“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

James 4:17 KJV

We live in a culture that has all but lost any consciousness of sin. Because the culture has abandoned Biblical Truth, we have no standard  by which sin can be recognized or identified.  We have become much like it was during the days of The Judges (10th Century BC) when “every man did that  was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6 KJV).   But the Word of God declares  that we “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”(Rom. 3:23 KJV).

But what is sin?  How do we define it?  We normally think of sin as doing certain things that are bad.  And  while such  things are certainly sinful, that still does not describe what it is.  In reality sin  is more than our outward actions. (Matthew 5: 27-28).

Major Ian Thomas in his classic book, The Indwelling Life of Christ, defines sin very clearly.  He says, “Sin is anything that falls short of God’s glory, so that God will evaluate sin as any behavior that falls short of what He does, what He says, and what He is.  Sin therefore, is exposed simply by relating our behavior to God’s behavior.  God is perfect and by that perfection you and I recognize sin, because sin is anything that falls short of His perfection.  God Himself is therefore the only standard by which sin is recognizable.” (Page 49). 

Sin, therefore, can only be recognized in the light of God Himself!  In the light of God’s perfect holiness,  we become keenly aware of our imperfection. (Isaiah 6: 1-5).  And we see that anything that is not perfect is sin!  Such a realization means that all of us are in trouble!  We all fall short of God’s Holy perfection!  Such a  revelation of His holiness and perfection, causes us to want to try to hide from His Presence (Gen. 3:8). 

But the Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus has paid for all our sin in full!  (Col. 2: 12-15).  And He has give,  to all who will receive it, His very own righteousness and perfection! (2 Cor.5:21).  Therefore because of His finished work on the cross , He now welcomes all who have received His very own righteousness into His Presence!  And we are completely accepted by Him!  Oh, what a Savior we have in Jesus!