“Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” – 1 John 3:4
Have you ever wondered what sin is? I never really thought about that question for the longest time. For me, it was always some vague concept that I could never fully grasp. People often told me that sin was “missing the mark.” The Greek word that we translate to sin is “hamartia,” and the meaning of the word can be described as “missing the mark.”
The KJV translates the above verse as “Whosoever commits sin transgresses the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” So this gives us a working definition of what sin actually is: the transgression of Yahuah’s (God’s) law. When we sin, or transgress the law, we are missing the mark.
I know all about missing the mark. I’ve done that many times…But how do we “hit the mark?” That is what I really want to know. I want to keep from sinning. And if we want to do that, as John encourages us earlier in his letter (1 John 2:1), we need to know how to hit the mark! There is a narrow path for us to run on, and I need to know how to stay on that path more than anything!
We use the word “law” to translate from the Greek word “nomos.” But did you know that the Hebrew word it is translated from, “Torah,” means teaching or instruction? For years I had been taught that Torah (or rather, law) was a dirty word. I had been told that the law was a burden, bondage, slavery, or a heavy yoke that we could not bear. Most of us like to believe we are law-abiding citizens. Yet many teach that obeying Yahuah’s law goes against the gospel. But once you realize that the word “Torah” is really defined as teaching or instruction you get an entirely different view. The word origin of Torah is derived from the root word “Yarah,” which means to throw or shoot an arrow, and hit the mark! How amazing is that?!
Can you believe it? To sin is to miss the mark, but to guard the Torah is to hit the mark! When you put these two concepts together, it opens up the Scriptures! Instead of wondering what sin is and hoping that we don’t fall into it, we now have something concrete to help us navigate through this world. Yahuah has an instruction manual called the Torah. And it helps us to “hit the mark.”
Now don’t get me wrong, Torah does not bring salvation. Only Yahusha (Jesus) the Messiah can do that, and He does that when He raises us on the last day. But the Torah does provide teaching and instruction for us to live for the Most High, and according to His commandments. We see all throughout Scripture that Yahuah wants us to follow His teaching and instruction, guarding it closely, especially if we love Him…
“For I give you good instruction: Do not forsake my Torah.” – Proverbs 4:2
“Blessed are the perfect in the way, who walk in the Torah of Yahuah,” – Psalm 119:1
“The Torah of Yahuah is perfect,” – Psalm 19:7
“He who watches over the Torah is a discerning son,” – Proverbs 28:7
“If you love Me, you shall guard My commands (Torah).” – John 14:15
“He who does not love Me does not guard My Words. And the Word which you hear is not Mine but of the Father Who sent Me.” – John 14:24
“For not the hearers of the Torah are righteous in the sight of Elohim, but the doers of the Torah shall be declared right.” – Romans 2:13
“The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.” – 1 John 2:4-5
“Blessed are those doing His commands,” – Revelation 22:14
Yahuah’s teaching and instructions have not been “done away with,” as some would say. Even Paul walked in accordance with the commandments. He calls the Torah “set-apart, righteous, and good” (Romans 7:12) and he also “delights in the Torah of Elohim” (Romans 7:22). Paul even spends most of Acts 21 through 28 defending himself against the slanderous accusations that he was not walking in accordance to the Torah.
Law (or more specifically, Torah) is not a dirty word. In fact, it’s the teaching and instructions of the Most High! It points out our sin when we violate it, showing us the need for our High Priest we call Yahusha. We are saved through belief, as Paul says, but that does not nullify the importance of Yahuah’s instructions.
“Do we then nullify the Torah through the belief? Let it not be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah.” – Romans 3:31
So if sin is the transgression of the law, and we desire to not live in sin, it makes sense to better learn and understand our Father’s instructions, the Torah, so that our belief may be made full through obedience.
FAITH IN MOTION 