What does the Bible say? What do you believe? And what are the implications either way?

The Upward Look, page 371.7
"The love of God ever tends to the fear of God--fear to offend Him. Those who are truly converted will not venture heedlessly upon the borders of any evil, lest they grieve the Spirit of God and are left to their own way, to be filled with their own doings. The Word of God is the Guidebook; turn not from its pages to depend upon the human agent. That Book contains the warnings, the admonitions, from God, the rebuke of every evil, the clear definition of sin as the transgression of the law which is God's great standard of virtue and holiness. . . . Not one who will study the Word of God and apply its teachings will miss the way."

The Bible and the SOP clearly teach that sin is the transgression of the law. Sin is not a state of being. It's not who or what we are. Sin is any thought, word or deed that violates the law of God. All other definitions are manmade and must lead to sin.

It is false definitions of sin that cause people to sin. How? It makes people take sin lightly, which in turn causes them to excuse sin. If sin is anything and everything, then sin is nothing at all, and sin ceases to be sin. And then people sin without guilt and feel no need to repent. Sin becomes so normal, that it no longer offends. Or the opposite is true. People become preoccupied with sin and they cannot keep their eyes on Jesus - their only source of victory over sin. And so they sin and sin.

People who sin easily are the ones who tend to accept false definitions of sin. Even though the Bible clearly teaches that born again believers do not sin, their frequent failures force them to justify sinning so easy. So they invent or adopt theories that pacify their troubled conscience, but which also contradict the plain promises of God. This causes them to twist the promises to mean something entirely opposite of what they clearly teach about sin and salvation. And it is these excuses they lead to sin.

Conflict and Courage, page 120.5
"The love of God will never lead to the belittling of sin; it will never cover or excuse an unconfessed wrong. . . . By indulgence in sin, men are led to lightly regard the law of God. . . . Purity of heart will lead to purity of life. All excuses for sin are vain. Who can plead for the sinner when God testifies against him?"

Desire of Ages, page 311.3
"The tempter's agency is not to be accounted an excuse for one wrong act. Satan is jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for their deformity of character. It is these excuses that lead to sin. There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God."

"We have before us the highest, holiest example. In thought, word, and deed Jesus was sinless. Perfection marked all that He did. He points us to the path that He trod, saying, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matt. 16:24.

"Christ unites in His person the fullness and perfection of the Godhead and the fullness and perfection of sinless humanity. He met all the temptations by which Adam was assailed, and overcame these temptations because in His humanity He relied upon divine power. This subject demands far more contemplation than it receives. Christians strike too low. They are content with a superficial spiritual experience, and therefore they have only the glimmerings of light, when ... they might discern more clearly the wonderful perfection of Christ's humanity, which rises far above all human greatness, all human power. Christ's life is a revelation of what fallen human beings may become through union and fellowship with the divine nature. . . .

"Men and women frame many excuses for their proneness to sin. Sin is represented as a necessity, an evil that cannot be overcome. But sin is not a necessity. Christ lived in this world from infancy to manhood, and during that time He met and resisted all the temptations by which man is beset. He is a perfect pattern of childhood, of youth, of manhood.

"The life of Christ has shown what humanity can do by being partaker of the divine nature. All that Christ received from God we too may have. Then ask and receive. . . . Let your life be knit by hidden links to the life of Jesus."

What can the MSDAOL forum members and visitors do to combat the false theories so widely taught and believed, and the tide of evil perpetuated in the name of Jesus?

Also, James says that "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin." So here sin is "defined" as not doing the good we know we should.

So we can't hang our whole understanding of sin on one verse.

Paul wrote, "Where no law is, there is no transgression." Rom 4:15. So, in what way did people sin before God wrote the law on stone? Did it exist orally before it was written?

What about Gen 26:5 - "Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." What commandments and laws did Abraham obey?

What is "the LORD's law" and "my law" mentioned in Ex 13:9 and 16:4. And what was God referring to when He said to Moses, "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?" Ex 16:28. And what was Moses talking about when he told his father-in-law, "I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws." Ex 18:16.

Mike: You quoted I John 3:4. That is a verse that fits nicely with my favorite aspect of sin. I believe you said something to the effect of: "Whoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: . . ." Does not this imply that one who sins breaks the law in addition to his sin. i.e. There is more to sin than simply breaking the law? (Yes I know that the last part of that verse is also important. I do not discard that.)

[ May 05, 2002: Message edited by: Gregory ]

The commandments of God are comprehensive and
far reaching; in a few words they unfold the whole duty of man. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. . . . Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself" (Mark 12:30, 31). In these words the length and breadth, the depth and height, of the law of God is comprehended; for Paul declares, "Love is the fulfilling of the
law" (Rom. 13:10). The only definition we find in the Bible for sin is that "sin is the transgression of the law"
(1 John 3:4). The Word of God declares, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). "There is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Rom. 3: 12). Many are deceived concerning the condition of their hearts. They do not realize that the natural heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked. They wrap themselves about with their own righteousness, and are satisfied in reaching their own human standard of character; but how fatally they fail when they do not reach the
divine standard, and of themselves they cannot meet the requirements of God."

The reason the other scriptures are not a true definition of sin is that the law is not inclused as the standard of measurment of sin. One may not do what they thing is right...but what is the right they must know. "all unrighteousness is sin"? but what is unrighteousness.....etc. nothing is left out of the scripture, no questions remain with this one..."Sin is the transgression of the law." Bottom line.

The Signs of the Times----DT- 03-03-90
In order to let Jesus into our hearts, we must stop sinning. The only definition for sin that we have in the Bible is that it is the transgression
of the law. The law is far-reaching in its claims, and we must bring our hearts into harmony with it. Men may wrap themselves about with their own righteousness, they may reach their own standard of character, but they do not reach the standard that God has given them in his word. We may measure ourselves by ourselves, and compare ourselves among ourselves; we may say we do as well as this one or as that one, but the great question is, Do we meet the claims that Heaven has upon us? The reason why iniquity prevails
to such an alarming extent is that the law of God is made void in the earth. His law spoken from Sinai and exemplified in the life of Christ,
is perfect, converting the soul. It condemns every sin, and requires every virtue. Not only does it demand a correct outward deportment, but its principles reach even to the thoughts and affections of the heart. "Behold," said the psalmist, "thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom." In the light of the law,
covetousness is seen to be idolatry, lust adultery, and anger murder. No wonder that the carnal mind is enmity against God, and not subject to his law."