SIN

What is sin? I believe that the erudition is there in almost every human that the major problem between human and their creator is sin. In these present times, the issue of sin has been so controversial. The issue lays in that almost every religion, denomination and personalities have their own definitions of sin. Each person/organization lays out his own views of sin thus resulting in that what is sin to Mr. A is not sin to Mr. B. In all these, is there any standard for sin or these diverse opinions of people right? Let’s go biblically.

We are armed with the knowledge that sin came through one man (Adam) and thus death followed. All the players (true spiritual players sent by God) in the personalities of Moshe (representing the Torah (Law) with Eliyahu (Elijah) representing the guardians of the Law i.e. the Prophets) and Yehoshua ha Mashyach (representing the Grace) came into existence because of the problem of sin. “Why is then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator” (Galatians 3:19). “For the grace of God that brings salvation (from sin) has appeared to all men,  teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts (sin), we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” (Titus 2:11-12). With these, we see that the duty of the Law was all about sin (what sin is, how sin came about, and how the solution from sin will come). The duty of the grace is to bring solution to the problem of sin (save man from sin) and teach man how to avoid sin.  Note that it was the duty of the grace to save man from sin and not that of the law and also that the law taught everything about the grace. Now the question comes in again, what is sin?

Apostle Yehocanan (John) declared in 1 Yehocanan 3:4: “Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law”.   What is the Law of which sin is the transgression of? The first thing that comes into many people’s thought is the law given through Moshe. As I said earlier the law through Moshe came into existence because of sin. Galatians 3:17 made us know that the law of Moses came 430 years after the promise was made to Abraham, thus many years after the emergence of sin. The law in reference is the same law Apostle Yaakov (James) called the royal law in Yaakov 2:8. He referred to it as “love your neighbor as yourself “and going down, gave some points of the law as “do not commit adultery” and “do not kill”. This was supported by Apostle Shaul in Romans 13:8-10 adding “you shall not steal”, “you shall not covet”, etc. A full view of this royal law was given by Yehoshua in   Matityahu (Matthew) 22:36-40 – you shall love Yah your God and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. These two serve as the summary of the Ten Commandments.

Someone might ask “are these two not in the law given through Moses? How come they are called a law on their own? Yes, they are but are there for a purpose. Remember that the law through Moses was there because of sin and sin is the breaking of the Ten Commandments. Since the law came in to teach about sin, the Ten Commandments became the major player in the law as stated in Matityahu (Matthew) 22:36-40. The royal law also acts as the major player in the grace since the grace came to solve the problem created by its transgression. Our savior made it succinct in Matityahu 22:36-40 that even though these two great commandments are in the Torah but the Torah hung on them (vs. 40). More view about this is seen in the design of the tabernacles (the one built by Moshe and the heavenly one, though the one built by Moshe was just a pattern of the one in heaven). Both Yehoshua and Moshe are mediators standing by the side of the ark of covenant; Moshe mediated the old covenant and Yehoshua, the new covenant (upon the demise of Moshe, the book of the law took position beside the ark (Deuteronomy 31:26)). Yeremayah 31:31 and Hebrews 8:6-13 made us know that both the old and new covenants contain the same Ten Commandments with the exception of the form they are in- the old written on tablets of stone, thus physical while the new, in our hearts and spiritual. Therefore, though the Ten Commandments were written in the law but it was special and had a special position outside the law (inside the ark). This is the same case with the grace. I would like to say that just like the law was hanging on the Ten Commandments, so also the grace is also hanging on it. It was this same royal law that Apostle Paul called the law of God in Romans 7:22. The royal law was also referred to as the word of God, the commandments of God (see the article THE TRADEMARK OF GOD), the covenant of God and Love (see LOVE and LOVE- the Ten Commandments).

In conclusion, sin is the transgression of the royal law. Someone might say “so, I can just start keeping the Ten Commandments”. We have to bear in mind that the problem of sin has already created the divide between God and man. The problem needs to be solved through the mediator. Thus, one needs to receive the grace by receiving the bearer and believing in his name, Yehoshua. The grace, through Yehoshua, will then be one’s guide into freedom from sin and tends to mediate in case where one missteps.