Sin is always the same thing, regardless of religion — and that raises a very important question: did God create different religions with different beliefs? No. God is one God, and therefore God has one truth. God never changes. God cannot say the moon is both white and red at the same time. This means that one religion holds the truth and the others are false. It also means that sin is always the same thing and can never change. So when we ask what counts as a sin in Christianity, we are asking one of the most important questions a human being can ask.
Consider this: can a police officer be partial — punishing one person while letting another person who committed the exact same offense go free? No. That would be unjust. In the same way, can God send one person to hell and let another person who did the very same thing go free? No. The Bible says in 1 John 3:4 that sin is the transgression of the law. That is the definition of sin. The law of God is the Ten Commandments. If there were no law, there would be no sin. Let us find out what truly counts as a sin in Christianity.
What Is Sin? — The Definition of Sin in the Bible
We have established that sin is the transgression of the law. But when was this law given? On Mount Sinai, God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses — yet this law has existed since the Garden of Eden. Right and wrong are simply a reflection of God’s own character. What counts as a sin in Christianity? Breaking the law of God. There is the moral law — the Ten Commandments — and the ceremonial law, which was given specifically to the Jewish people.
The Ten Commandments are binding on all human beings. Even those who do not believe will be judged by the Ten Commandments. Ecclesiastes tells us to act and speak as those who will be judged by the law. It also tells us that we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. What a sobering thought — every human being will stand before God to answer for every word, every action, and every thought.
Sin is breaking the law of God. Who has ever kept the law of God perfectly? No one — except Jesus. Jesus never sinned. All His life He was tempted just as we are tempted, yet He never fell into sin. But no one on earth has ever kept the law of God for an entire lifetime without sinning even once. What do we deserve for sinning just once? Romans tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. For just one sin, we deserve to be destroyed forever. Only the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross gives us hope — believing in His death and resurrection to receive the forgiveness of our sins.
Sin is breaking the law. The commandments include: no stealing, no killing, no adultery, no coveting, honouring parents, keeping the Sabbath, no lying, loving God above all, no worshipping images, and no taking the Lord’s name in vain. It is all summed up in loving God and loving others. It is summed up even more simply when Scripture says that love is the fulfilling of the law. But how do we go deeper to understand what truly counts as a sin in Christianity?
What Is Sin? — The Hidden Sin of Legalism
Legalism is found in every religion, and many non-religious people are legalists as well. A legalist is anyone who believes they are a good person — that they have few or no defects of character. A legalist is someone who thinks that even if they made mistakes in the past, they are now a righteous person and that God should be grateful to have them on His side. Atheists who think this way feel they are essentially perfect — that each day they complete a round of duties and obligations, and this performance proves they are good people.
This is a deception. Following a set of rules will never make someone a good person. Who we are and what we do are two different things. We are not defined by what we do. While refraining from evil is important, simply refraining from evil will not get you into heaven.
What truly matters is who you are. What fruits are evident in your life? Are you honest? Are you kind? Or do you only care about yourself, following the ceremonies that society prescribes, and feeling that this is enough to earn your place in heaven? Or, if you are an atheist, do you feel that society owes you something for being such a good citizen?
This is all a deception. We must obey the rules of the land, but those rules will never make you a good person. Only God has righteousness. You and I have no righteousness of our own. The only solution is to recognise that there is nothing truly good in you or in me, and that only God is good.
How does this relate to sin? It relates to sin directly — because being a legalist is itself a sin. When someone genuinely believes they are a good person, that belief makes the cross of Jesus of no effect. If we could save ourselves by our works, there would have been no need for Jesus to die on the cross. Our works would have been enough. We cannot contribute to Jesus’ sacrifice by our works either. We work, and we love God and others, simply to show God that we love Him. Legalism is a sin because it mocks the cross of Jesus. It places man at the centre, as though man were his own god and could save himself from his own condition.
What Is Sin? — The Root Sin of Pride
Most sin originates from pride. Let us examine three of the worst sins that exist — sins that truly define whether someone belongs to God or to Satan: pride, selfishness, and dishonesty. People who are humble, loving, and honest are generally on the side of good. The proud, the selfish, and the dishonest are on the side of evil. But there is hope in Jesus.
Pride is the root of all sin. Satan looked at himself and saw great beauty and wisdom, and began to believe that these attributes came from himself. He ended up believing that he was the creator. This is how deception begins and ends. Pride is the sincere belief that what we are and what we achieve comes from ourselves alone. It is the same deception as Satan believing his beauty and wisdom originated within himself. It is a lie, and it is robbing God of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him.
Everyone who is proud is both a liar and a robber — and most people have never seen it this way. Satan began sin because of pride. When someone is proud, they will lie to preserve their dignity. The proud refuse to be humbled. They prefer to lie and maintain their self-deception. They will trample on other people because, in their own minds, they come first and stand above all others. They do not truly love others — or if they show love, it is only when it serves their own interests. The proud do everything for self-interest alone.
If deceiving others and taking from them serves their purposes, pride will drive them to rob, lie, and deceive. Pride is the root of all sin. When someone is proud, they place themselves first and others second — benefiting themselves whenever it suits them to do so.
What Is Sin? — The Overlooked Sin of Selfishness
God’s kingdom is for those who love and serve others. In heaven, no one will seek only their own benefit. It is a kingdom built on putting others first. But the earth is not like that, and many people here seek only their own benefit.
You may be surprised that among the worst sins, I do not list drinking, sexual immorality, or the sins that most Christians typically name. The list presented here goes much deeper. In fact, the sins discussed in this article are almost never mentioned in most churches.
Most Christians are blind to what truly constitutes sin. They always name the same things: drinking, sexual immorality, abortion, and so on. They fail to understand that throughout the Gospels, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees not for those commonly named sins, but for sins that are rarely mentioned: pride, unbelief, legalism, selfishness, dishonesty, an unloving and unkind spirit, and apathy.
Selfishness is one of the worst sins, because it is impossible to truly love others while being selfish at the same time. We are called to love ourselves appropriately, but we are also called to serve and benefit others. By God’s power, we must look to the needs of others and not only our own. We live in a deeply selfish world where people trample over one another to get what they want — we see it in the checkout line at a store, on the road, and in the workplace, where jealousy drives people to destroy one another’s livelihoods. We see it when someone takes another person’s spouse without a second thought. To love your neighbour means to love without expecting anything in return. That kind of love is rare. It is very hard to find.
What Is Sin? — The Spreading Sin of Dishonesty
Dishonesty is a very great sin, and it is rampant today. So many people simply do not tell the truth. So much advertising is deceitful. So many business transactions are built on lies — either the product is not what was promised, or the terms of an agreement are never honoured. God loves honest people. We must tell the truth at all times. There is never a reason to lie and deceive others.
What counts as a sin in Christianity? All the sins that caused the Pharisees to be rejected by God. They were the church of God in their time, and yet God rejected them. Carrying the name of a religious person does not mean you will enter heaven. Jesus says that most religious people will be rejected — He will tell them: I never knew you. Because they were proud, they tried to save themselves and made the cross of Jesus of no effect.
Now is the time to become like Jesus. Only through His power and His righteousness is this possible. Why not ask God right now to help you?
Father God, please forgive our sins. Give us Your righteousness. Bless and heal us. Give us the desires of our hearts. Help us to have a daily relationship with You. May we be happy and protected from evil. In the name of Jesus, amen.
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