In our pluralistic world, the definition of right and wrong has become so blurred that many people don't even have a good grasp of what is evil. The mantra of "if it feels right, it must be right" is so pervasive, many don't stop to think through the sheer foolishness of such a statement. For such people, if you bop them hard on the nose because you feel it's right, they will no doubt start to question that mantra.
Other people feel that evil, or sin, is when you hurt other people. On the flip side, if you're hurting no one, then there's nothing wrong with what you are doing. That is too narrow a view on sin. People getting hurt certainly is evil but there is more to it.
Sin, ultimately, has to do with God's glory. The Bible simply says that anything that takes away from giving God the glory that he deserves is sin. Wait a minute, you may be saying, that just sounds too broad, doesn't it? But unfortunately, that's the truth. That's why the Bible also says that people are storing up God's righteous wrath against themselves for the the way they live their lives.
Is that just a tad unfair? No, it isn't. Because life, the universe and everything in it isn't about us at all. It's about God. He is the one who made and owns the universe. And he created everything to glorfiy himself. He is infinitely valuable and is the greatest treasure in the universe. We, his creations, were made to declare his worth, to treasure him above all else, to enjoy him more than anything else in our lives. When we fail to do that, and exchange him for something of lesser value, that's sin.
Just take a glimpse at three verses, all numbered 23, in the book of Romans.
says, "[They] exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."
All people have traded the glory of God for something of lesser value.
says, "You who boast in the law dishonour God by breaking the law."
Again, people who claim to obey God dishonour him, or do not give him glory, by breaking his law.
And finally, says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
That last verse, particularly, tells us that sin is a falling short of the glory of God. It's not about hurting others, or doing evil (which it is but it's the narrow view) but about dishonouring God.
I read a good definition of sin from Brian Tome's book, Welcome to the Revolution: A Field Guide For New Believers
. He states that sin is:
the use of our freedom to have any attitude, thought or action that dishonours God. Also, the use of our freedom not to choose an attitude, thought, or action that would honor God. Until we have a relationship with Jesus, we are in a state of sin.
That is an accurate and scary definition of sin. John Piper has a very similar definition of sin. He says:
Evil is the feeling and
thinking and acting that treats God as less than infinitely
valuable and satisfying.
It is clear to me, therefore, that everyone, Christians included, do not value nor honour God in the way that we should. We are all sinners and God's wrath is heaped on us. We need a saviour to take away our sins and cover us with a righteousness equal to God's righteousness. And we need that saviour to change our hearts so that we become a people who delights in God and treasures him above everything else in our lives. That saviour is of course, Jesus Christ.