What is sin and what does the Bible say about it? We highlight some key verses about sin in this article.
When talking about sin we can be tempted to think in very negative terms since it reminds us of the reason for our distance from God. However, reading each text that talks about sin, you will find a pleasant surprise: sin only points to the beautiful redemptive work of Christ, in whom we are no longer guilty of judgment. Continue reading to discover the fact about sin in the bible.
What is sin
The meaning of the word sin is “to miss the mark.” This means that when we sin we miss the mark or deviate from what would have been the right thing to do.
We can all remember times when we have said or done something wrong, something we later regretted. But when the Bible talks about sin it talks about something deeper than that, something that brings eternal consequences.
How does the Bible define sin?
The concept of sin in the Bible refers to breaking or transgressing the law of God. In 1 John 3:4 we read:
(1 John 3:4)
From the beginning, God has been clear about what we can and cannot do (Genesis 2:16-17). In the Bible, which is the Word of God, we find explicit laws such as the Ten Commandments.
God has given those laws for our benefit. These help us to act correctly before him and before others, and at the same time protect us from making mistakes that can bring terrible consequences not only in our day to day but for eternity.
When we disobey God by ignoring his law, we do it (consciously or unconsciously) guided by a rebellious attitude.
The basis of sin is found in rebellion against God and his commands from him. The rebellious heart is actually a proud one. He wants to prove that he knows more than God and that he can solve things his way and with his own strength.
And it is precisely like that, with that rebellious attitude, that it all began…
30 Key bible verses about sin
We invite you to reflect on this list of 50 biblical scriptures about sin in the light of the gospel.
1. Genesis 4:6-7
“Then the Lord said to Cain: ‘Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin lies at the door and covets you, but you must master it”.
2. Genesis 13:13
“But the men of Sodom were wicked and greatly sinned against the Lord”.
3. Exodus 9:27
“Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them: ‘This time I have sinned. The Lord is just, and I and my people are wicked”.
4. Job 1:5
“When the days of the banquet had passed, Job would send for them and sanctify them, and rising early, offered burnt offerings according to the number of all of them. Because Job said: ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ Job always did so”.
5. Job 13:23
“How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin”.
6. Psalm 25:7
“Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions; remember me according to your mercy, for your goodness, O Lord”.
7. Psalm 25:8
“Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He shows sinners the way”.
8. Psalm 51:9
“Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities”.
9. Proverbs 14:9
“Fools laugh at sin, but among the upright, there is goodwill”.
10. Isaiah 1:4
“Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a generation of wicked people, corrupt children! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him”.
11. Matthew 1:21
“And she will give birth to a Son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins”.
12. Matthew 3:5-6
“Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan, came to him, and confessing their sins, were baptized by John in the Jordan River”.
13. Matthew 9:2
“And they brought him a paralytic lying on a stretcher; and Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic: ‘Cheer up, son, your sins are forgiven”.
14. Matthew 12:31
“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven”.
15. Matthew 26:27-28
“And taking a cup, and having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins”.
16. Mark 1:4
“John the Baptist appeared in the desert preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”.
17. Mark 2:16
“When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, ‘Why does He eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”.
18. Mark 2:17
“On hearing this, Jesus said to them: ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinner’s”.
19. Luke 1:76-77
“And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways; to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of his sins”.
20. Matthew 6:32-33
“If you love those who love you, what merit do you have? Because sinners also love those who love them. If they do good to those who do good to them, what merit do they have? For sinners also do the same”.
21. Luke 15:10
“In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over a sinner who repents”.
22. John 9:31
“We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone fears God and does his will, he listens to him ”.
23. Acts 2:38
“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’”.
24. Acts 3:19
“Repent therefore and be converted, so that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of relief may come from the presence of the Lord”.
25. Romans 2:12
“For all those who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law”.
26. Romans 3:20
“For by works of the law no human being will be justified before Him; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin”.
27. Romans 4:8
“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not count”.
