salvation

What is Sin? Correcting our Definitions

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Words are symbols that communicate specific ideas. When we hear a word it means something to us. If our definition is wrong, or if we use the same word in a culture to whom it means something different, we will clearly fail to communicate.

A funny life example. While living in France, I was asked in polite company during an intergenerational meal, if I enjoyed French food. My answer was “Very much, I especially appreciate that the French don’t use “preservatifs” in their cooking”. This was followed by a round of giggles and chuckles. You see, to the French in France, this means “condom”. My definition was different than theirs and the result, in hindsight, quite hilarious.

I have always been told that the New Testament definition of sin is “missing the mark” and because the teachers who taught me this seemed to be so engaged in looking things up and making sure the language was right, it never occurred to me to look it up, until now. Why?

Romans 3:23

In Context in the Amplified Bible “22This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, 24and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] [c]grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, 25whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] [d]sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion]. 26It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on Him as Savior].”

It stood out to be that all have sinned (past tense) AND (something more or different) presently and ongoingly fall short of the glory of God. Yahweh does not repeat Himself in vain so surely these must mean different things. I looked it up and it turns out these are different definitions.

from https://biblehub.com/greek/264.htm

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 264 hamartánō (from 1 /A “not” and 3313 /méros, “a part, share”) – properly, having no share in; to sin, which always brings forfeiture – i.e. eternal loss due to missing God’s mark. Like 266 /hamartía, 264 (hamartánō) is regularly used in ancient times of an archer missing the target (Homer, Aesch., etc). Every decision (action) done apart from faith (4102 /pístis) is sin (Ro 14:23; cf. Heb 11:6). See 266 (hamartia).

from https://biblehub.com/greek/5302.htm

HELPS Word-studies

5302 hysteréō (from 5306 /hýsteros, “last”) – properly, at “the end,” i.e. coming behind (to “be posterior, late”); (figuratively) coming behind and therefore left out; left wanting (falling short).

5302 /hysteréō (“failing to fulfill a goal”) means to be in lack and hence, unable to meet the need at hand because depleted (“all run out“). This state of lack (insufficiency, privation) naturally results when a person misses out on what is vital.

It turns out this is equally true of the Hebrew Words for sin, transgression and iniquity. The definition includes the “crime” and the deserved “penalty” for the crime.

If I say I am a sinner, I am saying I am one who has forfeited my part in eternal glory. From now on I will be plain and delighted to confess that I truly am sinless (one who has not forfeited my part in eternal glory to missing the mark) but that I am a “faller short of” God’s perfection and so grateful that Yahshua delivered me from the forfeit part. What a relief to know that we can be deficient and lacking and yet not sin. I must balance this by sharing that the Bible makes no room for ongoing and wilfull defiance and breaking of His Word and says indeed there is no covering or redemption for willful and repetitive sin.

Hebrews 10:26 NLT
“Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.”

https://biblehub.com/greek/5302.htm

In an interesting note, I now have over 800 verses between the Old and New Testaments to reread inlight of this correction to my understanding. I love it when Yahweh blesses me in correcting me.

Defining grace…. scripturally speaking

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I think the grace of God is one of the hardest things for any person to fully wrap their head around. At this time, I would say it is most likely impossible to fathom it fully for its depth and complexity. This doesn’t seem to keep us all from trying though. So I thought it might be an interesting adventure and study to start to put together the scriptures that seem to express some aspect of grace.

As a little side note, I find a Concordance to be an invaluable resource for Bible study as it gives you the specific original greek or hebrew word in the very sentence you are reading.  Often, there are more than one greek or hebrew word, with different definitions that are all translated to one single english word.  Hence, there is much that can be lost and confused in the translation.  But a Concordance helps fill in some of those gaps.

To start, I thought it would be good to have the definition of the actual word grace.

Here is the Strong’s Concordance definition for the Greek Word grace (in the KJV, this is the same greek word every time it is translated into English)

(5485)

ca>riv, — khar’-ece; from (5463) (cai>rw); graciousness (as

gratifying

), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal,figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude): —  acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace (-ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).

Where the confusion has come in is that one of the Hebrew (I say one as in Hebrew there is more than original Hebrew Word that is translated as grace into English) definitions “the unmerited favour of God” has been adopted and used throughout the Bible both Old and New Testament wise.   There is no doubt that part of grace includes unmerited favour as the scriptures themselves spell this out.   But we must faithfully apply the actual meaning of the greek word to understand the word grace when we see it in the New Testament in the context of the scriptures in which it is found.

Two scriptures to start:

Philippians 2:12-16 (AMP)

“12 Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).

13 [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction anddelight.

14 Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves],

15 That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world,

16 Holding out [to it] and offering [to all men] the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may have something of which exultantly to rejoice and glory in that I did not run my race in vain or spend my labor to no purpose.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

“8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

For me, what jumped out was that the purpose of our redemption and outpouring of His grace is so that we can do “the good things He planned for us long ago”.  This is reflected in the Philippians verse “at work in you (energizing and creating in you the power and desire) both to will and to work for HIS GOOD PLEASURE and SATISFACTION and DELIGHT”   It seems to me that God doesn’t do these things so that we can have a better self-focussed life but rather to equip us and prepare in every single area for serving and living with a God-centred, God serving life.

Have you ever heard someone ask “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”?  I don’t  when or where I heard this but somehow I know it is just one of those questions floating out there that people say there is no sure answer to.   The Bible says that God made the birds with the ability to reproduce (Genesis 1) so for me the issue is settled.   The Bird came first and then laid the egg.

I believe that salvation comes first, as a free gift as Ephesians 2 spells out.   And that grace comes part and parcel, but that it in part specifically given to us so that we will have the desire, power and ability to do what pleases God and no longer live for ourselves and OUR good pleasure.  Something to think about hey?