Sin is sin, isn’t it?

I have a simple question for you, what is sin? As I have searched various lexicons, I have found the most common answer to be, “missing the mark.” Sadly, I feel the need to report that this definition misses the mark. It’s too simple of an answer, it lacks depth, is too broad. After all, what exactly is the mark we’re even aiming at? Does the missing of said mark include intent? Am I actually trying to hit it? And why are the answers to those questions not within the definition?

A hard truth is that Western Christianity might have an abundance of God-fearing, law-abiding believers who truly love the Lord, but it’s also filled with churches that have confused the Great Commission with a call to convert, rather than make students¹. As such, we are simply not raised in a church culture that allows us to catch some of the hidden gems and context driven nuances that might add to our understanding of God’s will and Christ’s work. In this case, what is sin? Is all sin equal? Is something done in ignorance that stands against God’s will the same as knowing His will but choosing another path?

In the English speaking world, we tend to view sin, iniquity, and rebellion as if they were one and the same. In biblical Hebrew, however, there are differences in the underlying words and those differences play a huge role in our faith walk both in how we live and in how we treat others. Three Hebrew words stand out that we might view as if they all had the same definition, but they don’t. Those words, chata’ah, avon and pesha, have three distinct meanings that are important to understand. Let’s look at these words:

First is chata’ah (H2403). This word is almost always translated as sin and is usually defined as, “missing the mark.” To bring this word to life, imagine an archer, with a bow, arrow, and a target. His intent is to “always” hit the target , and the target is God’s will or righteousness. He wants nothing else but to hit that target, and yet, from time to time, because he has not yet been perfected, he simply misses the target. Thus chata’ah is best defined as unintentional sin or a sin of ignorance (i.e. he did something he didn’t know was a sin).

Second is avon (H5771). Often translated as iniquity (and sometimes transgression), to best understand this word, imagine the same archer. He still has the same intent, to “always hit the target.” This time, however, he gets caught up in an emotion (a lust perhaps) and takes his eyes off the target and places them on something else, at which he fires. Once he comes back to his senses, he turns back to the target and begins again, with that same intent, to hit nothing but the proper target.

Third and last is pesha (H6588). Generally, this word is translated as rebellion and that is as good a word as we’ll find. Imagine the same archer, only this time he knows the target God desires him to aim at, and he couldn’t care less. He deliberately seeks out and aims at anything and everything other than the righteousness of God. This is willful sin, purposeful, rebellious.

Why is this important? For starters, Yeshua specifically died to redeem us from sin. Where it tells us “the wages of sin is death²,” or that Yeshua “died unto sin³,” that Greek word for sin is hamartia (G266) which is the same word, used the Septuagint⁴, for the sin of God’s people on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The implication being that Yeshua specifically gave his life to redeem those that have been walking against the will of God unintentionally or in ignorance. When it comes to avon and pesha (iniquity and rebellion) those can be redeemed as well, but they have to repent and turn away from aiming at another target.

While we need to teach those seeking to learn, we should also understand that if somebody is doing something wrong but they are unaware, they are not automatically damned. We should ask God in prayer to be made aware of those places and times in our lives when we have fallen short, but falling short doesn’t mean we are cut off. Unrepentant rebellious living, deliberately standing opposed to God’s will when you KNOW what His will is for you, that is another story. That person can still be redeemed, but if they don’t cease and turn away from those actions. I believe this is where Hebrews 10:26 comes into play:

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.”

Living in ignorance or unintentionally falling short is one thing, sinning willfully after we have “received” the knowledge of truth is something else entirely.

1. The “Great Commission” found in Matthew 28:16-20, declares we are to make disciples, students, the word for convert is not in the text nor the context. ↩︎
2. Romans 6:23 ↩︎
3. Romans 6:10 ↩︎
4. The Septuagint (or LXX) is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Tanach (OT) done approximately 300BC by Jewish scribes for their Hellenistic (Greek) brethren ↩︎