28. Romans 5:12
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned”.
29. Romans 5:19
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous”.
30. Romans 6:1-2
“What shall we say, then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? No way! We, who have died to sin, how shall we still live in it?
These Biblical quotes about sin will give insight into the things of God.
How did sin enter the world?
When God created man, he placed him in the Garden of Eden and charged him with cultivating and caring for it. However, he gave her a very clear order:
(Genesis 2:16b-17)
Man could eat from all the trees in the Garden of Eden except one: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And it was precisely this prohibition that the serpent (the devil) used to tempt man and woman. We find the account in Genesis 3:1-5.
The serpent was more cunning than all the animals of the field that the Lord God had made, so he asked the woman, “Is it true that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”
“We can eat the fruit of all the trees,” the woman replied. But, regarding the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has told us: “Do not eat from that tree, nor touch it; otherwise they will die.”
But the snake said to the woman: – It’s not true, they won’t die! God knows very well that when you eat from that tree, your eyes will be opened and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.
(Genesis 3:1-5)
Here we clearly see the way in which the devil has worked from the beginning in his attempt to deceive human beings. First, he spoke alone with Eva. He waited for a moment when Adam was not present and took advantage of a moment of apparent vulnerability. Then we see that he acted with cunning, with knowledge, created doubts, and appealed to the desire for power and greatness.
- With cunning: The snake was able to deceive with caution and delicacy. He starts with a question to which she already knew the answer. He talks to Eva as if they were friends talking about something routine.
- With knowledge: The serpent knew God’s prohibition and the consequences that disobedience would bring. He had been well-informed and presented his argument deceptively, but firmly.
- It created doubt in Eve’s heart and basically called God a liar. He tricked her by misrepresenting the meaning of the word death. He did not explain that disobedience would result in spiritual death, the separation between man and God.
- He appealed to the desire for power and greatness in Eva’s heart. She told him: “You will become like God, knowing good and evil.”
Sadly, first Eve and then Adam chose to disobey God and listen to the serpent (the devil). This act marked the breaking of the special friendship they had enjoyed with God up to that time. The man gave in to his ambition to be like God, thus belittling the very special relationship he had enjoyed until then.
What does that mean for us? That this act of disobedience opened the door for sin to become part of our lives. Since then, we have all been born with the tendency to disobey or do what is wrong before God.
We can always choose and we must, but that tendency is now part of our natural impulse. We are not born with the guilt of Adam and Eve’s sin, but with a natural inclination to disobey God’s commands. The Bible calls this tendency our sinful nature (Romans 8).
God hates sin because it creates a barrier of separation between him and us and separates us from his will.
The hand of the Lord is not short to save, nor is his ear deaf to hear. It is your iniquities that separate you from your God. It is these sins that lead him to hide his face from him so as not to listen.
(Isaiah 59:1-2)
What is the solution?
So what happens? Is there a solution for us? Of course, there is! Jesus! As soon as man sinned, God began to design the plan for his redemption.
Romans 5:12 says:
“Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin death entered; This is how death passed to all humanity, because all sinned.
(Romans 5:12)
But then in Romans 5:15 comes the good news about the heavenly Father’s solution: His infinite grace manifested through Jesus!
(Romans 5:15)
God’s gift or gift to us is his grace. And this revealed through Jesus, is much bigger and has much more power than sin. Jesus, God incarnate, came into the world so that we can all have the opportunity to receive forgiveness for our sins. He was willing to die on the cross and bear our guilt so that through his sacrifice we can have eternal life.
What do we have to do to be able to be certain of his forgiveness and eternal life? We only need to accept Jesus’ sacrifice as valid for us by asking him for forgiveness for our sins and acknowledging him as our Lord and Savior. He already obtained eternal life for us. We just need to appropriate that gift by accepting that God comes to be the King and Lord of our lives.
(Romans 10:8b-9)
Thank you, Lord, for the forgiveness of our sins!