Sin or sins?
From God's perspective a person is "in Sin" or he
is not "in Sin". It is your status with God, a state of being
unrighteous or righteous. If you are
Born Again then you are entirely righteous and you are
not "in Sin". If you are not Born Again, then you are "in
Sin".
Your sins are individual acts or thoughts that
violate The Law of God. Romans 4:15 says
for where no law is, there is no
transgression. Where there is a law,
if you violate that law, you have sinned. You "miss the mark"
or do not live up to the high standard that God sets. His
standard is perfection. Everyone sins. Romans 3:23 says
For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God. Even Born
Again people sin, daily. You and I cannot meet God's
standard of perfection. That is why we need a Savior.
Jesus did not commit a single sin. He lived a perfect life.
Imagine there are two countries. one country is
named "in Sin" and the other country is named "Righteous". Now
imagine a person that lives in the "in Sin" country. He lives
out his daily life in that country. He is prohibited by God
from moving to the Righteous country. Let's say that the
person is a "good" person. He helps people. He visits
the sick. He gives money to the poor. Nevertheless,
his good deeds cannot move him to the Righteous country.
If this person dies without becoming born again, he dies "in Sin"
and cannot go to Heaven.
Now let's say that that person that is "in Sin"
realizes he needs a a Savior and receives Jesus as his Savior
(Romans 10:9). He becomes Born Again. In John 3:3 Jesus
said "I tell you the truth, no one can see
the kingdom of God unless he is born again." A Born
Again person cannot live in the country of "in Sin". The
reason for that is that God punished Jesus for our sins and when we
accept Jesus as our Savior, we receive Jesus righteousness. 2
Corinthians 5:21 says For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus became Sin (singular) though He never committed an act of sin.
In our example, our Born Again person became righteous. He is
automatically, immediately and irrevocably moved to the
country named Righteousness where he will live forever. He can
never return to the country of "in Sin". Let's say that the
person now commits a sin. He is still righteous. Romans
4:8 says Blessed
and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will
take no account nor reckon it against him. God
takes no account of his act of sin and does not hold it against him.
God is righteous be because He has punished Jesus a the cross for
that act of sin.
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