I was talking to a man who is a member of the Holiness Church. He said his church was a split off
from the Free Methodist Church. When I expressed my surprise by saying that I thought the Free
Methodist were a very fundamental group, he responded by saying, "Yes, but what was sin 50 years
ago is still sin today. If something has been preached against for years, it is wrong to start accepting
it as alright now." I didn't ask what the specific sin was that he had in mind, but it was clear that
here was a group of Christians who had been divided because of their views of sin. Apparently they
could not agree on just what sin is.
One group says that sin is sin, and what was a sin will always be a sin. The other group
apparently believed that what use to be a sin is no longer a sin. It is easy to understand how sin can
split a church, but when the problem is over defining sin, this seems even more tragic. Christians
cannot seem to agree on just what sin is. As the conversation continued, the 16-year-old son of the
man indicated he had been to the singspiration we had in our church. I was again surprised and said,
"I didn't know the Holiness Church was involved." He said, "It isn't. My dad goes to that church,
but I don't." I did not feel it was proper to probe for details, but clearly there was a generation gap in
that home, and the issue of what sin is was evidently a problem there as well.
I had already agreed with the father that sin was sin, but is suspected that it was important to
note that though sin does not change, man's understanding does. I didn't know whether or not the
man was like some of the old Puritans who believed it was a sin to laugh on Sunday. A pastor of an
old Scotch Presbyterian Church was once called before a council because he skated across a lake
from the parsonage to the church. The issue was not the skating, but whether or not he enjoyed it. It
was considered a sin to have fun on Sunday. Sin hasn't changed, but the thinking of men on what is
sin has changed. I pointed out in the conversation that Catholics were taught for years that it was a
sin to eat meat on Friday. Now all this has changed and they can eat it with a clear conscience. This
is not a change on what sin is, but only a change in man's definition of what sin is. For those who go
by the Bible it never was a sin in the first place. Man made labels can and do change.
Men have labeled the use of almost every new device as a sin. Cars, trains, radio, TV, etc. As
these things become universal and owned by everyone they cease to be sinful, at least in the mind of
the majority. This has led to confusion in minds of both those in the church and in the world as to
just what sin is. Add to this the fact that what was sin in the Old Testament is no longer sin in the
New Testament. It use to be a sin for a believer to eat pork, or work on the Sabbath, and there were
numerous ways to sin ceremonially in the Old Testament that have all been abolished by the new
covenant in Christ. This has also been confusing to the minds of many believers who do not see how
what was once wrong can now be right. The result is that many still strive to live according to the
laws of the Old Testament, as do the Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists.
Sin is not as simple a subject as it seems, and so it is important that Christians do some serious
thinking about what the Bible says about sin. Proper understanding of the nature of sin is essential
for salvation and sanctification. I have selected Psalm 51 for the basis of studying sin. It has been
called the sinners guide. It uses all the basic biblical terms for sin, and it is a Psalm that grows out of
the actual experience of saint who has fallen into sin. This is David's great song prayer for mercy
after he was convicted of his sin of adultery and murder.
This is a Psalm which is so complete in its dealing with the issues of sin, repentance and
forgiveness that it is on the level of New Testament revelation. It has been one of the favorite
Psalms of all ages. Luther wrote in the 1500's, "There is no other Psalm which is oftener sung or
prayed in the church." Let's begin our study of it by looking at the terms David used to describe his
sin. The first is found in the first verse, and is translated transgression. The Hebrew word is pesha,
and it is translated transgression 84 times. Five times it is translated trespass, 3 times as sin, and 1
time as rebellion. This word makes clear that sin is a voluntary act of the will. It is a willful
violation of a known law. Sin began this way as Adam and Eve deliberately chose to say yes to the
forbidden fruit, and no to the forbidding command of God.
Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary defines sin as, "The voluntary departure of a moral agent
from a custom prescribed by a society or by divine law or divine command." There are man
problems in the world today because men will not accept the fact that sin is a matter of personal
responsibility. David said, "Blot out my transgressions, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me
from my sin." Modern man has tried to escape responsibility for sin by blaming it on everything but
his own rebellious will. Psychologists tell people that they do certain things called sin because of
problems in their childhood, and they may very well be correct, but this in no way relieves them of
personal responsibility and accountability. Someone could analyze David and say that he grew up
with all brothers and was never exposed to the opposite sex, and that is why he lost control when he
saw Bathsheba and fell into sin. Even if it was true, he was still guilty of willful rebellion against a
known law of God. He was honest enough to admit it and not try to pass the buck on to someone
else.
Sometimes Christians try to blame the devil for their sin, and this can be very unhealthy. The
devil is never to blame for any sin a Christian commits. He can tempt, but sin only takes place when
the Christian chooses to disobey the known will of God. No one can honestly plead that the devil
made me do it, for he does not have the power to make a Christian do what he does not will to do.
We cannot blame Satan or circumstances, but, like David, we must come to recognize that sin, by its
very nature, is a voluntary act. If a person really could not help what they did, it would not be a sin.
If I was bound and forced by men to go with them while they robbed a store I would not be guilty of
the sin of stealing. If I was delirious after being in a serious accident, and I picked up a pen that had
fallen from the pocket of another driver, I would not be guilty of stealing. Sin is voluntary and
willful. It is always personal, and one must have personal responsibility for it.
David makes clear that because sin is willful rebellion against the law of God that only the one
sinned against can forgive it. If Bathsheba forgave him, and if Uriah in his dying breath forgave
him, that would not cleanse him, nor would it blot out his transgression. The weakness of all
religion is that it tries to solve the sin problem through men alone. Even sacrifice is a man-centered
effort to gain forgiveness. The book of Hebrews makes it clear that though this was part of the Old
Testament religion, it never really was effective. All the blood of bulls, goats and lambs could not
atone for a single sin.
Christianity went astray for centuries in trying to atone for sin by works. It was as if sin was no
more than a traffic violation, and you pay your fine and forget it. W. S. Gilbert in his ballad Gentle
Alice Brown describes the folly of this system of confusion and payment. He writes,
"Oh, Holy Father," Alice said,
Twould grieve you would it not?
To discover that I was a most disreputable lot!
Of all unhappy sinners, I'm the most unhappy one!
The padre said, "Whatever have you been and gone and done?"
I've helped mama to steal a little kiddy from its dad,
I've assisted dear papa in cutting up a little lad,
I've planned a little burglary and forged a little check,
And slain a little baby for the coral on its neck!
The worthy pastor heaved a sigh, and dropped a silent tear,
And said, "You mustn't judge yourself to heavily, my dear,
It's wrong to murder babies, little corals for to fleece;
But sins like these one expiates at half a crown apiece."
Many Christians have been led to a false method of dealing with sin because of the teaching that
treats sin like traffic violations. Sin is never taken seriously until, like David, you recognize that it
is a violation, not of man-made laws, but of the laws of a holy God. Man's laws can and do change,
and even the temporal laws of God for the Jewish people have been changed, but the moral laws of
God never change. Any time a man decides he does not need to abide by the moral laws of God, he
is in a state of rebellion against God and His law, and that is what sin is all about. Rebellion need
not be done in anger, for one can calmly say, "I don't have to obey that moral law. I am free to do as
I please." That is pesha, which is transgression and rebellion.
The second word David uses is iniquity. In the Hebrew the word is avon. Here is some real
ammunition for those who are convinced that cosmetics are a sin. Avon is translated iniquity 218
times, fault 2 times, mischief once, and sin once. This word for sin describes it as a perversion or
distortion. It is a way of life that twists the straight and makes it crooked. Transgression is like
seeing a sign saying "no trespassing," but you go through the fence anyway, and willfully ignore the
sign. Iniquity is a little more offensive, for it deliberately breaks the fence down to go through. This
term covers all the cussedness and ornriness of men who do evil just for evil's sake. This term
reveals the depravity of man's nature. It is hard to believe that David could be involved in sin like
this, but the Bible makes it clear that no believer is above the danger of falling.
