Proverbs 2:1,2,3,4,5 Even if I don’t understand, I need to apply myself and not put a timeframe on God.
Sin or Mistake
Leviticus 20:7
1 Peter 1:15,16
God has the right to ask His people to be holy.
Romans 6:1,2
1 John 3:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 It’s God will that His people live free from sin.
In Leviticus, God commanded Israel to be holy, but there was still an annual Day of Atonement. We need a Savior.
The doctrine of free will has been argued about for centuries.
Holiness is having concern about living right, according to the will of God.
At times, a mistake or error in judgement is confused with sin.
After Martin Luther and the beginning of the Protestant Revolution in the 1500s, people began to be concerned about living holy. Calvinists, Jacob Arminius, John Wesley, and others disagreed on what consistuted “Christian perfection” and other doctrines. In the end, both the Catholic and Protestant world teaches it’s not possible to live without sin.
Willful vs unintentional sin
What is the sin that causes death? A willful sin.
1 John 5:16 All sin is unrighteous, but there is a sin not unto death. I need to be honest about my behavior and decisions and whether I know if my behavior is a moral wrong.
James 1:15 Willful transgression is a sin unto death.
If there is not an awareness of moral wrong, it’s a sin of ignorance without intent. Children go to heaven because they are not aware.
1 John 2:1 Even with Christian perfection, it’s possible for that person to fall and choose to commit sin.
Hebrews 6:4,5,6 It is possible to sin if we continue to have free will.
If my conscience condemns me, Christ is an advocate if I ask for forgiveness. If I have injured someone, I must ask that person to forgive me. A sin against a person (God's creation), is always also a sin against God.
A mistake is human imperfection, character fault, or error in judgement. There is no intent to injure God or another person. It is not a willful transgression of God’s law. Mistakes may need to be fixed, but it is not sin.
Sin requires Divine intervention.
Some of the things called a sin in the Bible:
- Blasphemy
- Adultery
- Hypocrisy regarding God's law
- Willfully denying that Jesus is the Savior
- Taking the life of an innocent person
- Lust
- Unrighteousness
- Fornication
- Willfully offending brethren
- Unjustified anger that leads to wrath
- Respect of persons
- Uncleanness
- Idolatry
- Hatred
- Drunkenness
- Pride
- Greed
- Hurting a child
- Taking God's name in vain
- Stealing
- Coveting
We don’t have to repent every day for personality flaws, but if it leads to intention to injure someone else, this goes beyond a mistake or flaw.
Miscalculations in business without an intent to cheat are not sin. Covering up can lead to sin.
Mistakes often require repentance or an apology. Once I am aware I have injured another, I should repent and change my behavior. It can start out as a mistake, but end up as a sin if continued or not acknowledged.
