The word sin has a very bad reputation. Try telling a friend that his Saturday night party was sinful! He may agree with stupid, or wasteful, but if you are going to tell him that it was sinful you can  probably expect to lose him as a friend. Though the word sin is very unpopular today, the acts of sin seem almost celebrated.

The Bible has always been clear on the subject of sin. It says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). "The soul who sins is the one who will die." (Ezekiel 18:20). Even with the unpopularity of the word, sin  remains a central issue for the person who is honestly searching  the truth concerning the meaning of life, and the one seeking genuine mental health will never attain it while carrying the  burden of sin.

That is why there a lesson on sin in this course.  One can never understand God’s plan for man’s wholeness until the question of sin is clearly examined and understood.

While the Biblical words which are translated "sin" in the English have a variety of definitions and applications, the following definition, though admittedly somewhat narrow, is often regarded as one of the most basic in terms of application. "Sin is a willing transgression of a law of God." Of course, it is true that sin is sin whether the sinner is aware of it or not; but for this study, the definition has been narrowed for the purpose of instruction only, and not to suggest that ignorance is any excuse.

If, for the purpose of this study, we define sin as a willing transgression of a law of God, we must then explain what is to be understood by the words willing and transgression.

"For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You and You only, have I sinned." (Psalm 51:3,4).

Strictly speaking, one does not sin against another person; we sin against God. We can of course, do wrong to another person, even to our own selves, but against God alone do we actually sin. However, let it be clear that any sin against God always shows itself as an offense against a person.

What types of sins are we referring to? Actually, we are not talking about types of sins, but rather ways to sin. Sin is sin, and there are basically four ways to go about sinning. These are: 1. Sins of thought, e.g.: planning revenge, harboring hatred, lusting after something or someone. 2. Sins of speech, e.g.: spreading lies, cursing, slander. 3. Sins of action, e.g.: stealing, adultery. 4. Sins of inaction, e.g.: neglect of duty, ignoring responsibility.

As this lesson title teaches, sin is two-fold. The first, and most familiar element of sin is the element of transgression, or the act of sin. Transgression is the act of violating a law of God by one of four ways: thought, speech, action or inaction. Any thought, spoken word, action or inaction that violates a law of God is a transgression...a sin. Is it any wonder that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."?

"Surely I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5).

Have you ever wondered why people sin so often? Even though sin, like crime, never pays, people are bent on sinning. Do people sin because they are under pressure and  forced to do so? No! People sin because they will to do so, and often, because they actually want to sin! Even when acting out of ignorance, sinful man willingly participates in that which is natural to his fallen condition.

David tells the whole story of sin in his confession: "I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." How can this be? Can a new-born child sin? Can a person sin while developing in the body of his or her mother? And yet, what David is saying is unmistakable.

In order to address the problem of the two-fold aspect of sin, we must recognize that doing sin, or committing transgression, is not what makes us sinners. We only do acts of sin because we are sinners already---sinners from the moment of conception! Man only acts out what is already in his being. He willingly acts in keeping with his inborn drives, desires, and inclinations. Therefore, man is not a sinner because he transgress God's law, man transgresses God's law because he is a sinner.

In Lesson One we referred to the fact that the mind (intellect) and the spirit-life were both affected by the Fall, and this is the core reason that human beings sin. People are sinners because they have a spiritual warp in their thinking. This is not a reference to a weakness of the human brain, this is something altogether different. Here we are referring to the "fallen nature." We must not confuse the "fallen nature" with the "human nature," they are not the same. Nevertheless, the fallen nature has a powerful influence upon the human side of man's nature.

The "fallen nature" (sometimes referred to as the carnal nature), is that mark of Adam which is upon each of us, and which makes it easy (even instinctual), for us to commit acts of sin. Our "fallen nature" is that instinctual, inborn affinity for wrong which makes us all expert sinners without the benefit of training.

Our "human nature" is that inherited set of mental characteristics which makes us capable of love, hate, happiness, sadness, courage, fear, and many other such things. While these things in and of themselves are not evil, our "fallen nature" will attempt to twist them into sinful patterns and actions if allowed to do so.

Sin is two-fold:

1. Sin committed (transgressions).

2. Sin inspired (willing bent toward transgressions).

Q. 2. What part does "willfulness" play in the matter of sin?

Q. 3. Why does man sin?