Is something a sin because God says so, or does God say its a sin because it already is.?

Question

Good answer J-me. Cant say I am convinced with it, but its your answer to the question, and you put effort into it.

processdu... good answer also

Answer 1

God wrote the law, and the law defines sin.

Answer 2

I think it's both, it's just a matter of what comes first. I think, first, God says it's a sin b/c it already is; therefore, it's also that something is a sin b/c God says.
But just because he doesn't say, or didn't say, or didn't specify, every little sin there is possible doesn't mean that it's not sinful. I think there are probably some sins among us that were not mentioned directly in the Bible, so I think some things are sins, regardless of who does or does not confirm that in words.
It's like our existence. If we didn't say "I exist" out loud, would we cease to exist? No. I think it's the same way with sin. It's already a sin, and God may choose to declare or not declare it a sin out loud.
Hmm... Does that make sense to you? I just skimmed over it and it sounds crazily confusing... but I understand what I'm saying - I hope you do, too ;)
By the way, really interesting question. It made me think!

Answer 3

A sin is any thought or action that falls short of God's will. God is perfect, and anything we do that falls short of His perfection is sin.

The Bible actually uses a number of examples or "word pictures" to illustrate what this means. For example, it tells us that sin is like an archer who misses the target. He draws back his bow and sends the arrow on its way—but instead of hitting the bull's-eye, it veers off course and misses the mark. The arrow may only miss it a little bit or it may miss it a great deal—but the result is the same: The arrow doesn't land where it is supposed to.

The same is true of sin. God's will is like the center of that target—and when we sin, we fall short of His will or miss the mark. And this is something we do every day; as the Bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Even when we aren't aware of it, we commit sin by the things we do (or fail to do), or by the way we think.

This is why we need Christ, for only He can forgive us all our sins, and only He can help us live the way we should. We can't forgive ourselves, nor can we change our hearts and make ourselves better in God's eyes. But when we know Christ, He takes away our sins and comes to live within us by His Spirit. Does He live today in your heart?

Answer 4

I'm not sure there's a coherent answer to that question within the framework of a personalist conception of God. I'd phrase it differently: is the Good good because God says it is, or is it good by its nature? If God said evil were good, would it become so? And if it's God's fiat that decides what evil and good are, how would we even know if he were making evil good and good evil?

It just convinces me even more that there is no personal God. There may be an absolute reality which we perceive through moral intuition, but it doesn't have the character of a decision-making conscious entity. Thanks for pointing out another philosophical incoherency of traditional theism.

Answer 5

God never called anything a sin. God exists only in the superstitious imagination of believers. An imagionary being will say whatever the believer wants to hear.
That's the reason God says so many contradicting things to different people.

Answer 6

Sin is whatever causes death either directly or indirectly, immediately or over a period of time. Sin can be against oneself or others.

'Sin' is an old word, the meaning of which is fading and changing into a religious icon.

The answer to your question then would depend on your definition of sin because my definition could be vastly different than yours. Also, which God are you refering to? My assumptions are that you are refering to the Christian Bible and their God. In that case I would say, God who gives life defines what is contrary to life and calls it death and sin causes death. Sin is anything in opposition to Gods design.

Answer 7

Sin is defined as the disobedience to God.

I think the word you were looking for was EVIL. Evil exists apart from God. It is not of his character. So is my car red because it already it is? Or was it made red? God has solely defined everything in existance from a woodchuck to morality itself!

Answer 8

A sin is disobeying God.

Answer 9

Anything God says goes.

Answer 10

Ithink that it is a sin because it just already is.