Which is worse: sin or transgression? Are these the same as iniquity? Why are all of these words used to describe wrongdoing? My husband Brett has been listening to a pastor from Houston who teaches the difference between sin, transgression, and iniquity. We see all three of these descriptions in the Bible. Until Brett explained what he learned, I always thought they were synonyms. As it turns out, I was completely wrong! 

What is Sin

Sin is the act of disobeying the Lord. He says, “Do not lie,” and you lie. That is sin. It is something you do, but it isn’t something you do often. Let’s take a look at a guy named Sam. 

Sam is your ordinary guy, living life, and trying to do the best he can. One day, Sam is on his way to hang out with some friends. He is excited and running a bit behind so he decides it can’t hurt to speed a little. Little did Sam know a police officer is stationed up ahead. Sam gets pulled over and decides to lie. After all, Sam knows he doesn’t have enough money in the bank to pay for his infraction. “Who will it hurt if you tell a little white lie just this once?” he convinces himself. He tells the officer he is on his way to see his sick mother in the hospital. The officer has compassion on him and lets him off with a warning. Sam goes on his way, congratulating himself for his savviness, and enjoys his time hanging out with his friends. 

Everyone Will Sin

We all sin at some point in our life. Romans 3:23 (ESV) says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Everyone who has ever lived (except, of course, Jesus) has sinned. We must deal with sin quickly. God promises to forgive all of our sins when we confess them to him. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭(ESV).

It is through the confession of the sins we commit that allows God to wipe them away and make us clean. It is imperative to confess our sins to both God and even other believers. ‬‬James 5:16 (ESV) tells us, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” We must root out sin as soon as possible because it will plant a seed within us. 

We must get our sin out into the light so it can be dealt with. Hiding it will only produce shame and make it easier to commit that sin the next time we are tempted. If we allow the seed of sin to grow, it will become transgression. 

What is Transgression

Transgression is a habit of sin. Sam lied once to the police officer to get out of a ticket. It worked. Later he decides he wants to go on a ski trip with his friends. The only problem is Sam has already used all of his vacation time. What does he do? He calls in sick. “After all,” Sam thinks to himself, “I work really hard and I deserve this ski trip.” Because Sam chose to hide his sin and not confess it when he lied to the police officer, a seed was planted. That seed is now beginning to sprout. It becomes easier and easier to deceive with each lie Sam speaks. Romans 6:12 (ESV) commands us, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” 

When sin becomes a habit, it is now transgression. “An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:6‬ ‭(ESV‬‬). Transgression is the phase where Sam realizes he has a problem. Sam doesn’t want to lie as often as he does. He makes vows to himself and to God declaring he will never lie again. The problem is he finds himself lying for silly things, things that don’t matter at all. He tells a lie about what he had for lunch, or what movie he saw last weekend.

Sam is at a pivotal stage now. This is the stage where Sam must decide to repent and dig up this rotten plant, or choose to put this transgression on as part of his identity. Sam starts to reason that since he can’t help but lie, he might as well just learn to deal with it. “My lies don’t really hurt anyone anyway,” Sam tells himself.

There is a Choice

On the flip side, Sam could decide he is done with lying. He could recognize he is a son of God, and sons of God do not lie. Sam could start declaring verses over himself, believing and saying he is an honest and truthful man. He could use verses like Ephesians 4:25 (NLT) “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.” Psalm 32:1 (ESV) tells us you are blessed when you choose this path, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” 

What happens to the ‘sin seedling’ growing inside of Sam that started as a seed of telling a lie, then grew to a plant of transgression because of unrepentance? This seedling will grow into a plant of iniquity. Iniquity is putting on the identity of sin. It becomes a part of who you are. 

What is Iniquity

Iniquity is a lifestyle of actively sinning. Sam has now put on the identity of being a liar. In fact he even embraces it. Sometimes he will see how many lies he can get away with in a day, week, or month. He feels proud each time he tells a lie and gets away with it. He learns to perfect his art of lying. Sam is not only ensnared in the sin of lying, he is completely trapped. And the sad part is, he doesn’t even care that he is chained to this sin.

Sam is a great example of Job 15:5 (ESV) “For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.” Sam’s iniquity of lying has taught his mouth to lie for any and all reasons. His friends have discovered by now Sam has a problem with lying. As a result they don’t really believe anything he says anymore. Sam finds he is spending more and more time alone. When he calls his friends they always seem to be too busy to hang out anymore. The reality is Sam’s friends no longer want to hang out with him. It isn’t any fun hanging out with someone you can’t trust. 

Is it too Late

What will Sam do? Has he gone too far? Can he ever be free from this trap of lying constantly? Is there any hope for Sam? The good news is yes, there is hope for Sam! Sam can still confess he is trapped in the iniquity of lying. Sam has the opportunity to shed his identity of a liar and put on his true identity as a son of God. Sam’s true identity is a man of integrity and honesty. Psalm 103:3 (ESV) tells us God “…forgives all your iniquity…” Psalm 65:3 (ESV) shows Sam, “When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.” 

Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins, transgressions, and iniquities. Isaiah 53:5 (ESV) prophesied, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (emphasis added) A lifestyle of sin (iniquity) isn’t more powerful than the blood of Jesus. His blood heals people from not just a one time sin, but an identity of sin.

Getting Free

When Sam chooses to surrender his identity of a liar to Jesus, he will be taking the first step to complete freedom from the iniquity of lying. After a while Sam will be known as the most honest man anyone ever met. Sam will find it almost impossible to lie for any reason. The blood of Jesus will set him free. Sam will declare, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” John‬ ‭8:36‬ ‭(ESV). He will have a deep understanding of what Jesus meant when he said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭(ESV, emphasis added)‬.

Even though Sam planted the seed of lying, allowed it to sprout into transgression, and helped it to grow into iniquity, he chose to chop down that tree, dig out the roots, and replant the seed of honesty in its place. The blood of Jesus allows us to do just that. There is no sin, no transgression, or no iniquity that is too difficult for Jesus to forgive and set you free from the oppression placed upon you by those decisions. That my friend, is the best news there is!

Next week we are going to look at what happens in the physical when we plant seeds of either righteousness or iniquity. I hope you will join me in learning more about planting spiritual seeds in our lives!