SIN - What is sin?

Man was created in God’s image with the purpose of glorifying God. But one look around makes it clear that somewhere between creation and now, things drastically changed. What happened? 

Sin. Way back in the garden, the very first man and woman decided to break God’s only law by going their own way. The consequence of this sin was death, manifested first spiritually through separation from God and distance in their relationship with Him. They no longer walked with Him in the cool of the evenings and life was hard. Thoughts of their purpose were clouded with hard work, pain, disappointment, discontentment, fear, and selfishness.  

Sin also brought physical death as man’s life would now have a definitive end… a ticking clock that once expired, would mark the moment His choice regarding eternity (Heaven or Hell) could no longer be altered. 

Sin wasn’t isolated to Adam and Eve. It spread to all people and continued to wreak havoc among God’s creation. Later, God would give 10 commandments to guide His people in following Him righteously (in what is right), but that list merely proved man’s inability to choose right and uphold God’s laws. It put a spotlight on man’s sin.

You may wonder, didn’t God know Adam & Eve would choose sin? Didn’t He know the destruction that would come because man would choose to follow their own sinful desires, rather than God’s perfect law, over and over again? So why would He allow it?  Wouldn’t we better off without it?  

And after salvation, why doesn’t man escape his sin nature? Why doesn’t God just remove a person’s desire to sin so that the light of Jesus can shine through them even more brightly? 

This week, we’ll answer these questions and more as we look at:

Essential #8 - Sin is anything man thinks, says, or does that breaks God’s law (His Word- the Bible). While sin can be choosing wrong, it is also neglecting what is right. Sin separates man from God through spiritual death and is the cause of man’s physical death as well. While sin originated with Adam and Eve, all people are born in sin and have a natural desire to do wrong. Sin is unavoidable for man but is designed to illuminate man’s need for Jesus.

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1 John 3:4 | Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

1. What is sin? 
2. If sin is breaking God’s law, where can we find God’s law? 
3. What is the first sin God makes a law against?

Genesis 2:15-17 | The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Exodus 20 | The Ten Commandments (Read Exodus 20:1-17)

1. You must not have any other god but me (verse 3)
2. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind… (verse 4)
3. You must not misuse the name of the Lord  your God… (verse 7)
4. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy (verse 8)
5. Honor your father and mother… (verse 12)
6. You must not murder (verse 13)
7. You must not commit adultery (verse 14)
8. You must not steal (verse 15)
9. Your must not lie (verse 17)
10. You must not covet (want what isn’t yours) (verse 17)

1. Read through the 10 commandments. Which are easiest for you to keep?

1. Which of the 10 commandments do you struggle with the most? 
2. Why is breaking these laws a problem? 

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    • How does sin impact your relationship with God? 
    • How does sin impact your ability to fill your purpose?

James 4:17 | Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

1. Sin isn’t just doing what is wrong. It is also not doing what is right. What are some right things to do?  
2. How are you doing with “right?” Are there any right things you are not doing? If so, what?