Many Christians wish they could be more powerful, but they do not realize how dangerous it is
to be a powerful believer. The worst sins come from the top. There are very few men who could
have the power of David and not abuse it as he did. He had the power to have any woman he
wanted. He could fix it up so the husband would be killed and be buried with full military honors.
He had the power to do such a cover up job that everybody would come out ahead when he was
through. Bathsheba would be queen, Uriah would be a great war hero, and David could work it out
so all would be well. He had everything figured out except for the fact of God. David had left God
out of his way of life, and he fell to the level of iniquity where he was distorting his whole life.
Everything had to be twisted to fit his sin. "O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice
to deceive."
The third term David uses in verse 2 is the word sin. In Hebrew it is chattath. It is translated
sin 169 times and sin offering 116 times. This word matches in meaning the main New Testament
word for sin. It means to miss the mark. It is error or failure to attain a certain standard. It actually
comes from an archery term in the New Testament. If a man draws the bow and lets the arrow fly,
and he misses the target, he has sinned, for he has missed the mark and failed to fulfill the purpose
for which he aimed. According to Jesus the whole law can be summed up in the 2 commandments
to love God with all our being and our neighbor as our self. To fall short of this is to miss the mark
for which God created us. In other words, all sin is in some way a lack of love for God or man. As
love is the fulfilling of the law, so all lack of love is failure and a missing of the mark. Every time
we fail to love God or others we miss the mark and fall short of the glory of God.
Sin is so powerful, even in the Christian life, because it is so easy to miss the mark of God's
high calling. It is the most foolish attitude a Christian can have to think that he could not fall into
sin. The Scripture reveals the falls of great men and women just to prevent us from such perverted
pride. No man is so godly that he cannot fall. David was a man after God's own heart. Noah was a
godly man for years in the midst of wickedness, and yet he slipped into drunkenness. Lot was a
righteous man, but he defiled himself in drink and incest. As you study the sins of great men you
begin to realize that were not just beginners in the faith when they fell. They were men who walked
with God and were men of mature faith. God had blessed them, and they were reaping the harvest of
His love when they missed the mark and fell short. In the midst of blessings they let sin ensnare
them and bring its curse. This tendency to backslide and leave the zeal of one's first love
characterizes the New Testament saints just as it does those in the Old Testament. The vast majority
of Christians loose the zeal and glow of their conversion, and they miss the mark of living a
Christ-like life, and that is sin.
As we examine the meaning of the terms used by David, and all through the Bible, we see that
sin is not something remote from us. It is not the problem of the people down at the bar only. It is
the problem of even those who are faithful in the pew. No man escapes the battle with sin in this
life, and no child of God is beyond a fall. It is just as needful to pray "deliver us from evil" daily as
it is to pray "give us this day our daily bread."
The story has been told many times of how Leonardo da Vinci selected men to pose for his
famous painting The Last Supper. He finally found a man with great personal charm and inspiring
personality to be a model for his painting of Christ. He found models for each of the Apostles as
well, and finally he began to seek for a man to model Judas. He had to be one who had lived a life
of sin and deceit and looked like it. When he found a man that fit this description, and he began to
paint him, the man broke down and confessed that he was the one who several years earlier had set
for the painting of Christ. He had let his life be dragged through the gutter by sin, and he had
descended to the place where he was now a model of Judas. This story illustrates what is possible in
the history of any man. Every person is a potential Jekyll and Hyde combination. The mercy of
God is the sinner's only hope, and David recognized it as the only hope of the saint as well.
The difference between a saint and a sinner is not that sinners sin and saints do not. The
difference is that saints know there is only one way to deal with sin, and that is God's way. The
sinner has not yet learned this, and does not yet believe that he needs a Savior. When the sinner
comes to see that he cannot solve his sin problem, then he will cry out, "God be merciful to me a
sinner." I trust that if you have never uttered this prayer and have never asked Jesus to be your
Savior that you will do so today, and deal with sin God's way.
