In the Great Commission Jesus instructed his followers to teach all nations including what he commanded. They were to baptize new believers as a sign of their faith through salvation. He also promised to be with believers even until the end of the age. Curiosity encourages us to ask why. This, of course, goes back to the reason why Jesus came to earth to die on the cross for our sin. This makes us ask exactly what sin is.
Sin is an act, a state in which righteousness is absent, and is a stance that makes a person’s nature to be an enemy of God. It originated with Satan’s rebellion in heaven against God. (Isaiah 14: 12-14) Adam and Eve opened the door for sin to enter the world. (Romans 5:12) It was universal in everyone, except Christ. (1 Peter 2:22)
Sin’s results are both physical and spiritual death. (Romans 6: 23) It has no remedy other than the death of Christ on the cross as the perfect sacrifice. (Acts 4:12) To access the benefit from Christ is only by faith as we confess our acts and nature seeking forgiveness. (Acts 13: 38-39)
Sin is multifaced in how it can be understood. It is a transgression in which the boundary between good and evil is blurred. It is also called iniquity meaning an act that is forbidden. Sin is an error when the person departs from what is right. When we sin, we are missing the mark like an arrow overshooting the target. To sin becomes a trespass when we exercise our will over divine will. Like the father of sin, it is a type of lawlessness spiritually as did the creator of anarchy. As a person remains in sin, their unbelief is an insult to divine authority.
Herein is a disclosure of the many manifestations of sin. It is important that we monitor our spiritual condition so we might be conscious of who we really are in the depths of our soul. It is very easy for us to repeat the sin life after we have accepted Christ. That is why Jesus talked about the straight and narrow way in which we must grow spiritually. We have a duty to crucify Self so we can be the type of person God can bless and use.
