A Three-Letter Word

When we moved to the final table at Thursday night's poker tournament, it was an amazing contrast.  Our seat had women on either side of us.  To our right sat the woman holding a John 3:36 medallion, who recently lost a close relative.  To our left sat a woman with a very different perspective.

We showed the woman at our left a small bottle of shampoo, serving as our card protector.  "I brought this to remind me that Jesus can wash away my sins."

"Is gambling your sin?" she asked.

(Some ministers probably would jump to her side right there.  But we'd note we play in free or entry-fee poker tournaments almost all of the time, instead of cash games where "gambling" occurs with real money changing hands.)

"We all have sins," is how we responded to the woman.  We know this from the Bible:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.... - Romans 3:23

 "How would you define sin?  What does sin mean to you?" we asked the woman at our left.

Her answer was a bit philosophical - involving actions that are not virtuous or proper.  But then came the punch line: "But since I'm an atheist, it doesn't make any difference."

Wow - without realizing it, we'd already mentioned Jesus to an atheist.  And we learned what an atheist thinks about a word which religious people are likely to use, but the world at large tends to avoid.

But back to our question - how would you define sin?  In the church groups we attend, ministers tend to have a cut-and-dried answer:

Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. - I John 3:4 (KJV)

Those ministers go on to define "law" as the breaking of God's Ten Commandments.  And yes, that's a definition of sin.  But if you search around the Scriptures, you'll discover it's not the definition of sin -- as there are many others.  Consider a couple of examples.

Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: 'The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing.  He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. - Deuteronomy 15:9

Review the Ten Commandments list in Deuteronomy 5, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anything about giving to needy people.  Yet God says failing to give is a sin.  Here's one more....

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.  And I will teach you the way that is good and right. - I Samuel 12:23

Our understanding of "sin" goes beyond not killing other people or coveting their property.  As the earlier verse hinted, we're supposed to think in an outgoing way toward other people.  If we don't show concern for them (such as in prayer), that's sin as well.

We encourage you to find a Bible with a concordance (a list of words in the back, with verses showing were those words appear).  Look up the verses about "sin," and consider whether you've been lax in any of the ways it's described.

You may wind up feeling guilty and convicted - but in the process, you'll hopefully also discover the antidote for sin.  We'll get into that in a future post.