What is sin?

[riverogue]

Just thought of this: I remember teaching from the discussions book as a missionary that sinning is knowingly going against the will of God. If sin is knowingly going against the will of God, what if you sincerely don't believe in God, are you then sinless? Is a new definition in order? or is it already here, and I'm just behind on the times? I thought maybe sinning is going against what you feel is wrong. But what if you are a moslum and felt guilty for prostrating yourself before Allah while praying towards Mecca 2 or 3 times each day instead of the required 5 times each day, or were a woman and failed to wear your Burqa. Are you then sinning? Maybe sinning is simply going against the will of god, but where does that put people who do not know gods will? You might say that we all have an innate ability to know what is ethical and going against that is sin. But there are plenty of things that we do that are unethical but do not realise it. EG: Thousands of "worthy" mormons crowding into a rodeo ground to watch entertainers tackle and tie up livestock and and then riding a bucking bull why its testicles are getting pinched by a rope yanked my a bull rider causing excruciating pain to make it buck. That's virtually the equivalent of thousands of mormons gathering to be entertained by profound child abuse, as those animals go through just as much pain and mental anguish as a little child. So just what is sin?

Edited December 4, 2010 by riverogue

[Maya]

Not to believe in God is not the same as not knowing there is a God. IF you dont believe in something, you have to have somekind of a knowledge that there is such a thign as God. Not believeing Him is turning Him down.

I think sinn is what you inside know as a sin. A thing can be a sinn to me but not to you. Even though we would have the same laws in the Bible to follow, yet some of us are able to understand on a higher level, as others are fighting just to understgand the minimals. I believe it all depends on our level of understganding. IF we are on a level to understand something to be sinn... but still do it, we sinn.

But on an other hand we are here to learn, it is our biggest task. If we refuse to learn, we do not fullfill our task in life.... I suppose that is a sinn too... but God dont ask us more than we are able to deliver, but he does ask our utmost.

We all have the same God at the end. Different religions just stress different aspects.

[Traveler]

I like the scripture that says something like - to them that knows to do good and don't - to them it is sin.

The Traveler

[Bensalem]

Just thought of this: I remember teaching from the discussions book as a missionary that sinning is knowingly going against the will of God. If sin is knowingly going against the will of God, what if you sincerely don't believe in God, are you then sinless? Is a new definition in order? or is it already here, and I'm just behind on the times? I thought maybe sinning is going against what you feel is wrong. But what if you are a moslum and felt guilty for prostrating yourself before Allah while praying towards Mecca 2 or 3 times each day instead of the required 5 times each day, or were a woman and failed to wear your Burqa. Are you then sinning? Maybe sinning is simply going against the will of god, but where does that put people who do not know gods will? You might say that we all have an innate ability to know what is ethical and going against that is sin. But there are plenty of things that we do that are unethical but do not realise it. EG: Thousands of "worthy" mormons crowding into a rodeo ground to watch entertainers tackle and tie up livestock and and then riding a bucking bull why its testicles are getting pinched by a rope yanked my a bull rider causing excruciating pain to make it buck. That's virtually the equivalent of thousands of mormons gathering to be entertained by profound child abuse, as those animals go through just as much pain and mental anguish as a little child. So just what is sin?

To sin is to miss the mark...to fall short of God's expectations.

People who do not believe in God are not exempt from sin.

Being wrong about God's existence does not make God any less real. The word of God is eternal and His laws apply to all even if you choose to deny him.

[bert10]

The law of heaven is ...."Where much is given much is required. Jesus explains it this way....

Luke 12:47 -And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

Luke 12:48 - But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

The reason why they who did not know the will of GOD and do things worthy of many stripes do not get off free. But will still receive few stripes.

The reason for this, is that all men that live have a portion of the Spirit of Life as long as they live and are taught sufficiently by this Spirit to recognize good from evil. So even if they did not know the will of the Father and they do things worthy of many stripes...they shall shall receive stripes even if they are few.

Does this help?

Now a sin as explained in Romans is to transgress the law and be found guilty under the law.

Though all men are transgressors....not all men are sinners. For it is written that if a man is led by the Spirit he is not under the law [Galatians].

To obey the voice of GOD within us is to free us from the law and the prophets as long as we hear it to do and obey it. This liberty in Christ as the Apostles said is not an excuse for doing what we want and for indulging in the lust of flesh. IF we do we fall from grace and back to being under the law which is also written was given to shut the mouth of men and so that the world may be guilty before God.

bert10

Just thought of this: I remember teaching from the discussions book as a missionary that sinning is knowingly going against the will of God. If sin is knowingly going against the will of God, what if you sincerely don't believe in God, are you then sinless? Is a new definition in order? or is it already here, and I'm just behind on the times? I thought maybe sinning is going against what you feel is wrong. But what if you are a moslum and felt guilty for prostrating yourself before Allah while praying towards Mecca 2 or 3 times each day instead of the required 5 times each day, or were a woman and failed to wear your Burqa. Are you then sinning? Maybe sinning is simply going against the will of god, but where does that put people who do not know gods will? You might say that we all have an innate ability to know what is ethical and going against that is sin. But there are plenty of things that we do that are unethical but do not realise it. EG: Thousands of "worthy" mormons crowding into a rodeo ground to watch entertainers tackle and tie up livestock and and then riding a bucking bull why its testicles are getting pinched by a rope yanked my a bull rider causing excruciating pain to make it buck. That's virtually the equivalent of thousands of mormons gathering to be entertained by profound child abuse, as those animals go through just as much pain and mental anguish as a little child. So just what is sin?

