Sin/Sinner

We have touched on the definition of “sin” a few times.  Most will see it as “breaking a rule,” but the one verse that actually gives us a definition provides a meaning that is far deeper than this.  If salvation, which we studied above, is based on faith and not works, then being condemned also must relate to something deeper than mere outward activities in the physical world.

The verse is this one, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1John 3:4)  As we have seen before, the phrase “transgression of the law” is a single word in Greek, anomia, and it does not mean “a breaking of the rules,” but rather, “a condition of lawlessness.”  It is a state of being, rather than a guilty disposition due to actions taken or omitted.  It is a matter of the heart and one’s faith, and this state naturally reveals itself outwardly in words and actions.

Similarly, when Christ says, “that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man,” (Mat 15:11) this means that the defilement made apparent is the existing condition of the heart, “for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45)  Furthermore, the words themselves have power, for what we testify becomes true… therefore if our hearts were initially upright, but we had not a testimony that we have overcome the world, our words will instruct our hearts, and our true condition will eventually match that which we speak outwardly, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Mat 12:37)

We must see how a testimony of having overcome sin is vital to our growth, and those under inspiration have said, “Take the word of Christ as your assurance. Has He not invited you to come unto Him? Never allow yourself to talk in a hopeless, discouraged way. If you do you will lose much. By looking at appearances and complaining when difficulties and pressure come, you give evidence of a sickly, enfeebled faith. Talk and act as if your faith was invincible.” [Christ’s Object Lessons, page 146, paragraph 5]  If even Adventists, who have had the benefit of these instructions, do not do this, what hope is there for the world?  By our actions, the saints must show the on-looking universe what sin is, in precisely this way – by showing them the dignity of man when it is absent.

By implication, then, a “sinner” is one who, because of the condition of his heart and the weakness of his testimony, cannot apply the Blood of the Lamb to his life. Remember that the redeemed overcome the powers of the world by these three things: “by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev 12:11) There is no way to recover or “improve” upon this condition… there is no way for a transgressor to evolve into a faithful servant any more than a snake can become a bird.  But we may experience a transformation, which is a very different thing. A transformation is a creative act, and we become adopted (which is a formal procedure, not a gradual process) as “sons of God,” (John 1:12) and this results in an entirely new being, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Cor 5:17)