Identifying Sin

The Bible describes sin as transgression against God, the failure to measure up to His righteous standards, whether it be due to a rebellious heart or in ignorance.  While some sins are clearly defined, in practice distinguishing sin can be tricky.  Because the root of sin grows in our heart, basing our answers only on what we see can miss the point.  Pharisees who kept the letter of the Law of Moses were condemned for their pride by Jesus who knew the hearts of men.

It is a good question to ask when we are personally convicted by our conscience:  is this sin?  God's word often prompts us to consider and judge ourselves according to God's standard of righteousness rather than conform to the values of the world which justifies sin for countless reasons.  The flip side of identifying our sin is to repent and do what pleases God instead.  Avoiding sin is half the struggle:  we need to look to God in faith to be strengthened to do what He says is right.  If we only look at what we do or avoid doing we can miss the necessity to examine our own motives and intentions completely.  We will be forever chasing down symptoms of sin rather than rooting them out at the source.

Another important point is to understand there are things that are not sinful in themselves but are sin for you.  Boasting, for instance, often has a negative connotation because it is often evidence of pride.  Yet it is possible with a humble heart like David and Paul to make their boast in the LORD.  It is in this context of boasting in what we will do James wrote in James 4:17:  "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."  It is sinful not to acknowledge our complete need for reliance upon God for our lives.  We can sin by what we do and also by leaving what we know is good undone.  There are things that are legal but not helpful, activities which are not sinful in themselves but do not edify.  We are unwise to submit ourselves to what harms us and undermines our relationship with God (1 Cor. 6:12).

Even though Christians are not under the Law of Moses and our sins have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, this is no excuse to treat sin as without consequence.  See how James ended his epistle in James 5:19-20:  "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."  The implication here is brethren can wander from the truth.  This is not speaking of evangelism but the restoration of misguided believers who are going their own erroneous way.  Our salvation is assured by the Gospel, yet sin continues to retain its deadly consequences.  As we walk in the truth let us do good, repent of our sin and walk in humility before God and man.