[Blackmarch]

Just thought of this: I remember teaching from the discussions book as a missionary that sinning is knowingly going against the will of God. If sin is knowingly going against the will of God, what if you sincerely don't believe in God, are you then sinless? Is a new definition in order? or is it already here, and I'm just behind on the times? I thought maybe sinning is going against what you feel is wrong. But what if you are a moslum and felt guilty for prostrating yourself before Allah while praying towards Mecca 2 or 3 times each day instead of the required 5 times each day, or were a woman and failed to wear your Burqa. Are you then sinning? Maybe sinning is simply going against the will of god, but where does that put people who do not know gods will? You might say that we all have an innate ability to know what is ethical and going against that is sin. But there are plenty of things that we do that are unethical but do not realise it. EG: Thousands of "worthy" mormons crowding into a rodeo ground to watch entertainers tackle and tie up livestock and and then riding a bucking bull why its testicles are getting pinched by a rope yanked my a bull rider causing excruciating pain to make it buck. That's virtually the equivalent of thousands of mormons gathering to be entertained by profound child abuse, as those animals go through just as much pain and mental anguish as a little child. So just what is sin?

if you don't know then you cannot be held justifiably as much as another who does.

However if you do not know you cannot be saved in the kingdom of God either.

at some point all will come to know and will have to make a decision (whether in this life or the next). This life gives you more time, and also time to repent if you do not at first.

[rameumptom]

If a person that does not understand the law of gravity able to completely ignore it by walking off a cliff? Of course not. And the laws of God affect all people, whether they believe in him or not. For example, "thou shalt not kill" affects believers and atheists alike.

Many of God's laws are co-eternal with God. He did not necessarily create the laws, but understood that obedience to them was necessary in order to obtain true joy in the eternities. While an ignorant person is not fully responsible for a sin, there is still some responsibility. God has given all mankind a conscience to tell them right from wrong. If we ignore/reject our conscience, are we not still responsible for the things it tries to warn us about?

There are natural consequences for ignoring the law of gravity, and there are natural consequences for being ignorant or ignoring God's law as well. Those who disobey against the light of Christ/conscience are worthy only of Outer Darkness. It is only in and through the atonement of Christ that we are saved from eternal damnation in hell. Eventually we must be awakened to the dangers of our choices, and either repent or accept the consequences of those wicked choices.

[JudoMinja]

There is both to sin and to transgress. To sin is, as you stated, to knowingly go against the will of God. To transgress is to do so unknowingly. A transgression is still wrong, but we are not held as heavily accountable for transgressions as we are sins.

Take the second article of faith- "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adams transgression." There is a distinction here not only between man and Adam but between sin and transgression. The partaking of the fruit was a transgression. He knew God had told him not to do it, but he did not fully understand right and wrong, therefore he did not "knowingly" act against God. He did not sin. He was still held accountable for his actions- cast out of the garden and made to labor for his food- but had the act been a sin, his punishment would have been more severe.

Another example would be the Lamanites. Due to the sins of Laman and Lemuel, their children grew up in ignorance. The entire Lamanite people were without the gospel. They still had some knowledge of right and wrong, but could not be held accountable for keeping the commandments or following the law of Moses as they had no knowledge of these things. They transgressed- committed wrong without a full knowledge of their wrong doing.

We all have within us the Light of Christ or a conscience. If you have no further knowledge of right and wrong than this, you will not be held accountable for your lack of knowledge. You WILL, however, be held accountable for acting against the promptings of your conscience. We all know that murder is wrong. Those who murder sin, even if it has never been taught them, because they have a conscience which tells them it is wrong. We do not, however, all know that theft is wrong, for example. Those who steal, without knowledge of the wrongness of their action, transgress.

The more we follow the promptings of our conscience, the more we will understand what is right and what is wrong. This can eventually lead to discovery of the truth of the gospel and the affirmation of that truth through the Holy Ghost. Then, getting baptised and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost leads to an even greater ability to understand and identify the difference between right and wrong. Just as with our conscience, the more we follow the promptings of the Spirit, the more we will come to understand the difference between right and wrong. It is a capitalizing cycle, as the more you practice righteous doing the more knowledge you are given.

