Exact Biblical Definition of Sin

It’s very ironic, they say they are not under the law which actually the bible said so, but the fact is, in reality in many ways vast majority of christians are willfully and habitually transgress the law.

What is the right, exact and biblical definition of sin? The answer can be found in 1 Jn 3:4, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 Jn 3:4).

Therefore, any sin committed is a direct transgression of the law. In fact, whatever sin man can do is covered by the law which is the Ten Commandments. It was also said in the bible, anyone who break just only one law the whole law are break (Jam 2:10). This means any sin committed leads to the breaking of the whole law.

Is there a possible way to avoid breaking the whole law? Absolutely there is one way to do it! And that is by surpassing the law. This does not mean we will not sin for the rest of our life. As long as we are in this body still we will commit sin. However, if we sin it should not be sin we know it is sin which the Ten Commandments are telling what to do and not to do. If we sin it should not be intentional, willful, continuously and repeatedly on the sin we already knew is really sinful and evil.

Like on what had Jesus said to the women caught in adultery (Jn 8:10), he said, “Sin no more”. And that is we are to sin no more on the sin we knew and felt in our conscience are not right, not pleasing, unrighteous and detestable in God’s sight.

As the song says, “Romans sixteen nineteen says, Be excellent of what is good be innocent of evil”. Let us all be wise of what is good and innocent about what is evil (Rom 16:19).

Surpassing Mind

What do you think ? Is there among Christians who did murder, steal, lie and commit adultery ? Indeed there are many and not just only ordinary Christian, there are many who called themselves as man of God plunge into willful sin. Look at what happened to King David the “man after God own heart”. From then and until today for sure you have heard or seen ministers supposed to be servant of God but then became adulterer (lustful look), murderer (anger is murder), thief and liar (exaggeration is also a form of lying).

Believe it or not, at this moment there are many professing Christians keep doing evil in secret, some are repeatedly doing the sin they hate of doing, and others were obvious of their being carnal and busy on worldliness. They have no time to read, pray and meditate on the Word of God.

Surpassing the law is not showing or making yourself “holier than thou”, it is hypocritical. Rather a saved person is dealing himself to renew his mind and it only can be made through the law which is the Ten Commandments by surpassing them. Only through the Law change will come because the” Law is perfect converting the soul (mind)” (Psa 19:7). When his mind is renewing thus his action, thinking and his speech is renewing day by day until it will not be conforming anymore to the standard mind setting of the world.

As the word “surpass” means “be beyond somebody’s ability”, we as a saved person must posses the ability that is “supernatural” which came only from God, to be able to live a life not falling short of the glory of God. Surpassing the law is the attaining of the supernatural ability that is practical as well as spiritual of doing things a natural man cannot and incapable of doing.

Since the fall of man, sin of omission which means “doing things that should not do” such as adultery, murder, stealing, lying and others included in the Ten Commandments became common to all people. Much worst it became, breaking the law and sin were not sin at all for them. Instead of condemning their evil deeds they are glad of seeing others doing the same detestable thing they did (Rom 1:32). Now it became the Man’s standard which is more acceptable to all as opposed to God’s standard. They knew in their conscience that their evil deeds are immoral.

What are those God’s standard? There is nothing else but the Ten Commandments. It is the law which Jesus said…”You have heard of long ago… But I tell you now”, and as what the Apostle Paul said the “law is spiritual”(Rom 7:14) is the standard for all Christian that must be keep, again, by way of surpassing them.

Surpassing the law will eventually results to the renewing of the mind which can make all of those things possible through faith. When we speak, act and think there it was it begin first in the mind. Not on the outward appearances but what’s on the inside of our heart and mind where God looks does all really matter. Understanding that way will make our minds not easily be drift away to conform to the evil pattern thinking of the evil and unregenerate minds surrounding us.

To surpass the law is to renew the mind. From being a “childhood-well used- sin of omission- sinful nature-mindset” to a stern state of being a “childhood-anger-murderer-mindset”, we must have a surpassing mind that will change us to become a “childlike-practice thereby-10 commandments-surpassed-renewed mind” until we obtain the “childlike-anger-mindset” which is so keenly necessary for maturity in Christ.

Indeed, the Law of the Lord is perfect converting (renewing) the soul (mind) (Ps 19:7).It makes and convert our mind to be like the "Mind of Christ".

