Let's talk about sin. What is it. What does it really mean. And most importantly, how we can avoid it. So, I was reading my Strongs Concordance... as one does... The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. The Hebrew word translated as "sin" is khataw. (You gotta really hock up that kh. Be careful if you have sinus drainage! KHebrew is not a fun language to speak.) Khataw simply means "to miss". Here, catch this ball... You missed! (Or did I miss??) Here's the idea: God defines a target that we are to aim for, but we miss. - Hey, Adam and Eve. You have 1 rule. One goal. One target. Don't eat this. (I prefer to believe the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not an apple. It was a cookie. An Oreo to be specific.) Simple. ONE target. Don't eat it. - Adam and Eve missed. Here's the problem: God is inherently perfect. Thus, it makes sense that the target that God defines for us is perfection. God wants us to be like Him and He is perfect. Our target is perfection. However, due to Adam and Eve, we are inherently imperfect. We inherited Adam and Eve's "miss". So, we also miss God's target. We are born unable to be perfect. (You don't have to teach a child to sin. It is their nature. They are born selfish and naturally do anything to satisfy themselves. They will ALWAYS eat the Oreo.) Let's jump ahead to the New Testament (which was written in Greek). The Greek word translated as "sin" is hamartano. (Greek is much more fun to speak than KHebrew.) This word was used in Greek to refer to an archer "missing the mark." Here is a target. Here is a mark in the middle. You miss the bullseye: Hamartano. Interestingly... Hamartano is derived from the Greek "meros" which means "piece" or "part" or "share" as in, "Your piece of the pie". Meros is the origin of the English word "merit". You could say your "merit" is the piece that you earned. Thus, hamartano literally means, "don't receive a piece". Or, you don't get a share of the prize. The archer missed the mark and lost out on the prize. So, the Greek phrase, "You lost the prize" was used to mean "You missed the bullseye" and ended up translated as "sin". I think that's really intesting in the context of sin and what it really means for us. God loves us. God wants us to be with Him. BUT God is perfect and we are not. If we could be perfect (if we could hit the mark) the prize is eternity with God. (The Bible calls that Heaven.) So, when we miss the mark, we lose our prize: Heaven. Thankfully, God provided a way for us (imperfect sinners) to still get the prize. Jesus hits the mark. Jesus is perfect. Only Jesus was able to take all of our misses, carry them to the cross, and leave them there. So, through Jesus, we can have the prize! BUT we still miss. If we love God, we should still try to hit the mark. The Bible gives us some advice on how to hit the mark more often than not. (I'm not saying we can be perfect. We are still Adam's children. However...) Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 2 Timothy 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness... faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Notice the theme? Closeness to God! So, if I want to hit the bullseye, it's much easier when I'm standing next to the target. The farther I get from the target the harder it is to hit the bullseye. Discuss: In what practical ways do we "draw near" to God?