What is sin?

Question

And please back up your answer.
And if you say something like 'missing the mark' or something like that, explain what that means.
Give real-life examples.

Answer 1

Sin is not being in the state of grace. A real life example would be, if I am driving my car down the street and someone cuts me off and I give him the finger, that would be a sin because I knew that it was wrong to make such gestures, but I did it anyway. I am no longer in the state of grace.
Please see http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm

Answer 2

Sin is anything that goes against your religion or personal morals system. In order for it to be a sin, you must have full knowledge of what you are doing, selfish/hurtful intent, and iffy subject matter. The idea of sin is something you have to be careful with though. You can literally drive yourself crazy. IF you think about anything hard enough, you can make it a sin. It works the other way too. You can rationalize almost any sin (except maybe child porn, child molestation, murder). The concept of sin is tricky business, and requires you to make up your own mind about things.

Answer 3

Sin is "falling short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)." Another way it could be put is, as you said, "missing the mark."
God has a perfect plan and call-He is perfectly holy in all His ways. Therefore, when we fall short of His holiness and act in a way that is contrary to His nature we are sinning.
Obviously sin can be overt acts like stealing, lying, and murder, but sin can also be smaller areas.
Let's say God asks you to give $50 to a poor person you know. You go to them and give $10. What have you done? Fallen short of God's glory. Missed the mark He was calling you to. Not followed in the nature of His perfect holiness.
And that is sin.

Answer 4

Sin is transgression of the law

Sin is the breaking of God's law. If God says "Do not lie" and you lie, then you have broken His law and sinned. When you sin, you offend God because it is His law that you have broken. Also, the reason God says to not lie, not cheat, etc., is because these laws reflect the moral purity of His nature. Therefore, the Law is a reflection of the character of God. It is wrong to lie because God cannot lie. It is wrong to steal because God cannot steal, etc. The moral law is not arbitrary. It is based on God's holiness.
The law, then, is a standard of moral purity. The Old Testament contains the Law of God. It is a perfect standard because it is God's standard. When we fail to keep the law, we sin. When we sin, we offend God. This offense against God results in a judgment. Laws are laws because they have penalties. There is no law without a penalty. Therefore, breaking God's law brings judgment which is separation from God. "But your sins have made a separation between you and your God," (Isaiah 59:2). And, "the wages of sin is death..." (Rom. 6:23). So, to sin, to break God's law, results in judgment. The judgment is known as damnation which is the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner. If God did not judge the sinner, then He is not upholding His holiness and he would be allowing sinners to go unpunished.
Of course, Jesus came to take our place and die for our sins (1 Pet. 2:24). This means that Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross and paid for them. He took the judgment upon himself. This further means that anyone who trusts in what Jesus did on the cross will have his sins removed; he will be saved from God's future judgment.
So, replying to the question "What is sin?" is best answered by saying that it is breaking God's law. All people have sinned. Therefore, all people are under God's judgment -- except for those who've trusted in God's provision to escape that judgment.
Where are you? Are you in the place of God's judgment or of salvation in Christ?

Answer 5

Sin is quite frankly, doing a act against God

The first sin was this

Genesis 3:1-7
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Answer 6

Sin means to trespass against god. Since there is no God, there is no sin.

The motive of sin is to instill guilt and thus nullify man's right to question moral commands.

In holding that man is innately evil, the doctrine of Original Sin, negates morality, nature, justice, and reason.

Answer 7

Sin is a concept invented by early religious leaders to make people feel bad about themselves so that they would be easier to rule and manipulate.

Answer 8

Calling things "sin" is a judgment.

Answer 9

sin is something to do with body consciousness. anger, greed, ego, lust and attachment are these sins. so if u perform these actions , its sin.

Answer 10

Disobeying any one of the ten commandments.