What is "sin" to a Christian?

Question

Yesterday I asked what "sins" Jesus supposedly died for. I was given many answers. Some said it was the 7 deadly sins: lust, avarice, pride, wrath, sloth, gluttony and envy. Others said he died for The Ten Commandments. Yet others said that he died for murder (so that others would not do so.) Then there were those who said smoking and drinking were sins.

What is "sin" to a Christian? This time, can you all agree? If not, is the "sin" theory of Jesus's death just conjecture?

Answer 1

Love, tolerance and actually answering intelligent questions - to name but a few.

Answer 2

No, Jesus died for our sins. No one can give you a complete accurate list that we have all got together and agreed on. If you are not a Christian, why do you care?

There are many things that are sins, but its probably safe to give you the ten commandments (which btw include killing so that would cover murder) and the seven deadly sins. Smoking and drinking are not "sins" though doing either to excess probably is. The thing is, a sin is a sin, none is greater or lesser than the other and ALL people are sinners, there is no rating system.

When someone says, Jesus died for our sins, they are referring to the point that all our sins are forgiven; he died that we not suffer punishment for our sins. This is grace, which is a free gift to all of us (so you will know what is meant by a "state of grace").

When you ask someone what a sin is, they can only tell you what their understanding of a sin is and this is likely influenced by the church type or denomination they attend and their upbringing.

The bottom line is, whatever is considered a sin, we can ask and be forgiven for it because Jesus lived humbly among us and gave his life for us. No conjecture...just good old plain faith.

Answer 3

A sin is an offense to the natural order of things. When this happens it hurts us and our soul is damaged much like the regenerating factor of a cell. It is remade with a memory of that fault and then when we exercise that sin again and again it becomes stronger (the same can be said for virtue too) so every time we sin we make the sin stronger until the damage takes us over in death. Think of the act of homosexual acts. It is against the natural order of things and as a result our bodies become weaker. This is true of gluttony or sloth or envy or greed or any of the above mentioned sins.

Answer 4

The word "sin" means to fall short of a goal or mark. It is actually an archery term. It is used in religion when we fall short of what would be the ideal in any given situation. If we lie, cheat, steal, etc., we are not being the best person we can be, ergo, falling short of that goal. Since there are the "Ten Big Ones," these are used as a standard. Many denominations come up with their own brands (playing cards, looking at a woman, etc.). Jesus cut the ten down to just two: "Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, etc." And, "Love your neighbor as yourself." This also implies that you should love yourself and take care of yourself too. If you do these, then you will be far less likely to do anything that anyone could consider a sin. God Bless you.

Answer 5

Sin is anything that goes against the will of God. God can not sin by definition because His action is His will. We trust His judgment because it's the logical thing to do. An infinitely wise being has far better judgment than our own narrow understandings of the world. It is a matter of pride to think otherwise.

This is a highly philosophical concept so I'm positive you will get varying answers. Just because a theory is complex to the point that people will gift different answers in different ways doesn't make the theory wrong.

Answer 6

You are asking a lot of questions.

Jesus was a lot like Socrates. He liked people, had great friends, liked good food and drink, he spoke in parables and allegory, he popped people's balloons all the time, he was accused and sentenced to death by religious fundamentalists of being irreverent, he could have escaped death, he did not, so to send a message to future generations.

What is sin?

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle.” -- Confucius

“He whose sin is due to desires, then have hope for him. And he whose sin is due to pride, then fear for him – because Nabi Adam disobeyed due to desire and was forgiven, and Iblis sinned due to pride and was cursed.” – Sufyan ibn Uyainah

“To be a saint is the exception; to be upright is the rule. Err, falter, sin, but be upright. To commit the least possible sin is the law for man. Sin is a gravitation.” – Victor Hugo

“As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.” -- William Blake

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. – Jesus

I hope this made it clear. Just kidding. Different perspectives. All good.

Answer 7

HE DIED FOR ADAM'S SIN AND ALL OTHER SINS. JESUS IS ALSO REFERED TO THE LAST ADAM.

1 Corinthians 15:20-34, 45-50
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

45 So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Answer 8

Sin is going against God's will. We know His will by the commandments.

Nonetheless, sometimes the only one (other than God) that can decide if it is a sin, is you. You know what you did and WHY you did it. There are some things that are obvious murder, rape, adultery, etc others require a little more insight into actions and motives.:

1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

Phi 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Answer 9

Everything.

Absolutely everything you could ever do is a sin to some christian somewhere..... which is why you have to spend your whole life repenting to someone or something somewhere... which typically should (in theory) feed through to god.

And since they believe Jesus being killed conveniently serves as a blood-sacrifice for all that..... then its guaranteed that repenting in the form decreed to you (which varies from one christian to the next) will allow you forgiveness..... until about one second into the future, when your next action (be that breathing or thinking or whatever) will count as another sin against your name.


That is why christians spend their entire lives brown-nosing an imaginary deity...

Answer 10

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Peace.

Answer 11

I am not a Christian, but I believe that sin is literally 'missing the mark'. That is to say, not doing whatever it is that God commanded in the Old, and New Testament. (Those rules which still apply under the Grace of Christ, as opposed to those which were commanded under the law of Moses.)