Sin, Transgression, and Iniquity
Exodus 34:5-7 (KJV) – And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Job 13:23 (KJV) – How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.
During my studies I have realized that many people do not understand the difference between sin, transgression, and iniquity and because of this they use them all interchangeably. But in Scripture, we see that even the Lord uses all three as different categories in Exodus 34. I have also given example another passage, above, from the book of Job that uses all three of them differently again. This shows that each one of these categories is different and they have different meanings. If this is the case, we must start understanding what each one means.
I do know for a fact that when we understand these three categories, and why they are different from each other, it will help us understand Scripture more and help us be able to understand which one of these three, if not all of them, we or committing in our own lives. Once we understand this, we can start turning away from them and become more righteous and holy in front of God.
I would like to first define sin. To do that, we have to, first, look at the original (or as close to the original as possible) word in Hebrew and Greek so we can take it from the closest meaning and apply that meaning going forward.
Sin = Desire
The word ‘sin’ in Hebrew is ‘Chata’ (spelled Chet-tet-aleph) and in Greek it is ‘Hamarthia.’ The Greek translation means to miss the mark, stumble, or to fall down without knowing or it being planned or deliberated.
In Hebrew, the separate parts of the word mean as follows:
Chet – Separate/Cut off
Tet – ensnare or enclosed be it either good and/or bad
Aleph – Head/God/Father
The Hebrew for sin literally means that someone has been cut off and ensnared away from God. Sin comes from desire, for once we are tempted by the devil and his workers, if we desire it and act then we have committed sin. A sin, in many cases, is done without knowing. This is why we say that the Lord hates the sin and not the sinner.
In our lives, we may fall into something without even being conscious of it. For example, the Word of God tells us not to covet our neighbor or their goods. When we drive by, in the blink of an eye, we can covet over what he has, we can crave and desire to have it for ourselves. This is a sin without knowing or being conscious of it. A sin will cut us off from God and ensnare us.
If we continue to be ensnared, we know this will bring a point in our life that when we will be too entangled to do the will of God, it will make us miss the mark (purpose) that was given. When we become bound up in this world it will make us connect to it and disconnect from God Himself, His will, desires, and the plan He has put for you and I. This leads us into a life away from holiness and being the salt and light that God has called us to be.
In the simplest way, sin is doing what is wrong and impure in front of God that makes you depart from the living God. This wrongdoing will cut you off, it will disconnect you, from God. There will no longer be a connection between you and the Father. Think about it as plug and cord going to a light fixture – if you grab and pull the cord, it makes the connection weaker. If you continue to pull it, eventually, you will get to the point where the light will turn on and off by itself because only every now and then will it get the connection that it needs to ‘live,’ this on-and-off may also cause a fire, which will fully disconnect it, and if someone continues to pull it will fully disconnect from the outlet. If you and I allow the grabbing and pulling of demonic influences and of the devil to pull on us, if we are not careful, we can be disconnected completely from God and bring death to our spiritual life.
We must become aware of the sin in our lives and start becoming more conscious of it. We must start asking God to reveal to us what is sin in our life, so that we can repent and turn to God and become a brighter light of righteousness in this darkened world.
Transgression = Result
1 Samuel 15:23– For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Galatians 5:19-21 – Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ’ murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:25 – That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
Romans 4:15 – Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
In Greek the word ‘transgression’ is ‘Parabasis’ which is stepping over; this is a form of rebellion against God that is planned, deliberated, and performed, knowing that you’re passing over His laws and commands to violate what is said not to violate. When we look at the word in Hebrew, it is ‘Pesha’ (Pey-Sheen-Ayin):
Pey – Speak (mouth) or open
Sheen – press, consume or destroy/destruction
Ayin – to see, to know or experience/knowledge
You are open and destroyed by knowing and willfully doing what is wrong. The phonetic part ‘Pey,’ to speak or open, is saying and or doing something openly. Indicating the action of saying or doing something openly; as in, you know what is happening. This action behind it will bring a consuming and destruction in your life and it will destroy you (Sheen). Here is the point. Think about a sin in your life that you did without knowing, but even after you found out it was wrong, look back and think what this sin brought in to your life as a consequence or the outcome (Ayin) of it. ‘Ayin’ refers to knowing what is wrong, what God does not want you to do, that you have seen and know of it.
Sin in or lives will depart or cut us off from God. In addition to this, transgression, through the experience of what you have done in the past, will cut you away from God, but also bring destruction in your life, and eventually it will consume you and trap you. In 1 Samuel 15:23, it says that rebellion is as the spirit of witchcraft. This is because you are replacing giving glory and honor and obeying God’s commands with listening to yourself (rebellion towards God) and fulfilling your desires and will. We see in that passage as well how not listening to God’s command, Saul’s transgression of not obeying (rebellion) to God’s words, had a consequence which began his destruction on a downwards spiral of no longer being king and this kept him being trapped the rest of his life.
