What the Bible says about Sin, Definition of
(From Forerunner Commentary)
"The glory of God" in this context is the way He lives. Hamartia, sin, is to fall short of the ideal, to miss the mark in the way we live. Combined with sin's definition in I John 3:4, hamartia ties what we might think of as rather minor, unimportant, and secondary issues directly to the law of God.
John W. Ritenbaugh
What Sin IsRelated Topics: Falling Short | Falling Short of the Glory of God | Falling Short of the Ideal | Glory of God | God's Law | Hamartia | Law of God | Missing the Mark | Sin | Sin, Definition of
Sin is missing the mark of what God wants us to do. II Timothy 3:7 speaks of "always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." This verse is the negative way of phrasing the same concept. We have all the knowledge about what to do and how to live righteously, but if we fail to do it, to put it into practice, it is sin to us. It becomes a selfish pursuit of knowledge, and we are missing the reason that God gave it to us. The word sin is hamartia: missing the point, missing the mark. James 1:27 says, "Pure and undefiled religion . . . is . . . to visit orphans and widows in their troubles, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Notice what he puts first: Pure religion is helping those who are in need, showing your love to them, and then it is keeping oneself pure. Remember, the knowledge God gives us is predominantly and ultimately practical, useful, helpful, outgoing.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
It Takes a ChurchRelated Topics: Hamartia | Knowing God | Knowledge of God | Pure and Undefiled Religion | Sin | Sin as Missing the Mark | Sin of Omission | Sin, Definition of