Each is held accountable for the knowledge they are given and nothing more. While God's laws apply to everyone, he knows our hearts and minds better than even ourselves. He knows what knowledge we have, what we have acted on, and what we have chosen to ignore. He will judge us accordingly.

[Volcanogrills]

Here is something related that ive wondered about. What is the diff between Sin and iniquity?

[bert10]

Sin is transgression of the law and being found guilty by that law.

Iniquity if I can put this way....are acts that causes the opposite of stillness in our mind.

as in from Psalms... "Be still (in mind) and know that I am GOD. " If we are not stilled in mind it is because of iniquity and this will separate us from the voice of GOD.

In Isaiah we are given the difference in our relationship to GOD with sins and iniquities.

Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Iniquities separate us from God. And our sins...cause God to hide his face from us...and will not hear our prayers.

So if we are ungodly we cannot have a still mind in order to hear God. And because we cannot hear God we are separated from Him. When we do right...the mind can become still again...and the raging waves of unrest that exist in our soul because of the storms we create...like the sea of Galilee can again be quieted so we can walk on it with our Lord and not sink us like Peter who feared and was sinking.

Iniquities is us putting a barrier between God and ourselves and God wait patiently for us to remove the barriers.

Sins is not only putting barriers between us and God it causes GOD to hide His face from us and not hear (answer) our prayers.

Does this help?

bert10

Here is something related that ive wondered about. What is the diff between Sin and iniquity?

[Blackmarch]

Here is something related that ive wondered about. What is the diff between Sin and iniquity?

They are almost exactly synonymous for me about the only difference I see is that the word Sin has singular event connotations while Iniquity has connotations of lifestyle or repetition. Beyond that as far as I care you can exchange one for the other.

[bert10]

If you read the verses of Isaiah I put up you will there is a great deal of difference between iniquities and sins.

The first results in we separating ourselves from GOD it is not GOD who separate From us. There is a difference by our iniquities we cannot hear GOD in our hearts...In this case God can hear our prayers and send us the help we request.

With sins it is different....But for sins...God does Hide His face from us and does not hear. In those two areas it is GOD who is separating from us.

that is the big difference.

Bert10

They are almost exactly synonymous for me about the only difference I see is that the word Sin has singular event connotations while Iniquity has connotations of lifestyle or repetition. Beyond that as far as I care you can exchange one for the other.

[RipplecutBuddha]

Sin, according to my belief, is anything that we are, we do, think, or desire that prevents us from being worthy of standing in the presence of God.

Our very mortality prevents us from that, as our bodies are corruptible, or capable of imperfection. As no unclean thing can withstand the presence of the Father, even if we were otherwise sinless, we could not meet the standard without God's influence or help.

Christ himself had to be resurrected with a perfect immortal body before he could present himself to God the Father. So crucial was his state that he could not allow Mary to touch him, nor any other mortal until the presentation was complete. Only after that did Christ allow himself to be handled by mortals.

This very event is proof that no matter how good we are, we cannot bridge the gap ourselves. We need the atonement of Christ in order to overcome ALL sin, or corruption.

The OP stated that sin is going against God's will. While this is a correct statement, sometimes I think it helpful in this discussion to ask a question; What precisely is God's will? What are God's plans for us? What are his hopes? What could we do to interfere with them, and why would we do such things?

"Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy."

"Behold this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

From these two verses, along with countless others I could quote, it is safe to conclude that God's will for us is something wonderful on a scale quite beyond our comprehension right now. Sin is whatever happens to slow down, stop, or completely derail our progress within that plan.

So then, why do we sin? What are the reasons? Why is it so easy to do, and so hard to avoid? And perhaps most significant, Is this important, and why or why not?

Too often we catch ourselves wishing God thought like we did, and we want His will to comply to ours. Given what we know versus what He knows....What we want for ourselves versus what He wants for us....Which perspective is the better?

Once we truly understand sin for what it is, we will want no part of it in any way. One of the great challenges is gaining that understanding. So great that Nephi prayed for it in the wake of his father's passing. So great that prophets have been calling upon us to rid ourselves of sin at all costs, thus echoing God's will to us directly. Even today in our time the message has not changed.

What is in store for the righteous is wonderful beyond imagination. God's will is that we ALL be righteous, to the exclusion of not one of his children. By way of the Atonement we have seen what God is willing to do in order for us to obtain Eternal Life. We have seen what Christ himself is willing to do.

The only question remaining is this; What are we willing to do?

[bert10]

Well the Scriptures define Sin as basically transgressing the law and being found guilty of it. UNGODLINESS compasses all things that displease GOD including those things for which there is no commandment.

God did not give a commandment for all things. He leaves it to us to find out what will please Him and what will not.

Regardless, of the distinction we are not to act or think in an UNGODLY manner which in the BOM...

Moroni 10:32 - Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love

God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for

you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of

God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

I think in your post you added "all sins or corruption" I think its also a pretty fair assessment.

bert10