Sin is a religious concept but it has some non-religious, everyday uses too. "That cake is so good, it's a sin to waste it". Sins can be active or passive just like you can lie by commission or omission. Then, sins are any acts which we should or should not do but don't or do do, as the case may be. Did you follow that?
Man is different from all other animals. The thing that makes us different is the only thing which condemns us to the ability to sin. We have an intellect which allows us to make decisions about our actions and a conscience which helps us distinguish right from wrong. Together, they CAN help us do the right thing all the time. But, as the saying goes, we are only human.
Since we are animals, we have all the instincts and emotions of any primitive animal although subdued to some extent over years of being "civilized". It seems then, that sinning is really our inability to overcome vestiges of our primitive animal lives.
Think of how we sin: Selfishness, anger, hostility, envy, violations of nature, excesses of every kind, and the list goes on. If we give it some thought, we can see the relationship to animal instincts which are driven by protecting yourself, survival and pleasure. Our intellect can overcome them all but it is difficult. The good news is that each time we succeed, we get better at it.
God KNOWS we are only human. That is why he gives us multiple chances as long as we try.
Man is different from all other animals. The thing that makes us different is the only thing which condemns us to the ability to sin. We have an intellect which allows us to make decisions about our actions and a conscience which helps us distinguish right from wrong. Together, they CAN help us do the right thing all the time. But, as the saying goes, we are only human.
Since we are animals, we have all the instincts and emotions of any primitive animal although subdued to some extent over years of being "civilized". It seems then, that sinning is really our inability to overcome vestiges of our primitive animal lives.
Think of how we sin: Selfishness, anger, hostility, envy, violations of nature, excesses of every kind, and the list goes on. If we give it some thought, we can see the relationship to animal instincts which are driven by protecting yourself, survival and pleasure. Our intellect can overcome them all but it is difficult. The good news is that each time we succeed, we get better at it.
God KNOWS we are only human. That is why he gives us multiple chances as long as we try.
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