What is sin? According to the Bible, sin is any type of rebellion or transgression against God or God’s law (I John 3:4). But, what is sin it in the most simplest terms? Unfortunately, many people believe that sin is just a “bunch of do’s and don’ts” created by God (or man) to control behavior. However, if you look at almost every example in the Bible, sin is merely using something or doing something other than God’s intended purpose.

During mentoring and teaching sessions, I would tell my students to “…imagine that you alone invented both the microphone and speaker. You were so excited to show off your new inventions, and you just knew you would become like the god of music and public speech to the world. But when you showed off your inventions, they refused to listen on what they could do. Then, some people used your microphone to hit each other on the head causing serious injuries, while others used your speaker as a table to jump on and off it. Wouldn’t you be very frustrated and furious as its creator? Now imagine, their response to your anger is that ‘you just want to control them’. Would that make any sense to you? Well, sin is exactly the same way…’ God created the earth, animals, and even you for a specific purpose. Anything that is used other than what God intended (medicine, relationships, technology…etc.) is a sin. You can even build a church and become a pastor of a large congregation. But if that is not what God intended you to do, it is sin.

So, when you think of sin that way, you are less likely to judge and realize that sin is not about control, but about purpose. What’s your purpose?

-Author Tomm A. Boyer