To sin is to miss the mark. When we fall short of God’s intention for us, then we sin. God has set out His intentions clearly in the Bible; His fundamental requirements are the Ten Commandments. And the essence of those 10 commandments can be distilled to these two:

• You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.
• You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt 22:37-49)

When we fail to do so, then we sin. The Bible tells us we must put to death these sins: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness, anger, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying (Col 3:5-9; see also 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:3-7). Following the desires of our flesh will lead us to these sins.

Failure to do the good we know we should do is also sin (Jas 4:17; known as “sin of omission”). The good we know we should do is also derived from the two essential commandments. We need to be holy, faithful, merciful, kind, patient; meek and humble; forbearing and forgiving; loving to the point of sacrifice.