Man’s Part and God’s Part

Man’s part must be equal to God’s part.

Man’s Part:
1. Bible Reading
2. Prayer
3. Fellowship
4. Witnessing
5. Surpassing the Law (The Ten Commandments)

God’s Part:
1. Regeneration
2. Justification
3. Sanctification
4. Talents, Gifts of the Holy Spirit and others

The Truth:
1. Man’s part which includes bible reading, prayer, fellowship, witnessing and surpassing the law are the essential things for genuine spiritual growth.

2. Surpassing the law is the spiritual as well as the practical application of loving God above all and loving your neighbor as yourself.

3. Without “Man’s Part” those who claimed they were saved is not saved at all because their faith is dead.

4. Faith must be accompanied by Works, it means he must do the Man’s Part and God will do his part.

5. Man’s part and God’s part must go hand in hand.


The Sum of all the Above:

LOVE must be equal to Man and GOD. It means:

Man’s part is to love God by keeping (surpassing) the Ten Commandments.
If ye love me, keep(surpass) my (Ten) commandments. (Joh 14:15)


God’s part is to love those who love Him and manifest (show, reveal) himself.
He that hath my (Ten) commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (Joh 14:21)

How Exactly the Apostle Paul Surpass the Law

Concerning the Law, the Apostle Paul makes his point clear that he did not make void the Law through faith, in fact he establish it (Rom 3:31). It is very clear also that Jesus did not nullify the Law. He actually brought out the Law with its full meaning and real intention. Our Lord himself when he came on earth had exactly surpassed the Law. (Mat 5:17-20).

Surpass means “be more excellent” (Strong Dictionary).

How Paul surpassed the Law:

1. He practice what he preach.
This is a very primary important reminder to all who called themselves preacher of the Word of God. Do practice what you preach because if not, you might be in danger of fire of hell. To preach without applying to himself what he preach is lying. And liar goes to hell (Rev 21:9). (Paul surpassed the 9th commandment - Read Rom 2:19-23.)

2. He did not use and abuse his power (to get money).

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? (1Co 9:11)If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. (1Co 9:12)


Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void. (1Co 9:14-15)

What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. (1Co 9:18)


(Paul surpassed the 10th commandment)


3. He surpassed all of the 10 Commandments

Definitely, Paul surpassed the Law. He personally gave an instruction to Timothy of how he going to properly choose and appoint leaders in the Church. (1 Tim Chapter 3). Paul told Timothy that leaders should not be an adulterer, murderer, liar, thief and so on. Doubtless, Paul and Timothy keep the Ten Commandments and surpass them.

All Christians needs not just to obey and keep the Law but to surpass them and that is the real context and essence concerning the Law. And that is the Ten Commandments not we heard of long ago but what the Lord Jesus had tell “NOW”.

Apostle Law # 1

“The more knowledge of the Word of God and his Law, the more sin awaken and arise, the more struggle with sin”.

That law was the sum up of Rom 7:7-25. Struggling with sin will certainly occur when a person becomes born-again. Once he understand that anger is the same as murder, to look with lust is the same as adultery problem with sin begins. As he learns more of the spiritual truth of the Word and God’s Law which is the Ten Commandments, more sin will arise within.

In the Apostle Paul experience in struggling with sin, it is very clear that in his inner being there is something wrong he had seen which makes him so concerned. He notice that there are sin living and actively working inwardly making him bound to do evil every time he wants to do good.

When Paul did not yet known the real meaning of the Law he is dead to sin. Meaning, he was not aware that anger is murder and lustful look is adultery. He does not know what the real intention and meaning of covetousness and the rest of the Commandments. He does not really know such sin is indeed sinful. But when he begin to understand clearly about the law Jesus said “You have heard of long ago…But now I tell you…” , there are parts of his body that becomes alive and became slave to sin. Read Rom 7:14-23

Now, there are some questions I would like to ask to anyone who claimed themselves as saved person:

Since you became a Christian…

• Have you still easily get angry to someone? Is there a bitterness or feeling of hatred toward other Christian?
• Is your eye always able of not looking with a lust to an opposite sex?
• Did you still tell a lie? Is your tongue utter exaggerated words? (that is also a form of lying)
• Have you stealing something even if it small of value?

