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“The Bible
refers to sin by using a variety of Hebrew
and Greek words because of the different
meanings attached to each word. Sin appears
in many forms, from deliberate wrongdoing
and moral evil to accidental failure through
weakness, laziness or ignorance (Exodus 32:30; Proverbs 28:13; Matthew 5:22,28;
Romans 1:29-32; James 4:17).
But the
most common characteristic of all sin is
that it is some kind of violation against
God (Psalm 51:4; Romans 8:7). It is the
breaking of God's moral precepts. It is
lawlessness and rebellion against God's
absolute holiness (Isaiah 1:2; 1 John 3:4).
Literally it means, the 'missing of the
mark', that 'mark' being the perfect
standard of God’s will (Deuteronomy 9:18;
Romans 3:23). It is unbelief because it
rejects God’s revealed truth (Deuteronomy 9:23; Psalm 78:21-22; John 3:18-19; 8:24; 16:9). It is ungodliness which makes a
person guilty before God (Psalm 1:5-6;
Romans 1:18; James 2:10).”
[1]
Sin is not
simply what Seventh-day Adventists try to
say it is when they quote 1 John 3:4, in the
King James Version of the Bible.
The
word the KJV translates as “law” is from the
Greek: ἀνομία (anomia) which literally
means “lawlessness; violation of law, 1 John 3:4; iniquity, sin, Matthew 7:23. See:
lawless, lawlessness; wicked, wickedness.”
[From: Mounce's Complete Expository
Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words:
Hebrew/Greek-English Dictionary].
The
last phrase in 1 John 3:4, should be
translated as, “sin is lawlessness.”
Even the updated NKJV changed their
translation to read, “sin is lawlessness”
because our knowledge of Greek has improved
greatly over the years since the KJV was
last updated.
1 John 3:4 says,
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also
the law: for sin is the transgression of the
law." (KJV)
Here is how the verse is
translated by some of the better modern versions
today.
1 John 3:4, “Everyone who
makes a practice of sinning also practices
lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (ESV)
1 John 3:4, “Everyone who practices sin
also practices lawlessness; and sin is
lawlessness.” (NASB)
1 John 3:4,
“Whoever commits sin also commits
lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” (NKJV)
1 John 3:4, “Everyone who sins breaks
the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” (NIV)
1 John 3:4, “Everyone who practices sin
also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is
lawlessness.” (NET)
Sin is
“lawlessness” of any kind.
References:
1. See:
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary: Sin.
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