Can wearing two different types of fabric really be a sin (Deuteronomy 22:11)? Why were some animals “unclean” to eat at first (Leviticus 11) before Jesus changed the law (Matthew 15:11, Acts 10)? If sin is so important, why does it feel so unclear? Perhaps we should focus less on the specifics and explore more what it means to be sinful.

In my opinion, one of the most thought-twisting chapters of the Bible is Romans 7. In it, the Apostle Paul describes the inner conflict between his mind’s delight in the Lord and his body’s desire for indulgence and sin. It is here we find the famous verse, “For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do.” (Romans 7:15, NIV) All of us can relate to Paul’s strife when we say things we regret or make poor rash decisions. However, the motivations behind sin go deeper than that.

While some may use Paul’s verse as a righteous cop-out, Paul’s greater message describes how sin leverages our knowledge of what is right to lust after what is wrong. This rings familiar of the Garden of Eden when Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Genesis 2:17) Simply knowing the difference between right and wrong invites our bodies to want the wrong. Our bodies desire what we can touch, feel, carry, spend, and own more than that which our souls hope for. Our bodies forsake all restrictions to grasp our present opportunity.

That inescapable desire to please ourselves before honoring our God or neighbor is the foundation of sin. Sin is our choice to act for the self at the expense of our faith or community. Sin comes from knowing God’s will–His Law, His expectations, His faithfulness, His calling on our lives–and choosing against it. That’s why acting on what is wrong or not acting on that which is good both qualify as sin; we choose our way, our life, and our resources in direct opposition to God’s Word. The desire to sin is baked into each one of us; neither a confession of faith nor baptism removes it. 

I mentioned the changing laws around food before, and let’s peer into that. In Matthew 15, Jesus declares that it is not what a man eats that defiles him–he is marred by what comes out of him through word or deed. How can we reconcile a changing attitude from an unchanging God? In the same way that the Bible records how God provides and removes His blessing and protection from generations of people. His covenant to protect and grow the people of Israel remains the same, but He will employ different tactics that may seem harsh or restrictive to do it–just ask Job. The world offered all the animals, insects, birds, and fish to eat, but God put restrictions in place to see which we would want more: His blessing or a main course of camel.

Later in his letter to the Romans, Paul expounds upon these laws, writing, “Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.” (Romans 14:20, ESV) At first, this may appear silly, but it quickly makes sense if we consider addictive substances. If your brother has a problem with alcohol, but you do not, it would be a sin to drink in front of him, as it strengthens the voices of temptation against him. Similarly, suppose someone is fasting from sugar; eating ice cream in front of them weakens their resolve. In that case, you are interjecting your selfish will between another believer and what they’ve offered to God. If we carry this out logically, we begin to see the true essence of righteousness and sin. It’s about our motivations.

That’s why accepting Jesus as our Lord is the necessary part of salvation. We choose to follow His way more often than our own. We acknowledge He truly knows what is best, not ourselves. It invites repentance against all the times we have–and will–choose ourselves over someone else, including God. It reveals our hearts' desire to want what God has for us instead of what the world offers.

Sin is the exact opposite. It wants to take from others based purely on the immediate reality. Casual sex takes the essence of another person without the commitment to pour back into them. Theft takes what rightfully belongs to another person. Desecrating God’s name attempts to exalt ourselves over Him. Drugs offer us a temporary high while they destroy our bodies, identity, friends, and family. Sin does not create; it only corrupts what God has perfectly made. 

We are made in God’s image for a unique purpose (Jeremiah 1:5). Sin, then, is our choice to harm that image, refuse that purpose, or strip either away from someone else. Sin is anything we do or don’t do that gets between God and Man. No book could contain all the specifics to avoid, and that’s the point. The religious leaders of Jesus’ time knew all the laws, yet their hearts were far from God. Meanwhile, the sinners, prostitutes, and tax cheats knew they were wrong and flocked back to Jesus in repentance. We all sin, but do we see all the ways in which we do?

Our souls yearn to find our purpose while we enslave our flesh with uninspired time in hopes of attaining large salaries and larger indulgences. Our souls want peace, while our bodies invite drama through power and lust. A battle is raging over our hearts, whether to follow the desires of our supernatural souls or give in to the natural desires of the body. Proverbs 4 warns us, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV) If our hearts seek the world–where all things die, rust, and decay–then our lives will end similarly. If, instead, our hearts seek eternal promises by trusting the Father, our lives will likewise last forever.

Sin is anything that convinces us what we have in this world is better than what God has made for us. In Romans 7, Paul is lamenting his continual battle of subduing his heart against all the choices the world offers. His ultimate relief from his “body of death” comes in the power of resurrection through Jesus (Romans 7:24-25). Make the right choice. Choose the King, who Himself chose a brutal earthly death in order that He may offer you a glorious heavenly life. Let nothing else get in between Him and you.

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