Sin Causes Death - So What's Sin?

In the previous article, I established that sin causes death. Therefore, we would do well to learn what God means by "sin!"

1 John 3:4
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

Sin is defined as lawlessness - living without regard for God's law. God gave His law to Israel in various parts of the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The apostles read these books to learn what sin was, and, if you really want to know what God considers to be sin, then you also need to read them - they contain the law that John was writing about in the above verse. It's the only law of God that there has ever been. It's the same law that Jesus Christ knew and followed perfectly. Additionally, Christ said the following about that same law:

Matthew 5:17
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus states clearly that not one bit of the law has been abolished - heaven and earth have not yet passed away! Therefore, what God decreed to be sinful thousands of years ago is still sin today - God does not change. Furthermore, because modern Christianity disregards this statement and doesn't believe that God's law is required today, most people have become completely ignorant of what God's law even says. They will read the bible, but when they get to a chapter in Leviticus on mildew or leprosy or animal sacrifices, they will skip over it, the same way I used to do, because they assume that it has absolutely no value for them. The apostles knew better. They read and studied the law for themselves, and they taught others how to live according to the law. For example, when Paul was writing to Timothy about how to be a shepherd of God's people, he said the following:

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The only scriptures that anyone had at that time were the Jewish scriptures - the Old Testament! And yet, aside from the fun stories like Samson and Deliliah, people don't know anything about what these scriptures actually say. But the real shame today is that people are so ignorant of the law that they throw away parts of it without even realizing it.

For example, a substantial part of Christianity claims to believe that people should at least keep the 10 commandments. However, at the same time, they patently ignore the 4th commandment: to keep God's Sabbath holy. It is an indisputable fact that God's Sabbath, as outlined in the bible, is from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday, and yet people choose to honor Sunday instead. Even still, they do not honor that day in the way that God commands the Sabbath to be honored - a couple of hours of church does not honor the entire day!  

Another common false teaching today is that God's grace and mercy allow us to live however we want. This is directly contrary to everything that the apostles taught!

Romans 6:12-14
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Notice that the phrase "you are not under law but under grace," which is often incorrectly quoted to say that Christians are not required to live by God's law, comes right after a discussion that clearly states that we should not sin - which is, by definition, breaking God's law! God's law has always been the same, and God has never given anyone a free pass to disobey Him! Notice that Paul even reinforces the idea that sin brings death by drawing a contrast: presenting yourself as an "instrument of righteousness" rather than an "instrument of sin" is a way of "being alive from the dead." If we live contrary to God's law, then we are dead - but, if we will instead desperately strive to live by God's every word, then we will be "alive from the dead." Paul makes it even more clear in other places that Christians should not use grace as an excuse for sin:

Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

I could attempt to give you an exhaustive list of everything that the law says to do or not to do, but it will really benefit you more if you read it for yourself, asking God to help you understand it so that you can do what is pleasing to Him. Start with the 10 commandments in Exodus 20 - read them carefully and consider what they mean. Cross reference these with what Jesus said about adultery and murder in Matthew 5:27-28 and 5:21-22. If Christ elaborated on these 2 of the 10 commandments in this way, shouldn't we also give some serious thought as to how such reasoning impacts the other 8? There is a reason why God frequently admonishes us in the Old Testament to meditate on His law!

In the next article, I'm going to continue building on the idea of being made "alive from the dead." Obviously, we've all sinned and fallen short, so that we deserve death. What exactly do we have to do to gain eternal life, and how does salvation work?