Harold Ziegler
Thompson
ACS 1000 S08
November 7, 2014
Sin and Transgression
Throughout the bible there are frequent mentions to a few key concepts that are invaluable to religion as a whole. These key concepts are sin and transgression. Essentially, the two words embody the same idea: evil and lawlessness as defined by God. However, the two words carry slightly different meanings and connotations upon further evaluation (ACS notes).
The word 'sin' has been defined as "to miss the mark" and, according to the bible, can refer to a whole array of different scenarios. For instance, sinning could be doing something against god or another human, doing the opposite of what is right, or even failing to do something that one knows is right (ACS notes). Essentially, sin is anything that "falls short of the glory of god" (Romans 3:23). According to the bible, sin leads to a downward spiral that can only be halted by restoring the power of the Holy Spirit (Holy Bible).
Since the fall of Adam (Genesis 3:6-7), this nature of sinning is present in every single human being. Regardless of our good intentions, this 'sinful nature' causes human beings to often gravitate towards many bad and immoral qualities: selfishness, envy, pride (Philosophy notes). Paul the apostle discussed the struggle of sin and his own personal experience when he wrote "For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but cannot carry it out" (Romans 7:18). In essence, sinning or wrongdoing is a quality of humans that we cannot change and, thus, in order to stay in good graces with god, we must often repent from our sins (ACS notes).
Transgression, on the other...