Define sin. Describe in detail the results and effects of sin.
I would describe sin as an act that defies the stated expectation of God. God calls Himself boundless in His Person and attributes, and everything about Him is Just. We cannot know His thoughts except those He reveals to us. Those utterances that have been revealed are His Law and an expression of Who He is. Once God has uttered His Word to us, we are then responsible to obey It. Those Words He has not given us, the balance of His thoughts that remain a secret to us, are still just as perfect but are not our responsibility to keep. Being responsible to obey, if we do not, we commit sin against God.
The results of sin are seated in our legal transgression against the Holy God Who created us, in which we are now indebted to. The effects of this offense include a break in our initial relationship with God, leading to consequences named by Him. At the onset of our sin, we are immediately on course to death, first and immediately in our spiritual self, then in our physical body which will later die, then as a result of sin on our ‘heart’ our actions debase, and finally the people around us whom we influence and are responsible to are also affected.
We are told not to grieve the Spirit in our sin, proving that after Salvation as He resides in us, as we can still choose to sin and have it negatively affect Him. We also know that central to Christ’s Passion was the effects of Hell’s punishment for our sins. And most importantly, the definitive punishment suffered by Jesus as Father turned away from Him for the first and last time in His endless circle of existence.
But, ultimately, our sin offends the very thing that Saved us from it – our relationship with the Lord Who denies His wrath in exchange for a sacrificial, loving extension of Grace once again, that we would choose to turn to obedience out of love for Him. Sin’s effects on our relationship cannot dislodge our Salvation, as we were never responsible for its beginning, either. But, sin does damper our sensitivity to the Spirit, it hinders Father’s hearing our prayers, and it pollutes those around us.
I’ve thought about my sin and the sad ease I possess in choosing my desires over Jesus’ demands. I know academically the effects, as well as the harm it brings in my life. But, despite the consequences, I still will choose to sin. I’ve concluded the reason is that I fail to appreciate the harm it brings to my Saviour, and that is because I fail to draw closer to Him. The distance I allow insulates me from the reality, much like a faceless crime victim is easier to harm than a loved one, face to face. Damn my sin! I want to want to be pure.