Sin

Sin is not failure to meet a moral standard. It is rebellion against God. The first act of human sin in Genesis 3 is not a mistake made in ignorance; it is a deliberate choice to distrust God’s word, to believe a rival account of reality, and to claim for mankind what belongs to God alone: the knowledge of good and evil. Sin is, at its root, the creature refusing to be a creature.

The consequences are immediate and total. Mankind is driven from the presence of God, the ground is cursed, relationships are broken, and death enters the world. These are not arbitrary punishments but the natural result of turning away from the source of all life and goodness. Every subsequent account of human sin in Scripture extends what Genesis 3 describes: the same pattern of distrust, self-assertion, and the refusal to submit to Yahweh’s word.

The Bible uses several words for sin that together describe its full weight: transgression (crossing a boundary God has set), iniquity (a twisting or perversion of what is right), and sin itself (missing the mark of what God requires). None of these words soften what sin is. The Bible does not describe sin as weakness, limitation, or failure to reach full potential. It describes sin as guilt, as a moral debt that must be paid, and as a condition from which mankind cannot free himself. The articles below trace the Bible’s teaching on sin and what it requires.

Primary focus

Genesis 27: Deception, the Stolen Blessing, and God's Word Genesis 27 Genesis 3: The Broken Covenant and the Mercy of God Genesis 3 Genesis 34: Dinah's Defilement and the Violence of Jacob's Sons Genesis 34 Genesis 37: Joseph Rejected by His Brothers: The Anatomy of Sin Genesis 37 Genesis 38: Judah, Tamar, and God's Covenant Faithfulness Genesis 38 Genesis 4: The Escalation of Evil and the Hope of a New Seed Genesis 4

Also covers this theme

Exodus 10: The Plagues of Locusts and Darkness Exodus 10 Exodus 8: Judgment Intensifies as Pharaoh Hardens His Heart Exodus 8 A broken yoke at the foot of the cross Galatians 5 The cross of Christ stands on a hill at sunrise, the believer's only boast. Galatians 6 Genesis 19: The Destruction of Sodom and the Rescue of Lot Genesis 19 Genesis 20: Abraham, Abimelech, and the Faithfulness of God Genesis 20 Genesis 30: Jealousy, Rivalry, and Yahweh's Sovereign Blessing Genesis 30 Genesis 6: The Rise of Corruption and God's Righteous Judgment Genesis 6