"...sin is missing the goal of living a life that is in harmony with God's Eternal Law"
This concept of sin indicates that we have a desire to live according to God's will, but we are falling short of our goals. There could be reasons for this such as: lack of commitment, or giving into peer pressure. This idea of missing the mark is strongly evident throughout the Old testament. It is shown by many of Israels greatest heroes who sometimes just fell short. For example, David was one of the most virtuous and faithful kings of Israel, but even he committed adultery and arranged for the husband of the woman he got pregnant to be killed in battle. This concept is also acknowledged in the New testament. In one of Paul's letters he wrote "What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate" (Romans 7:15). Failing at you attempts to reject sin can prove as useful if it helps you realize that it is not something you can do on your own. We can only overcome sin with the aid of God's grace, and the Spirit's strength.
"every sin is a lie against the truth, a lie about what truly brings God's saving love and joy into the world"
This quote gives a lot of insight to sin and why people often fall into it. It is saying that sin is a lie. People often convince themselves that committing a small sin will make them happy. They believe that cheating on a test in order to score higher, or that stealing something they really want, or getting revenge will make them happy. This is simply a lie. These thing may make the person happy for a short time but in reality they hurt our relationship with God which is our source of true happiness. Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life"( John 14:6). In order to achieve true happiness we must reject sin and live a life according to God so that we may one day be completely united with him.
 |
| Jesus speaking to Nicodemus |
This quote is a simple yet valuable explanation against sin. When we sin we are going against God's saving plan. Sinning is rejecting God's will, and taking matters into our own hands. When we sin against God we are putting ourselves before God. Sin is also a rejection of the reason that we were given to understand God's natural law. God gave us this gift so that we can all tell what is and isn't sin. Sinning is when we know what we are doing is wrong and we do it anyway, and it is what damages our relationship with God.
"Some people believe that we are only responsible for the sins we directly commit"
This is a mistake that many people make without realizing it. These sins that we commit directly are sins of commission. These are the sins that result directly from our actions. For example: cheating, stealing, and bullying are all sins of commission. On the other hand you have sins of omission, these sins are a result of failing to do something that is required by God. For example, you see somebody commit a crime but when you are questioned by the police you act as if you know nothing. This would be considered a sin of omission, because even though you did not directly tell a lie you are still required by the 8th commandment to tell the truth in this situation.
"Some sins seem to infect societies"
This quote addresses the issue of social sin. Social sin is when personal sin is so widespread that it becomes an accepted attitude. Social sin can be very dangerous in this way because it can corrupt society. An example of social sin would be slavery in the early stages of the U.S. Many people practiced slavery, as a result it was though of to be okay, even though it is a serious offense against God. Other types of social sins could be racism, sexism, or ageism. The problem in social sin is not only in each individual who is committing the personal sin, but also in those who do not challenge these practices.
 |
| 7 deadly sins |
