What is God's definition of sin?

[reddogs]

If we look in scripture, God says that sin is breaking His law, "Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.

So if as some claim, the law no longer applies, is there no longer sin. Of course not, as we all clearly know.

So what does this mean, what does scripture identify as His law? Is sin breaking God's Ten Commandment law, and since the law of God is perfect, does it need changing? Or do the Commandments cover "the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13.

If they cover the whole duty of man, what do they tell us to do. If we look at them carefully we see the Commandments in the first four show love for God, the next six show love for our fellowman. So lets see how Christ explains it:

Matthew 22:34-40
"34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Thus was Christ covering all 10 when asked about them...

 

[whirlingmerc]

If we look in scripture, God says that sin is breaking His law, "Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.

So if as some claim, the law no longer applies, is there no longer sin. Of course not, as we all clearly know.

So what does this mean, what does scripture identify as His law? Is sin breaking God's Ten Commandment law, and since the law of God is perfect, does it need changing? Or do the Commandments cover "the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13.

If they cover the whole duty of man, what do they tell us to do. If we look at them carefully we see the Commandments in the first four show love for God, the next six show love for our fellowman. So lets see how Christ explains it:

Matthew 22:34-40
"34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Thus was Christ covering all 10 when asked about them...

Sin can be viewed several ways

Missing the mark
Falling short of a standard
Transgressing a boundary

but another view is not loving or glorifying God completely

We sin when we don't like up to God's standards
We sin when we don't live up to our standards for others

 

[The Reverend Bob]

Sin can be viewed several ways

Missing the mark
Falling short of a standard
Transgressing a boundary

but another view is not loving or glorifying God completely

We sin when we don't like up to God's standards
We sin when we don't live up to our standards for others

Pretty much imperfection

 

[leov]

Sin can be viewed several ways

Missing the mark
Falling short of a standard
Transgressing a boundary

but another view is not loving or glorifying God completely

We sin when we don't like up to God's standards
We sin when we don't live up to our standards for others

"an error of the understanding" Strong's Greek: 266. ἁμαρτία (hamartia) -- a sin, failure

 

[Scott C.]

If we look in scripture, God says that sin is breaking His law, "Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.

So if as some claim, the law no longer applies, is there no longer sin. Of course not, as we all clearly know.

So what does this mean, what does scripture identify as His law? Is sin breaking God's Ten Commandment law, and since the law of God is perfect, does it need changing? Or do the Commandments cover "the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13.

If they cover the whole duty of man, what do they tell us to do. If we look at them carefully we see the Commandments in the first four show love for God, the next six show love for our fellowman. So lets see how Christ explains it:

Matthew 22:34-40
"34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Thus was Christ covering all 10 when asked about them...

Since you are Seventh Day Adventist and I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we will have a differing view but maybe some common agreement. I believe there are still commandments. The Ten Commandments are still in effect. But I believe that Christ fulfilled the demands of the Law of Moses which included temporary restrictions to prepare his people for the advent of the Savior, at which time those restrictions would be lifted. But that does not remove all commandments and sin. In the Book of Mormon it says:

Mosiah 4: 29-30

29 And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.

30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

There are so, so many ways to sin in our thoughts, words, and deeds. If we keep the greatest two commandments to love God and fellowman, that will go a long way to keep us away from bad thoughts, words, and deeds that offend others and that offend God.

 

[Prestor John]

If we look in scripture, God says that sin is breaking His law, "Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.

So if as some claim, the law no longer applies, is there no longer sin. Of course not, as we all clearly know.

So what does this mean, what does scripture identify as His law? Is sin breaking God's Ten Commandment law, and since the law of God is perfect, does it need changing? Or do the Commandments cover "the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13.

If they cover the whole duty of man, what do they tell us to do. If we look at them carefully we see the Commandments in the first four show love for God, the next six show love for our fellowman. So lets see how Christ explains it:

Matthew 22:34-40
"34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Thus was Christ covering all 10 when asked about them...

The "law" alluded to in 1 John is not the "Law of Moses", but rather the eternal Laws of God that govern the Universe.

