7 Days of Fundamental Biblical Concepts for StudentsSample

What Is Sin?

Sin is loving anything more than God. It’s thinking, speaking or acting in ways that are against what God wants for us.

Have you ever seen yourself in the fun house mirrors at a carnival or an amusement park? Your reflection is there, but the image is all distorted. Those mirrors may be fun, but you probably wouldn’t want to use one to get ready in the morning. They don’t offer a reliable picture of what you really look like.

The Bible says in Genesis 1:26 that we were created to be mirrors of God to reflect his image. Sin is failing to live up to this purpose. That’s why Paul says in Romans 3:23, ‘‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’’ We all ‘‘fall short’’ of being the image bearers we were created to be. Instead of showing others what God is like through our words and actions, we present a distorted image to the world around us, just like one of those fun house mirrors.

The good news is that God hasn’t given up on us. He still wants us to be his faithful image bearers. As we allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead us, day in and day out, that’s exactly what happens.

Revelation 22:3 tells us that one day when Jesus returns, the curse of sin will be undone. Jesus’ followers will be transformed and made new, and we will perfectly reflect the glory of God, just as we were created to do.