sins of commission and sins of omission violate the Great Command. We aren’t loving the Lord of God with all our heart, soul, and mind and loving our neighbour as ourselves.
This shouldn’t surprise us. John was writing to Christians when he wrote:
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. 1 John 1:8-2:2 (New Living Translation)
There is no condemnation in Christ. When you sin, confess it, repent, and make it right and trust Jesus’ blood has it covered.
This isn’t the end of the discussion, but if you have any questions, please ask them.