Think about it in the way that we might have heard or are familiar with: in your life or that of others, people that didn’t think it was bad or wrong to drink, smoke, take drugs, masturbate, be homosexual, partake in witchcraft, or have intercourse before marriage became such a habit that it became as an urge of addiction in their own life. This will cause them to slowly be cut away from God Himself and brings full-on destruction in their life, maybe in their finances, marriage, family, or friends and, before they know it, they are stuck and trapped and cannot get out without help. This is what happens when we allow more transgression to seep in our lives. Many times, these actions start from a rebellion in you towards someone in authority, society, or in the normal hierarchy of life.
Galatians speaks about the works of the flesh – these are demonic influences on our life that are pushing people to commit wrongful actions in their body. Even though they are influences, the works are being done through the flesh, this is why it is ‘the work of the flesh,’ actions that are done with our bodies. In the passage of Galatians, it covers only a few actions of the flesh that can be committed; we must become vigilant and start being the warriors that God has called us to be, to push back and fight these temptations and be delivered of them, so that these influences no longer have the strength or bondage over us.
In Acts 1:25 we see that the act that Judah did was a transgression, which he allowed himself to go into. He committed a transgression, going over a line knowing it was wrong, yet he still did it. We know from Scripture that he eventually killed himself because of these transgressions. We must realize that there can be harsh, psychological consequences in our lives as well from the actions we commit knowing they are wrong. We pray and hope that it will never get that far. We must be attentive.
Iniquity = Motive/Want/conscious (Avon/Adikia)
Isaiah 59:2 – But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Psalms 38:4 – For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
Psalms 51:9 – Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Psalms 40:12 – For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
Iniquity is when a person consciously decides to hurt someone else, do something wrong, or rebel against God’s law. the word ‘avon’ means crookedness/perverseness.
Hebrew word, Avon – Perversity, crookedness, fault.
Greek word, Adikia – morally wrong, unjust, unrighteous.
I would like to discern that there is a difference between transgression and iniquity because they seem pretty close to each other, but they are different by a lot. Yes, both are done consciously or deliberatly. The difference is a ‘transgression’ is not done to hurt someone else, most of the time a transgression will hurt you, not others. On the other hand, an iniquity is an act that is done specifically to hurt others and to rebel against God.
Iniquities are acts that many times we hide, they are schemes that people put together to hurt or deceive others for their own gain. We see in many places in Psalms 38,40, and 51 that David writes about his iniquities being too many and that they have taken hold of him so much that he can no longer look upon God. They are so many that he can no longer hold them, for they are too heavy. They become so great in our lives, and bring such shame and embarrassment, that we no longer are able to look at God – our guilt will take over for what we have done. Isaiah 59 says that the iniquity has separated them from God. David in Psalms 51 says to ‘blot out my iniquities.’ Here is the thing, we try many times to hide these but, in the end, no matter what they will be heard and seen; we must realize this – all that is in the dark will come to light.
One of the most known stories of the Bible is of David’s adultery with Bathsheba; he did not just commit a sin here but also transgressed over God’s Law and committed iniquity. He was tempted by the devil, for we know the devil is the tempter. When he saw Bathsheba (tempted) he took her in, made her pregnant (adultery, transgression) while yet she had a husband (Uriah). He then called her husband home, believing that possibly he would go in with her and Uriah would believe the child conceived was his child, yet he did not. Eventually David had his General, Joab, put Uriah on the front lines and retreat the rest of the troops to allow him to be killed (an iniquity). In the end he married Bathsheba. His iniquity was done willingly and knowing he was going to deliberately hurt someone, but also rebel against God’s law.
When we become separated from God it means that we are no longer with God, this is a warning we must realize that our iniquity, sin, and transgression will bring us so far from God; it will cut us off, destroy us, and it will separate us completely from God and our salvation if we allow it (Hebrew 3:12).
Sinful Nature: Why we Sin
Matthew 26:41 – Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
What we don’t want to realize or admit is that when we do these actions it is because we allow ourselves to be influenced by worldly spirits. Jesus said for us to watch, observe, and pray that we do not enter temptation – this is saying we will be tempted but if we watch always and perceive what might be coming our way, and pray, we will not fall into temptation. He further goes on saying that the spirit is more than willing but our flesh is weak. This means we must crucify our flesh and live in the Spirit; if we do this, then we will no longer fall, for the Spirit of God is in control.
Conclusion
I’m sure you have failed, just as all of us have, in some type of sin, transgression, or iniquity. For we all have fallen short of the glory of God. We must confess and repent of our ways and follow Christ, for the blood of Christ is sufficient to wash and cleanse us of our mistakes. His sacrifice has made the way possible. He is waiting for you with arms wide open, He is knocking and waiting for you to open the door and allow Him in to dine with you and you with Him. Don’t allow the devil to hinder you any longer with his lies and deceit. Step up and ask Jesus Christ, the Son of God, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the Lion of Judah who is the truth, the light, and the only way, to come in and dwell with you. To transform you into a new creation.