Defining sin

Galatians 5:16-21 (NLT)
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God

The apostle instructs us to let the Holy Spirit guide our lives so we put aside our craving for sinful things. We have a sinful nature that drives us toward sin. We also have the Holy Spirit, from faith in Christ, which makes us aware of sin and directs us to do what is good.

The basic definition of sin is a willful and deliberate violation of a religious or moral principle. This holds true for most religions of the world. What becomes complicated is how we list out sins. We know one of the Ten Commandments says “thou shall not steal”. Most of us realize there is a difference between someone who robs another for their own pleasure and someone who takes food to feed their hungry family. The Bible also tells us “thou shalt not murder”. Again we know there is a difference between someone killing in cold blood and someone who kills to defend their family. Hebrews 10:13 says this, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them”. When Jesus died on the cross God made a new covenant and God laid on our hearts what is right and what is wrong. In fact the Bible tells us what may be a sin for one person may not be a sin for another. We ask how could that be and the answer is “God is righteous and just”. God gives mercy and grace where it is needed and holds accountable those who should know right from wrong. The Lord has given us the ability to recognize sin, to see the grey areas and to provide justice as needed. Jesus spoke often about this as the religious leaders tried hold Jesus to the letter of The Law. Jesus taught his disciples to let God’s will rule in their life instead of man’s interpretation of the law. They were then also to have faith in their convictions and follow those convictions. Place emphasis on what God has placed within your heart concerning sin and challenge areas of your life that are in violation of His will. While some sins may seem impossible to remove they will be easier to overcome as your walk with Christ remains on solid ground.