Sin is any act or attitude that displeases God, we say. And that's true. But I find it very helpful to press our definition of sin a step further to get at the essential nature of sin in its relationship to that positive and powerful force in the Christian life, namely *faith.* Here's what the writer says back in Chapter 11, Verse 6, in Hebrews, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God..." Now that implies two things - since sin is anything that displeases God, and since without faith you can't please God, therefore, if you don't have faith, everything you do is sin, because it displeases God. And the second thing, is that this suggests very strongly that there is a close connection, if not a causal connection, between not having faith and sinning. And Romans 14:23 confirms that connection explicitly: Paul says, "Whatever is not from faith, is sin..." In other words, the essential nature of those actions and attitudes which we call sin is that they are prompted, or motivated, by a heart that is not trusting God. The thing that makes an attitude or an act displeasing TO God is that it doesn't grow out of faith IN God. Sin is displeasing to God precisely because it comes from a failure to rely on God - it is not the product of faith. John Piper, Sexual Relations in Marriage, Feb 15, 1981
posted by: Nick Finzer (reply)
post date: 05.10.07 (2:02 pm)
This is a great post! People often ask "What is sin?" or "Why does God allow evil?" Sin and evil, are the lack of God. Like cold is the absence of heat, and darkness the absence of light, so is sin the absence of God. God created man and angels with free will, and as a consequence both have chosen evil. Why then give us free will? Because God is a God of Love. Love implies sharing and love implies freedom. As a Trinity of love, God desired to share His life with created persons made in his image, who would be capable of responding to him freely in a relationship of love. God, therefore- desiring to share his love- created not robots, who would obey him mechanically, but angels and humans endowed with free choice.