Many Christian are indeed struggling with those sins. They are continually struggling with the “sin of omission” besides the “sin of commission” they did almost everyday such as by not reading the bible, not praying and not doing other essential things for spiritual growth. Others are not struggling anymore, they continue in willful sin.

It is a fact, just like Paul, in some degree or another every Christian will struggle and be slave to sin and that is the bad news. But the good news is, the more (struggle) sin we have the more grace abound and the more grace abound the more power and strength from God we can have to overcome any struggles and slavery of sin.

One thing is very important so the grace of God will abound and the divine enablement we need for us to do not what the flesh desires (which is evil) but to do what the Spirit desires(which resides within) is, we must humble ourselves before God.

How then, can we humble ourselves before God? In Rom 7:24, Paul humbly expressed himself to God, he said, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? In verse 25, Paul found one person to whom he can put his trust. He give thanks to God, because through Jesus he can now do what he cannot do before when he is not yet a believer. And that is to completely overcome the sin living in the members of his body. Not by his own strength and not instantly but little by little by the grace of God that in turn became his divine enablement, Paul escape from the sin that enslaving him. Thus he was continually delivered from the fleshly evil desires.

Do you want to be set free from the sin that you know is sinful which you hate but you do it repeatedly every time you desire to do good?

You can not do it alone. You need the grace of God that is so abound. The only thing you must do is to be humble so God will give you grace but if you are purse-proud, God will resist you. Jam 4:6,“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble and
oppressed.”

Surpass the Law

We are not under the Law! And Yet! We are NOW under the Law!

Watch the Video

We are not Under the Law Part 2

We are not under the Law just because on one simple reason. The “law that was heard of long ago” (the Ten Commandments heard by the Israelites from Moses) could literally be obey by any person just to be seen by men. And that kind of obedience to the law is what the bible called as hypocrisy. That’s why man cannot attain salvation by the works of the law.

As far as obedience to the law is concerned, the Pharisees and the Sadducees are the most highly regarded “good person” in the time of Jesus. They strictly follow the law of Moses and the Prophets religiously perfect. In fact Saul that become Paul being a Jew then, as of keeping the law he is Pharisee and more zealous to God beyond in all good and religious people in his nation. He was greater than the Pharisees and expert of the law because he was a well-trained and top graduated student of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). But when he met Jesus on the way to the Damascus road he became a new man. He realized all “good works” are all hypocrisy that he then counts everything as nothing and rubbish (Phil 3:8). Christ now is everything for him. He came to the full understanding of the law in a way different from he already known before.

This can we know, that how much sincere a man of doing all “good works” and even how so strict and religious in obeying the law, unless he was regenerated and unless he come to know the real intent of the law, all of his works will be count short as hypocritical- all ends up as nothing and rubbish. All seems good works to man is not good enough for him to enter heaven. In the sight of God, all good works of man are as filthy rags (Isa 64:6). Man needs Christ. He is more than enough which man can be save through only him. Not by works or obeying the law but by the grace of God and through faith man can receive such salvation, which offered as a gift to anyone.

Now concerning the law, which Jesus told, “I tell you now…” is now a law, which directly points toward the inner man. It deals the whole being of a man of how, when, where and what he act, speak and most importantly is the way he think. It reveals what he really is, not only his outward appearances but also more on the inside.

Jesus sharply rebukes the Pharisees and the Doctor of the Law (the Ph.D., the Doctor of Divinity, the Doctor of Theology, and others, etc.) because of their hypocrisy. They outwardly obey the Law of Moses (including the Ten Commandments) but inwardly they are like as sepulcher full of dead bones.

In light of the Law Jesus had told “Now”, we have a law that serves as a guiding light, a measuring rod and a perfect set of standards for us of how can we as what Jesus said, we must surpass the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees. (Mat 5:20)

We can have a righteousness that will surpass their righteousness (Pharisees righteousness based on their traditions and rituals) by surpassing the Law they have heard of long ago.

We must undertake the Law, the Law that Jesus told “Now”.

This mean to say, that we are not under the Law, which is in the literal form (written in the two tablets of stone). We are under the Law which Paul said, “The Law is spiritual”, that are (must be) written in the hearts (and in the mind).