HHMI Newsgroup Archives
From: Daniel Rendelman
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: What is sin?
WHAT IS SIN?
According to the Bible in Romans 3 we know that "all have sinned and
fallen short of the glory of Yahweh." The scriptures also state in
Romans "where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that,
just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through
righteousness to bring eternal life through Messiah Yahshua."
Through these verses we can understand the effects of sin. Sin
separates us from our Heavenly Father. Sin makes us in need of
forgiveness. Without forgiveness there is no eternal life, no grace,
and no righteousness because of sin.
Sin Defined by Scripture
So what is sin? Well, the book of 1 John speaks vividly on this subject and answers our question with a profoundly simple response. 1 John 3:4-7, "Everyone who sins breaks the Torah; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous."
There it is plain and simple in verse 4 "sin is LAWLESSNESS!"
Wait a minute! I thought we were not under law but under grace. I thought the law had passed away and we had entered the "age of grace." Well, according to the above scripture "sin is lawlessness." If we sin we are violating Yah's laws. If we sin it is because we are not keeping the Torah. Sin is a life without the law; i.e. "lawlessness."
The Torah or the Law
By the way, the word "law" is a Greek interpretation of the Hebrew "Torah."
The word "torah" is Hebrew for "teaching or instruction" not Law as commonly translated. The Torah traditionally is the first five books of the 1st Testament, including the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments.
Today the Torah is the whole counsel of Yahweh, the Bible, including the teachings of Moses. Never is the Torah spoken against as bad or contrary to Yahweh's will. In fact in several places, especially in the Psalms, we find peace, joy, and blessing come from keeping the Torah and meditating on it. Read Psalm 1 and Psalm 119 for a great example of how we are to approach the Torah.
The Torah does not include the Oral Law or Talmud, the traditional Jewish teachings/interpretation of the Torah. As believers in Yashuah we are not to observe the Talmud but we may use it for reference. Nor should we bank on the traditions of [so called] church fathers as doctrine. The Law is not Jewish, it is Biblical. And the Scriptures, in its entirety, is the only inspired infallible word of Yahweh.
What Do Others Say
According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, a Baptist publication, "sin
is transgression of the law. Yah established the law as a standard of
righteousness; any violation of this standard is defined as sin.
Deuteronomy 6:24-25 is a statement of this principle from the
perspective that a person who keeps the law is righteous. The
implication is that the person who does not keep the law is not
righteous, that is, sinful."
The Holman Dictionary continues, "The Old Testament has a rich vocabulary for sin. The Hebrew word Chata means, "to miss the mark," as does the Greek hamartia. The word could be used to describe a person shooting a bow and arrow and missing the target with the arrow. When it is used to describe sin, it means that the person has missed the mark that Yah has established for the person's life.
The Hebrew Aven describes the crooked or perverse spirit associated with sin. Sinful persons have perverted their spirits and become crooked rather than straight. Ra describes the violence associated with sin. It also has the connotation of the breaking out of evil. Sin is the opposite of righteousness or moral straightness in the 1st Testament. The New Testament picture is much like that of the 1st Testament. Several of the words used for sin in the New Testament have almost the same meaning as some of the Hebrew words used in the 1st Testament. The most notable advancement in the New Testament view of sin is the fact that sin is defined against the backdrop of Yahshua as the standard for righteousness. His life exemplifies perfection. The exalted purity of His life creates the norm for judging what is sinful."
What About Yahshua?
This is an excellent interpretation as we know that Yahshua was the word/law/Torah made flesh, therefore he exemplified it to perfection. Or put plainly Yahshua kept the Torah in its completion. And therefore to follow Yahshua we must follow the 1st Testament Law. A life patterned after Yahshua, or after the Torah, will be a life absent of sin! For Yahshua never broke the law.
1 John 3:5, "But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin." If no sin was in Yahshua then no lawlessness was in Yahshua. Yes, he was made unclean by touching the leper, the woman with the issue of blood, and dead people but being unclean is not a sin. Being unclean during the time of Yahshua would not permit you to enter the temple for 24 hours. That's it!
And yes, Yahshua would often defend the Torah saying, "You have hear it said..." and then would say "but I tell you..." These words were directed not towards the Torah, which Romans 7 states is "holy, righteous and good." These piercing words of Yahshua found in Matthew 5 and other places were spoken to those who had perverted the Torah/law: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes. Matthew 5:27 & 28, "You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Here Yahshua again brings the attention to the heart motive, from which words and actions flow.