 

[Messianic Israelite]

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Thus was Christ covering all 10 when asked about them...

Hi reddogs. I'm new to this site but see we share similar views, but why just stop at the 10 commandments. They are other commandments in the Bible, such as the dietary laws, which should be observed too.

 

[reddogs]

Hi reddogs. I'm new to this site but see we share similar views, but why just stop at the 10 commandments. They are other commandments in the Bible, such as the dietary laws, which should be observed too.

The Ten Commandments are Gods law of love to show us sin, the dietary law is more for your health, and many are seeing the benefits. Have you heard of the Blue Zones, here is a link...https://www.bluezones.com/

Take a look also, at this one ...
Blue Zone - Wikipedia

 

[Messianic Israelite]

The Ten Commandments are Gods law of love to show us sin, the dietary law is more for your health, and many are seeing the benefits. Have you heard of the Blue Zones, here is a link...The Blue Zones Story - Blue Zones

Take a look also, at this one ...
Blue Zone - Wikipedia

I never heard of Blue Zones before, thanks for that. But respectfully, I don't think you have the right to pass judgement on the Laws of Yahweh. To say that the dietary laws are strictly for health purposes is mistaken. The only Biblical reason given is in Leviticus 11:46-47, to make a distinction between the clean and unclean. Do you want to be clean or unclean (abominable) in Yahweh's sight? Revelation 21:8 tells us the abominable will not be in the Kingdom, so I guess it's a matter of your conscience. Perhaps your conscience is already seared as with a hot iron so you can't take correction on this, but I wouldn't wait for the Judgment to find out that actually you should've kept the dietary laws.

 

[pearl]

I never heard of Blue Zones before, thanks for that. But respectfully, I don't think you have the right to pass judgement on the Laws of Yahweh. To say that the dietary laws are strictly for health purposes is mistaken. The only Biblical reason given is in Leviticus 11:46-47, to make a distinction between the clean and unclean. Do you want to be clean or unclean (abominable) in Yahweh's sight? Revelation 21:8 tells us the abominable will not be in the Kingdom, so I guess it's a matter of your conscience. Perhaps your conscience is already seared as with a hot iron so you can't take correction on this, but I wouldn't wait for the Judgment to find out that actually you should've kept the dietary laws.

Would you be so kind as to explain whether you believe in what Jesus states in Christian Scripture that seems to contradict Hebrew Scripture concerning dietary laws?

Mark 7:14-19 14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them." 16 17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18"Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19For it doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body."

 

[Christian Democrat]

To say that the dietary laws are strictly for health purposes is mistaken. The only Biblical reason given is in Leviticus 11:46-47, to make a distinction between the clean and unclean. Do you want to be clean or unclean (abominable) in Yahweh's sight? Revelation 21:8 tells us the abominable will not be in the Kingdom, so I guess it's a matter of your conscience. Perhaps your conscience is already seared as with a hot iron so you can't take correction on this, but I wouldn't wait for the Judgment to find out that actually you should've kept the dietary laws.

I agree with you that the dietary code in Leviticus was for something more than merely health reasons, but I respectfully disagree that this means we should keep them today. St Augustine, in Contra Faustum, sets out a contrast between Old Testament moral precepts - which are universally valid - and symbolic precepts, which were meant to distinguish the Jews (who were, then, God's favoured people and considered 'clean') from the Gentiles (who were 'unclean'). God chose to set apart one people from the rest and focus on allowing the Hebrews to come to know him, while all around them were hopelessly led astray by idolatry. Then, the Kosher laws were important as a symbol of God's specific covenant with the Hebrews. But now, the distinction between Jew and Gentile has been broken down, so there's no need for us to keep these laws. It's worth noting that several early Christian writers (Augustine, St John Chrysostom, Novatian) discussed how we don't need to keep the Kosher laws, and there's not a single one who said we do need to keep them. Of course you're quite entitled to keep the dietary laws if you wish, but there's very little to say that the rest of us have to. My view, anyway.