What is Sin?

In the context of heaven and hell and eternity, the Bible definition of sin is “Missing the Mark”

“Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God.”1 John 3:4 New Living Translation

Are You Missing the Mark?
Tom, an experienced hunter, raised his rifle, and taking careful aim, fired at the attacking grizzly bear. The bullet missed its mark and the shaken hunter fired again. The bear reared up on it’s hind legs and lunged forward, falling only steps from Tom’s feet. “I don’t know what went wrong!” he exclaimed. Tom rarely missed his target, and he shuttered as he considered what might have happened to him. In a similar way we need to consider sin and its consequences.

Sin is “missing the mark” --- failing to hit the target with God’s standards. God has set standards of conduct and any failure, intentional or unintentional, is a sin. If you are concerned about pleasing God, then you will want to consider carefully what the Bible says about sin.

Transgression
It is wrong to add to, or take away from, the things God has revealed. Jesus said, “Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Are you inclined to accept or reject religious concepts on the basis of your opinion? If so, you may miss the mark by accepting more than God has authorized. The apostle Paul wrote, “But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). For example: praying to saints and the baptism of infants are not part of the message given through the apostles. Numerous other examples could be given. We must be careful to obey God in matters of religious practice.

Moral Standards
God’s standards are rejected by many today. Whether respected or rejected, they do not change. God will judge each person according to the deeds done in the body, whether good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10). “Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulters, nor effeminate [male prostitute or person who has sexual relations with homosexual], nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers (hateful toward another), nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). To engage in these practices is to “miss the mark.”

The Sin of Disbelief
Are you influenced by the pseudo-intellectualism that creates doubt concerning the validity of the Bible? Do you assume that maybe the Bible does not relate to our age at all? Have you studied the Scriptures thoroughly? Have you observed the many evidences for the existence of God and the Bible as His revealed Word to us?

It is necessary to believe in God to be pleasing to Him. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). If you believe in God, you must also believe His Word and obey it in order to please Him. To disbelieve is to “miss the mark.” “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Hebrews 4:2).

Are You Accountable?
Do you assume God will overlook errors you are not aware of? Jesus said, “... if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:14). It is your responsibility to study the Bible and follow it. You must not rely upon religious leaders. They may be sincere, but sincerely wrong!

If you are mentally competent and old enough to grasp the concept of sin, you are accountable to God. The Bible says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). For this reason Christ is needed in order to receive forgiveness for sin. If you want to please God you will try to avoid sin, but even with your best efforts you will “miss the mark.” This is why you need Christ as Savior. He lived a perfect life and was qualified to make atonement for sin.

The Choice is Yours
You can have forgiveness for past sins through faith in Jesus. If you believe Him to be the Son of God, then confess Him as the Christ and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins in obedience to His command. (Matthew 10:32; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:3-5). Then, as a Christian you may ask God for forgiveness each time you miss the mark. The Christian is instructed to repent and pray for forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgiveness us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). [Note the context; the “we” here is Christians who have already taken the steps necessary for salvation].

If you reject Christ, you will stand before God in judgment with the sins you have committed. That will cause you to be separated from God’s presence throughout all eternity in a place of continual punishment. “... Jesus shall be revealed with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power”
(2 Thesssalonians 1:7-9).Won’t you seriously consider the consequences of “missing the mark” and place your confidence in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

WHAT CAN YOU DO?You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16;Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).

WE WELCOME YOUFollowing the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ’s body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile our differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Together we seek to maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your comments or questions and would also be glad to find a congregation near you belonging to Jesus Christ and worshipping according to the Bible pattern.