IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SIN & INIQUITY?
When I was in
I had thought that sin and iniquity were synonymous. But Barry shared some great insights which prodded me to delve into the subject which I thought worthwhile sharing with all of us.
In the English language, sin and iniquity seem synonymous.
Collins includes sin in the definition of iniquity and the Pocket Oxford Dictionary defines iniquity as "immoral or grossly unfair behavior."
But the Bible was not originally written in English.
To fully understand the nuances of God's Word, we sometimes need to go to
The Hebrew word for sin is "chatta'ah" whereas the word for iniquity is "avon."
Sin almost always refers to an action (See website below).
Only one of the Ten Commandments - "you shall not covet ..." (Deut 5:21) - speaks of our heart's inclination rather than our action.
Sin is a certain action or behavior, or lack of which, that violates God's commandments.
The Hebrew "Chatta'ah" (Strong's Hebrew Dictionary H2398) like its Greek counterpart "hamartia" is derived from its root meaning "missing the mark" of godly behavior just as an archer misses the bull's eye of the
(H2398 châṭâΚΌ
/ khaw-taw'
- A primitive root; properly to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin) .
Thus, sin includes an act, which though we didn't think was wrong, but is still considered sin because it misses the mark when someone felt wronged by our "innocent" actions.
Deut 24:15 Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Omitting to do an act too can be a sin.
James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
Iniquity or "avon" (pronunciation sounds like "Ah-von") (H5771) means perversity or wickedness with a root meaning (H5753) "to pervert," "to make crooked" to be bent or to be inclined to the wrong way.
Whilst sin is an act of commission or omission or when a 3rd party feels wronged, iniquity is evil even when it resides in our heart and has not even been expressed or manifested in actions or sin.
Whist sin is visible and external, iniquity is internal, invisible and in the heart.
We all have iniquity in our heart because we are inclined to evil all the time (Gen 6:5) and from childhood (Gen 8:21).
Gen 6:5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
The Ten Commandments and the laws in the Torah deal mostly with sin.
But which of the Ten Commandments deal with iniquity? (Answer below)
The Pharisees were concerned with outward sins and rituals.
But Jesus in the NT goes deeper to deal with iniquity - which is in our heart.
In Matthew 5, the Beatitudes deal with our heart - like being "poor in spirit" (Mt 5:3) and "pure in heart" (Mt 5:8).
Jesus goes on further to point out that we ought to have a righteousness (Mt 5:20) (as opposed to iniquity) that surpasses that of the Pharisees.
This involves not just keeping the commandments and not sinning.
Even when we do not commit murder (we do not sin), we have iniquity when we get angry and slander (Mt 5:22).
Even when we don't commit adultery, there is iniquity when we look lustfully (Mt 5:28).
Iniquity therefore is wider than sin.
So Why Sin Is Confused With Iniquity?
The confusion arises because this Greek word, hamartia, which is translated as "sin" in the NT, can mean both sin or iniquity.
So it is up to the reader to figure out from the context when hamartia translated as "sin," is meant to be "sin" or when "sin" is meant to be "iniquity."
Take for example the "Woman Caught In Adultery" narrative in John 8.
John 8:7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jn 8:8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. Jn 8:9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jn 8:10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
Jn 8:11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
In Jn 8:7 “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” the "sin" here would actually refer to "iniquity."
A born-again Rabbi believes that the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees would have gone to the temple (John 8:2) to make sacrifices to atone for their sins. From the time of their sacrifices till the bringing forth of the woman caught in adultery - they probably would not have committed a "sin". They may consider themselves "without sin".
If the meaning of the word "without sin" is "not committed any sinful acts," then some of the Pharisees could have thrown the first stone because they had not committed any sin from the time they made sacrifices for their sin.
But the meaning here of "sin" is that those without "iniquity" be the first to cast the stone.
The Pharisees and all of us know we have evil inclinations in our heart.
And so they won't be the first to cast the stone.
[Note: A present day Jew explained to me that a Jew will feel that he is in a right relationship with God and everything is okay when they make all the sacrifices and keep the law. They know they cannot be sinless but they feel they are in a right relationship with God (as if without sin?)]
Then in Jn 8:11, Jesus instructs the woman to "go, and sin no more" (KJV).
The "sin" here means don't commit any sinful acts from now on.
She can try to keep the commandments but it is impossible to be free from iniquity in our hearts.
Trying not to commit sinful acts is something do-able for her.
An interesting idea from the Hebrew "avon" is its root meaning "to pervert," "to make crooked" to be bent or to be inclined to the wrong way.
Some years ago, I counseled a young, recently married lady to re-consider her inclination towards heading overseas for a company-sponsored Masters program leaving her husband behind in
Her husband was tentative about it and wasn't really in favor of her going.
I shared with them that my wife and I experienced the same situation.
My wife went overseas to study for about 2 1/2 years and even with my wholehearted blessings, the separation almost destroyed our marriage.
What was more important and has the higher priority?
The marriage covenant we made before God or our career?
Could there be another educational / career alternative?
Later I found out that she went overseas and argued that since our marriage didn't break up and we became a better couple, she could do likewise.
What happened here?
There is "avon" - a bending and a twisting of the gist of my words - which was not to go and be separated from her husband for a prolonged period.
The "avon" of my words is not as serious as the "avon" of God's words.
Sometimes we may end up twisting, thereby perverting, God's words - to justify our actions and intentions.
Do we date a hot non-Christian for evangelism?
Do we tell our children "God doesn't love you if you do this or don't do this" as if God's love is conditional and there can be no forgiveness?
Do we tell people that if we have faith, God will surely heal us? (though Jesus only healed one out of the many disabled at the Pool (John 5)
Do we regard people who are financially blessed to be more spiritual - believing that material blessings are a result of one's spiritual walk and maturity?
The corollary - if they have problems, they must be sinning.
Do I as a pastor urge the congregation to give more so that you will be blessed more financially?
(Yes God will supply all our needs if we give - context of epistle of Philippians is that of a giving church - but does that include God meeting our greeds?
Is there a formula to financial blessings?
Or is our state of blessedness more holistic?).
Do our godly ends justify unloving, ungodly means to attain those ends?
I leave us with this reflection:
Are we engaging in "avon" - the bending of God's word?
(Footnote: I have referred to the website below but I have not been able to authenticate everything that is said regarding the Jewish view of sin and sinlessness.
However as mentioned above, I was informed that a Jew would feel that he or she is in a right relationship with God and everything is okay when they make all the sacrifices and keep all the laws. They know they cannot be sinless but they will feel like they are right with God.
Q: Which of the Ten Commandments deal with iniquity?
A: The Tenth Commandment - Thou shall not covet ...
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