1.02. The Fact of Sin

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of Yahweh" (Romans 3:23).

The first thing to note about this passage is the word "all" - all have sinned, and that includes you and me. There is nobody on this world, past or present, who has not sinned in some form or another. All of us -- everyone -- has "fallen short of the glory of Yahweh". None of us has met up to the perfect standard required of Elohim (God).

The word "sin", like "salvation", has also become something of a cliché in the vernacular so we must be careful to define it. God defines sin when He says: "All unrighteousness is sin". That which is "not right" - bad, evil, wrong - is "sin". Yahweh has also said: "Whatever is not from emunah (faith) is sin" and the "one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin".

These are pretty key definitions of sin. Whatever we do with respect to Elohim (God) from a position of DOUBT or SCEPTICISM is sin. Elohim (God) can only be approached in emunah (faith) - in TRUST - which in the Bible is defined as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". So why is Elohim (God) offended by doubt and scepticism? Well think of it this way. What would you feel if you told your spouse that you loved him (or her), and every time he said, "prove it"? Biblical ahavah (love) is not like that, as every lover knows. Ahavah (love) is based on mutual trust. And so it is with the Author of Ahavah (Love).

Secondly, Yahweh tells us that if we know something is right and we deliberately don't do it, we have sinned (or vice versa).

There are many religious philosophies which teach that man is basically - in his root nature - "good". For many people the idea of sin is offensive - in their pride they would declare that either they are sinless or there is no such thing. Indeed, it is popular these days in the New Age way of thinking to say that "sin" is a very "personal" thing - each individual must decide for himself what is right and wrong. Yahweh says the very opposite - He is the one who establishes the standard of righteousness and no-one else. He has further said:

"If we say that we have no sin, we are DECEIVING ourselves ...if we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Davar (Word) is not in us".

To say that we are "basically good", "without sin", or that sin does not exist is a SELF-DELUSION. It is not reality. Everyone makes mistakes - honest and dishonest. Both are sin. Moreoever, we tend to compulsively sin in certain areas - doing the same unrighteous thing over and over again.

Because every man and woman has sinned we are "accountable to Elohim (God)". We will not be allowed by Him to get away with it. We may escape judgment for a while on earth, or even the whole of our lives, but when death finally claims us - as it must - there will be no escape.