Transgression

The Bible describes evil and lawlessness as Sin, Transgression, and iniquity. While there is some overlap they do have a few distinctions.

How would you define Sin?

• Sin means “to miss the mark” It can refer to doing something against God or against a person (Exodus 10:16), doing the opposite of what is right (Galatians 5:17), doing something that will have negative results (Proverbs 24:33–34), and failing to do something you know is right (James 4:17). In the Old Testament, God even instituted sacrifices for unintentional sins (Numbers 15:27). Sin is the general term for anything that “falls short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

What scriptures come to mind when you think of Sin?

• Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

• John 8:34 “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”

• James 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

• Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• 1 John 1:8-10 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

• 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

• Hebrews 10:26 “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,”

Why are Sins an Issue?

• Sin leads to a downward progression.

• The sin nature is present in every human being born since the Fall of Adam (Genesis 3:6–7; Romans 5:12).

• If left unchecked, continual sin leads to a “reprobate mind,” spoken of in Romans 1:28.

• Reprobate - that which does not prove itself such as it ought, unfit for, unproved, spurious

• Our sin nature causes us to gravitate naturally toward selfishness, envy, and pride, even when we are trying to do good.

What are some Examples of Sins?

How would you define Transgression?

• Transgression refers to presumptuous sin. To transgress is to choose to intentionally disobey; transgression is willful trespassing. “trespass” or “violation” To pass over or beyond; to overpass, as any rule prescribed as the limit of duty; to break or violate, as a law, civil or moral; the act of transgressing; the violation of a law or known principle of rectitude; breach of command.

What scriptures come to mind when you think of Transgressions?

• Samson intentionally broke his Nazirite vow by touching a dead lion (Numbers 6:1–5; Judges 14:8–9) and allowing his hair to be cut (Judges 16:17); in doing so he was committing a transgression.

• Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

• Psalm 19:13 “Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.”

• Galatians 3:19 “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.”

• Isaiah 43:25 ““I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

• Romans 4:15 “For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.”

Why are Transgressions an issue?

• Wrongful behavior has been accepted as okay or natural.

• They expose a person’s lack of fear of God.

• They tend to be more wicked sins.

What are some examples of Transgression?

• Breaking a Vow.

• Adultery.

How would you define Iniquity?

• Iniquity refers to a premeditated choice; to commit iniquity is to continue without repentance.

What scriptures come to mind when you think of Iniquities?

• Micah 2:1 “Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand.”

• Psalm 51:2 “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”

• Exodus 34:7a “Keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty”

• Ezekiel 18:20 “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

Why are Iniquities an issue?

• Iniquity left unchecked leads to a state of willful sin with no fear of God.

• The build-up of unrepentant sin is sometimes pictured as a “cup of iniquity” being filled to the brim (Revelation 17:4; Genesis 15:16).

• Revelation 17:4 “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.”

• Genesis 15:16 “And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

• Continued iniquity leads to unnatural affections, which leads to a reprobate mind.

• Romans 1:28-32 “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

What are some examples of Iniquities?

• Actively living a homosexual lifestyle.

• Being an abusive husband towards one’s wife.

• Rather than repent, Eli’s sons continued in their abominations until repentance was no longer possible. 

The biblical writers used different words to refer to sin in its many forms. However, regardless of how depraved a human heart may become, Jesus’ death on the cross was sufficient to cover all sin (John 1:29; Romans 5:18). The only sin that God cannot forgive is the final rejection of the Holy Spirit’s drawing to repentance—the ultimate fruit of a reprobate mind (Matthew 12:32; Luke 12:10).

Example of a closing Prayer:

Lord we come before you acknowledging that we have fallen short of your standard. Lord we confess to you we are sinners and that apart from Christ we have no hope. We ask that you convict us of our sin and bring to memory the sins of our past so that we may make amends. Father, we pray for those who have wronged us. We ask that you help us forgive them. Lord, help us to restore relationships in the coming days. Thank you for sending the Holy spirit as our helper. Give us strength as we face the temptations and trials ahead. May you find as a forgiving people, Amen.

Questions/Final thoughts:

Further resources:

What Is Sin in the Bible? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNOZ7ocLD74

What is the difference between iniquity, sin, and transgression? - https://www.gotquestions.org/iniquity-sin-transgression.html

What are sins, transgressions, and iniquities? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ2H_-Z0TTQ

What EXACTLY is the Unforgivable Sin? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HAtnBdRz34