1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The only man to ever live and not sin is Jesus Christ. While Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, we are not Christ, but rather belong to Christ. Were we get caught up in our view of sin is over the penalty for sin. There is a huge difference between consequences of sin and penalty for sin.

1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

What Paul is trying to point out here is that there is no penalty for sin for those who have accepted Christ. The consequences of sin still exist and it is in the consequences that forward progress is hampered. Paul’s goal is forward momentum. If we get caught up in a sin, the consequences stall forward momentum. We are giving power to sin.

In simple terms sin doesn’t get us where we want to be.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 Jesus Christ took all our sins to the Cross and died to put an end to sin. Since He already died for a sin we are just now repenting of and seeking forgiveness, then acknowledgement of sin and awareness of forgiveness is not about the penalty for sin but perhaps rather about regaining lost momentum.

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

Paul’s forward momentum is towards perfection but since we already established that Christ alone is righteous and without sin, what is this perfection?

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Defining sin is a difficult issue for people who do not believe in God or the devil. The concept of good vs evil is conceptualized for them by authority or society. That authority might be parents who are not perfect and the saying “Do as I say and not as I do” came into common use.

I began this blog with Judges 17:6 because even those who do not believe in God or the devil can recognize that someone will insist to declare what is right and hold others accountable. Men who were kings were of two types, just and unjust. Who you might fall under influenced your opinions on life but not necessarily on sin. History has some fine examples about the separation of powers. If you are a student of history your ideas about what sin is will be even more confused.

This leaves us with societies influence on behavior. This is what we call morally acceptable behavior and that which is not acceptable. If you look at society’s moral scale they tend to swing from one extreme to the other. Victorian morality tends to be overly restrictive and tries to control the general populace by shame and harsh penal laws. A free society will eventually emerge out of rebellion to authority and seize power. They change the laws and allow anyone to do what is right in their own mind. Nearly everything is acceptable as long as they don’t present themselves as a threat to the power of authority.

Fluctuating morality doesn’t address sin because sin will either hide behind closed doors or flaunt itself in the streets. Morality dictated by society is not a valid standard by which we should define sin, as it changes constantly.

Sin can only be defined by One who is consistent and is not swayed by human emotions and desires.

Sin only exists because God says don’t and we disobey. If you do not believe in God you are lawless. If you are lawless, it doesn’t matter what you call sin.