Concerning Sin.

Sin is rebellion against God, a missing of God’s mark for our lives, a violation of the law of God, a rejec¬tion of the will of God. We can sin by attitudes, thoughts, and feelings (Mart. 5:28) as well as by the spoken word or the out¬ward deed. All human beings have gone astray (Isa. 53:6). None is righteous (Rom. 3:10); all have sinned (Rom. 3:23; Gal. 3:22; I John 1:8). We may sin directly against God or against our fel¬lowman, created in the image of God (Gen. 9:6; James 2:9). We can also sin against our family, our church, our nation. Not only do individuals sin but a group such as a family, a labor union, a corporation, a church (Rev. 2:1-3; 22), or a nation (Exod. 32:3 1; I Kings 8:33-34) can sin against God and frustrate his will.

Sin is social as well as personal. No one sins unto himself Others are involved in or affected by personal sin (Gen. 3:1-7; Gal. 2:11-13). Sin not only separates us from God (Gen. 4:14) but also from our fellowman. The forgiveness of our sins by our heavenly Father is dependent on our forgiveness of those who have sinned against us (Matt. 6:14-15; 18:35). It is only the forgiving who are forgiven; and the forgiven are to be forgiving.