1. “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).
Outward, manifested sins are the sins that people commit; sins are their sinful acts. Since these sinful acts can be many and varied, the word sins is plural. People easily understand this aspect of sin. When people speak of sin, they are usually referring to sins, to sinful acts. Sins are actions that break God’s law. Anything that breaks God’s law is a sin.
2. “All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17).
The phrase all unrighteousness means all things that are unreasonable, illegal, unfair, or not according to proper procedure. These are all sins. Unrighteousness includes everything that we should not say or do but, nevertheless, say and do, and it also includes everything that we should say or do but, nevertheless, do not say or do. Everything in these two categories is a sin, involving sinful acts.
3. “Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).
If someone does not fulfill his human responsibility of doing good before God, he has committed a sinful act and falls short before God.
4. “All that is not out of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23).
Man should do everything before God in faith, and everything should be done because of faith in God. Whatever is not out of faith is unbelief toward God, and it is offensive to Him. Therefore, it involves a sinful act.
5. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
God’s glory is the standard for man’s living before God. Anything of man that falls short of the glory of God is a sin. All have sinned because all that we are and can do fall short of God’s glory. While those who are bad certainly fall short of God’s glory, even those who are good fall short of God’s glory. While those who are immoral fall short of God’s glory, even those who are moral fall short of God’s glory. Since all that we can do falls short of the standard of God’s glory, we all have sinned.
Sin is manifested outwardly in the various unacceptable acts committed before God. These outward sins come from man’s inward nature of sin. Sins are the outward fruit of our inward nature of sin. Man’s inward sinful nature produces outward sinful acts. Man’s inward sinful life produces outward sinful fruits.
1. “We have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin” (Rom. 3:9).
Regardless of whether one is a Jew, a member of God’s people, or a Greek, a Gentile, he is under sin. Since Jews have broken the law which God gave them and Gentiles have broken the law in their conscience (2:14-15), which was also given by God, all have sinned before God.
2. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23; see also 5:12).
All men, whether moral or immoral, virtuous or evil, good or bad, fall short of the glory of God; therefore, all have sinned.
3. “Surely there is not a righteous man on the earth who does good and does not sin” (Eccl. 7:20; see also 1 Kings 8:46).
According to this verse, there is not a righteous man on the earth who does good and does not sin. This means that there is no one on the earth who has not sinned. All are short before God; therefore, everyone is a sinner. Sin is so widespread! It has spread to include everyone in the world!
1. “Your iniquities have become a separation / Between you and your God” (Isa. 59:2).
Sin separates man from God, causing man to lose God and His blessing.
2. “The soul who sins, he shall die” (Ezek. 18:4).
Sin causes man to die. All who sin will die. This death involves spiritual death (Eph. 2:5), physical death (Heb. 9:27), and the suffering of the soul in Hades (Luke 16:23-24). Ultimately, the entire person—spirit and soul and body—of one who is not forgiven of his sins will be thrown into the lake of fire to suffer for eternity. The Bible calls this death the second death (Rev. 20:12-15).
3. “The sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15; see also Rom. 5:12).
When sin is fully grown in man, it brings forth death. Therefore, death comes from sin; it is a result of sin. Regardless of what kind of person we are, death is the result of our sin.
4. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
Death is not merely the result of sin but also the wages of sin. The result of sin relates to the ultimate consequence of sin, whereas the wages of sin relate to the deserving return for sin. Man does not receive death undeservedly. Death is the fair wages for man’s sinful work. Man commits sin in his service to sin, and as his master, sin pays people for their work for him. The wages that sin gives to man for his service to sin is death. Death is man’s deserved recompense for sinning; it is his fair wage.
5. “It is reserved for men to die once, and after this comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27).
Sin causes man to die, and judgment follows death. Death brings sinners to the point of judgment. Those who sin die, and those who die are judged.
6. “Were judged...cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:12, 15).
The result of the future judgment upon sinners is to be cast into the lake of fire to be punished for eternity. Eternal perdition is the final result of sin. Sin brings in death, death leads to judgment, and judgment is connected to eternal perdition. Sin, death, judgment, and eternal perdition are like four links in a chain. The first link is sin, and the last link is eternal perdition. Man is handcuffed to sin, and if he is not freed from sin, it will ultimately bring him into eternal perdition. The first two links in this chain, sin and death, are experiences in this age. Sin and death are part of this life, and all people acknowledge their existence. The final two links in this chain, judgment and eternal perdition, occur after death. They cannot be seen in this life, and therefore, some refuse to acknowledge the possibility of their existence. However, just as the first two links—sin and death—are real, the final two links—judgment and eternal perdition—are real, regardless of whether or not people acknowledge them. Sooner or later everyone who does not believe will experience every link in this chain because he is handcuffed to sin. As long as a person is chained to sin, he cannot escape from death in this age or from judgment and eternal perdition after death.