When Yashuah issued the great commandment he wasn't telling the
people not to follow the other aspects of the Law. Matthew 22: 34-40, "Hearing that Yahshua had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees
got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this
question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?"
Yahshua replied: "`Love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor
as yourself.' All the Torah and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments." Here Yahshua insisted that the "Law and the Prophets"
hand on our relationship with Yahwehand people. Yes, we are to love
Yahwehand love people...but how do we do that? Easy! By following the
Torah!
Law and Grace
The scriptures are true; we are not under the curse of the Law but under grace through trusting in Yahshua as our Messiah/Savior. Galatians 3:13 & 14, "Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: `Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Messiah Yahshua, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."
Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Yahshua we are not under the penalty of the Torah breaking but we can be under His grace for the times in which we do not obey the Torah. So, if you believe the scriptures then you must agree that sin is "lawlessness" and that to be sinless one must obey the Torah. Well that's exactly what Yahshua did and commands also to do.
Yes, we have entered the ReNewed Covenant and its unmerited favor, meaning that we do not have to keep the Torah for salvation or right standing with Yah. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of Yah-not by works, so that no one can boast," Ephesians 2:8 & 9. But this grace does not mean that the Torah has been done away with. "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Torah until everything is accomplished," Matthew 5:18. Everything has not been accomplished therefore the Torah has not "disappeared." Heaven and earth has not passed away nor has Torah.
Romans 6:15 makes this point well, "What then? Shall we sin (break the Torah) because we are not under Torah but under grace? By no means!"
"Sin is lawlessness" so to live an obedient life to Yah then we must follow the Torah and not break it!
What Did Yahshua Do?
It is all a matter of WWYD? Yes, the popular phrase "What Would Yahshua Do" sums up how we should live our lives. Yahshua followed the Torah and commands us to.
Understand that the Law was not some religious system that the Messiah just happened to be born into; rather it was and is Yahweh's pattern and plan for man. Yahshua followed kept the Sabbaths, celebrated the feasts, ate kosher, and was circumcised all according to God's Torah. Yahshua did not come to "do away with the Torah" (Matt.5:17-20) but present to us a perfect life that we should strive to model.
For we should keep the Feasts of Yahweh, the 7th day Shabbat, the New Moons, the dietary laws, the law of fringes, head coverings, and teach that all Torah commands of Yahweh, which apply to our moral and spiritual walk with Yahweh anf are still valid as a life-style for all Yisrael (1 John 3:4,7,22,24;5:2-3).
Shouldn't we do the same? Shouldn't we follow Him, the author and finisher of our faith?
Yahshua, the living Torah, is our standard of righteousness. And all Scripture remains valid for practice if the circumstances remain available today. For example, the Temple laws cannot be performed without a Temple in place. However, the principles found in those laws remain useful to us today. The Torah is for protection from sin and will lead us in Yahweh's declared will.
There is so much more I would like to write to you but because of space this all for now. Let me leave you with this verse from Deuteronomy 27:26, "Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this Torah by carrying them out." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
Can you say "Amen" to this article?
Practical Advice
To help you live a sinless life, that is a life of obedience to Yah's Law, here are a few suggestions.
1) Substitute to understand. Whenever you read the scriptures substitute lawlessness for sin and you will find your heart changing to be submissive to the /guidelines/Torah.
2) Learn all that you can about the Torah and submit to it. As you do the Father will draw near to you in an amazing way.
3) Don't pervert this teaching into legalism! Salvation is not through keeping the Law.
4) Receive the blessings that come through obedience. As you walk in Torah people around you will see the difference; use every chance to share you faith in the Mighty One of Israel.
5) Understand that the Torah is for today. The scriptures make it clear that out of the 613 commands given in the 1st Testament Law many were relevant only when the Levitical priesthood was practicing in the temple. Yahshua, as the final High Priest, is the supreme sacrifice. No longer to we have to sacrifice animals. Hebrews 7:27, "Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself."
6) Ask the Ruach Ha Kodesh to open your mind to His word. Many teachers from the church teach the Torah has passed away but the Bible says that the Ruach will lead you unto all truth.
7) Find a group that is open and support them! Don't allow others to sow seeds of "lawlessness" into your life. Read, believe, and lead. Find someone who can disciple you on the ways of the Torah and soak it up!
8) Pray about this, search it out, and don't take my word for it. Make the time to study these passages out come to truth that sets you free to live a life without sin. Find out for yourself what the Bible teaches about the Law and sin.
9) Forward this to someone else...if you dare ruffling their religious feathers.
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