This question could hardly be simpler, but I suggest that the answer is profound. Before we go any further, though, please give some thought to answering the question yourself: “Sin is …………”.
Limits
I expect that there may be many things that could spring to mind. We might think of sins related to lust, in its various forms, or we may relate sin to dishonesty, etc. But they all come down to one single thing, a refusal to accept legitimate constraints on our behaviour. We see this at the beginning of Genesis, where God gave man free rein, except that he placed just one, single limit on what man may do. Of all the plants in the Garden of Eden, there is only one, the fruit of which must not be eaten (Genesis 2:16,17). The supermarket stores in the UK offer a vast range of products of varying types. Suppose there was just one of these that sat on the shelf, but which customers were prohibited from buying – how do you think people would react? Admittedly, most of us would probably just accept this limitation, but there would surely be those who would complain about the restriction, or who would try to take this item through the checkout unnoticed. The nature of man is to resist constraints.
Restraint
Adam and Eve’s rejection of that one constraint had an enormous impact on mankind from then onwards, something that we all live with. Primarily, this means that we have inherited their inclination to resist constraints; we call this original sin. But we also live with the raft of additional constraints that God put in place as a consequence. Not, it must be noted, as a punishment, but as a limitation that was imposed for our own good, because we are wayward people. We find this in Genesis 3:16-19, which speaks of the consequences for women and for men, including the cursing of the ground and the labour that would be entailed in obtaining food. God did not turn his back on mankind but provided a framework of discipline to restrain our waywardness.
Rest
Subsequently, God gave the people whom he set apart as his own, the ten commandments that were to govern their behaviour (Genesis 20:1-17). These are very straightforward and easy to understand. They are behavioural constraints that are partly intended as a basis for community living. Some Christians feel that these apply to the Jewish nation, rather than to the church, and that they belong to the realm of law, rather than grace. We might appreciate that both of these arguments are legitimate, but maybe we should ask ourselves which of the commandments no longer applies; surely they are each entirely valid for us today.
Many struggle with the one about the Sabbath day, but we see the need for rest exemplified by God himself in Genesis 2:1-3. While this doesn’t explicitly say that man should rest on the seventh day, it does state that God ‘made it holy’, which means set apart. Surely this phrase relates to man rather than to God himself. We know, of course, that as Christians we recognise Sunday as a sabbath, the first day of the week rather than the last. We also appreciate that some types of work must still be done on Sundays, such as caring for the sick, but the important thing is that we recognise that God has directed us to take a day of rest, which is a part of his design for us. If we are to honour him, then we should take this constraint seriously.
Independence
Let’s now think more about some general areas where we are liable to resist constraints. These each relate to what we imagine is our self-interest; what we think is best for us. One that springs to mind is Western society’s obsession with independence. This seeks to avoid the constraints that a relationship with others would place upon us. We see this illustrated very clearly in the avoidance of marriage, where people prefer to live together informally, because that way they feel that they can maintain a level of independence. In contrast, biblical marriage is all about dependency; it entails being one together at the deepest level, interdependent. We also see the inclination to resist constraints illustrated through the level of marriage breakdowns that are at epidemic proportions in the West, even amongst Christians.
Self-promotion
It has probably always been a ‘thing’, but today there is an emphasis on self-promotion in its various forms. Many people do have low self-esteem, and that is not good, but the answer isn’t self-promotion, whether within our own minds and hearts or our public persona. As Christians, we should be wedded to the truth – about ourselves and about other people. There is no place for dishonesty. God speaks truth to us, and we need to receive this from him, allowing our thinking and our actions to be constrained accordingly. We find this in John 8:31,32, which states that “…the truth will set you free.” Embracing the truth about ourselves is key to living in freedom. Recognising our faults and failings is the first step to change and liberation. And, recognising and accepting the truth about others helps us to live in peace with our neighbours.
Laziness
A third area where we may be liable to resist constraints can be summarised as laziness. Perhaps we are simply casual or careless about observing constraints. For drivers, this might relate to how careful we are to observe the rules of the road: we may be sloppy about giving other road users clear indications of our intentions, or we may be reticent to follow speed limits, or have poor lane discipline on a motorway.
We may have a ‘can’t be bothered’ attitude. Laziness can also relate to a lack of care to avoid waste. We may think that the relatively small amount of food or other products that we waste is of no importance, but as Christians, we should recognise that everything that we have is from God’s hand and has been entrusted to us; surely our actions should reflect this truth. See 1 Chronicles 29:14; Deuteronomy 8:17,18; 1 Corinthians 4:7.
Challenge
We have seen that at the heart of sin is a resistance to accept constraints, from wherever these originate. There may be some that are not genuine or legitimate, but I am not going to get into consideration of what these might possibly be, except to say that I think there are very few. See 1 Peter 2:13-17
Let me conclude by asking a question. If the essence of sin is a refusal to accept constraints, are there any of these that you yourself are unwilling to accept, and if so, what are they? Then there is one further question: What does God have to say about that, whether in the Bible or through Holy Spirit conviction?
We all know that we are sinners, albeit sinners who have been saved by the grace of God. But that is no excuse for either deliberately or carelessly continuing to behave in ways that we know are not pleasing to him.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV)
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