The Two Aspects of Sin

When we read "sin" in scripture, most of us, I expect, think of the miss deed, whether thought or activity, committed at various to the will of God. But that misses an important usage of the Greek words translated as "sin."

The wages of sin is death. This verse teaches sin has consequences imposed by God for our deviation from God's will. And on of these is separation from God because He is Holy, and as a sinner, we were not.

One of the Greek words translated as "sin" actually refers to the consequence or effect imposed by God for that missing of the mark. "HamartEmatOn" (G265) is the transliteration of Greek word that usually refers to the effects of sin, rather than the misdeed itself.

Mark 3:28 (NASB)
“Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit;

Here we see the concept that what is forgiven is the consequence or effect of the sin, and not necessarily our missing the mark thought or action.. In Mark 4:12 we see once again that the penalties of sin are in view

In Romans 3:25 we God was righteous when He did not impose the penalties of sin. And finally, in 1 Corinthians 6:18 we see the consequences of sexual immorality sin include adversely affecting our physical bodies.

 

First let us consider "hamartanō" (G264) which is a verb and therefore refers to our human action of deviating from the will of God.

Second let us consider "hamartia" (G266) which is a feninine noun and is used to refer to the misdeed and also the consequence.

Lastly consider "hamartēma" (G265) which is a neuter noun and refers to the penalty of sin.

In summary, G266 is used to refer to both the misdeed and the penalty and therefore requires study to determine whether one or the other or both are in view.

 

In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Jesus became the slain Lamb of God, thus became the consequence of sin. So we would expect to find G266 and we do!

 

Yet another off topic non-germane post for the purpose of disrupting actual biblical discussion!!
First let us consider "hamartanō" (G264) which is a verb and therefore refers to our human action of deviating from the will of God.

Second let us consider "hamartia" (G266) which is a feninine noun and is used to refer to the misdeed and also the consequence.

Lastly consider "hamartēma" (G265) which is a neuter noun and refers to the penalty of sin.

In summary, G266 is used to refer to both the misdeed and the penalty and therefore requires study to determine whether one or the other or both are in view. For example, in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "harnartia" is used to refer to the consequence of sin, and not the misdeed, because Jesus was sinless.

 

Matthew 3:6 (NASB)
and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

Matthew 9:2 (NASB)
And they brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, “Take courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”

The bolded and red words reflect the usage of G266, which is used for two different meanings.

In these two verses, we see that when our human action is in view, such as confessing our sins, the misdeed is in view. OTOH, when we see that God's action to not impose the penalty is in view, the consequence of sin is in view.

Hope that helps...

 

Matthew 3:6 (interpretive translation)
and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their misdeeds.

Matthew 9:2 (interpretive translation)
And they brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, “Take courage, son, your penalties for sins are forgiven.”

Here we see how the translation of "harmartia" (G266) could be improved by choosing the contextually indicated meaning.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21 (interpretive translation)
He made Him who knew no misdeed, was made sin's penalty for our benefit, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Here we see the benefit of contextually translating "harmartia" (G266) in one of the most debated verses of scripture!

 

Mark 2:9
“Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sin's penalties are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’?

John 8:24
“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sin's penalties; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sin's penalties.”

Acts of the Apostles 7:60
Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin's penalty against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.