The word 'hamartia' (pronounced ‘ham-ar-tee’ah’) is the Greek word that was translated sin in the Bible. The word ‘hamartia’ literally means 'to miss the mark', or ‘to do something wrong.’ In Romans 3:23, the Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Also in Romans 6:23 God said, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Let’s replace the word sin in these two scriptures with the literal meaning of the original Greek word 'hamartia'. In doing so we get something like:
"For all have 'missed the mark', and come short of the glory of God. - Rom. 3:23. And also Rom. 6:23 becomes; "For the wages of 'missing the mark’ is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Someone might ask;
1. How have we 'missed the mark'?
Another word that can replace the phrase 'miss the mark' is the word deviate. To deviate means to fall off from a set standard. Many a time, performance is measured by comparing results with set standards. God also has a standard which identifies those who sin or ‘miss the mark'.
God's Law is his standard. In Exodus chapter 20, we read about the Ten Commandments which are a part of God's law or standard. The Ten Commandments contain laws like, do not steal, do not steal, do not worship other Gods, do not give false witness and do not commit adultery. In Leviticus, we learn about more sexual laws. There are also laws like do not draw anything on your bodies (tattooing).
Related Article: How to Overcome Sexual Sin
God uses His Word (The Bible) as the standard of living for all things. God’s law affects all persons alike. For example, the Sun shines on good people and bad people alike, and when it rains, it rains on everything. In essence, all human beings must honor the Lord by doing all that His Word instructs us not to do. The fact is that, all of mankind had already missed the mark. We have all sinned against God. We lie, we steal, we give false witness, we fornicate, and we commit adultery. We do all the worse kinds of sins you can ever imagine. That is why God said we have all sinned (missed the mark), and that had made us fall short to His glory (see Romans 3:23). King David was a man of the Old Testament and after studying God's Law he realized he was a sinner right from his mother’s womb (Psalms 51:5). We are not sinners because of the sins we have committed; we are sinners because we were born in sin, nurtured in sin and grew up in sin. We are like a bowl fully filled with liquid waste; there's no way you can carry this bowl round without it spilling over. Wherever we go we spill sin. We seem helpless. It is very pathetic but that is how sin had made us. We have 'missed the mark' completely.
2. What is the way out?
“The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Even in our societies people are prosecuted and sentenced for crimes committed. Likewise, the penalty for sin is death and that means that we deserve to die as penalty for our sins. However, God in His mercy and love for all mankind did not give us what we deserve – death, but He has given us a better alternative – everlasting life. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” - Romans 6:23.
After the first rebellion in the days of Adam and Eve, God thought of a way to reconcile his creation unto himself. He made a plan to send a Savior who will reconcile his creation unto Him. He made this plan known through the prophets. The Prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming of a Savior who will bring peace upon the Earth, who will set the captives free, who will preach glad tidings unto the meek. A great Savior who shall be called 'Immanuel' which means 'God with us' (see Isaiah 7:14, 9:6 and Isaiah 61).
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). In this scripture God outlines his judgment. God is a merciful God and He is also a just God. In the scripture above, He tells us the payment or wages we will receive for the sins we have committed, and keep committing. (Note: We sin whenever we act against God's set standard for life as stipulated in His Law, the Bible). Please note that the 'death' mentioned in the above scripture is not physical death. It is referring to the eternal death in hell for all people who do not come to God by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. The Bible is referring to the death of eternal separation from God. The scripture below explains the kind of death the Bible is talking about;
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." - Revelation 21:8
The wages of our sin is death but God in his mercy has given us a better option; "...but the gift of God is eternal life through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.” – Rom. 6:23b. Jesus Christ is the son of God. He visited this earth about 2000 years ago and died to save us from our sins. He came as a lamb, THE LAMB OF GOD; and He was crucified on the Cross of Calvary as ransom for all the sins of the world. The scripture says in John 1:29 "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." The sin of the world includes my sins, your sins and everybody else’s sin. Whoever calls on Jesus and receive Him and acknowledge Him as the Son of God who came to die for our sins can also share in the everlasting life that God gives.
This is no joke. It is sad how the most important decision in the world is ignored by many people. Your life will have a better meaning if you receive JESUS into your life to be your LORD and SAVIOUR. It doesn’t matter what you may be going through right now. God can turn things around and give you hope both in this present life and in the life after death. Tomorrow might be too late, accept Jesus into your heart and life today.
Accepting Jesus Christ to be your Lord and personal Savior involves two important steps and written in Romans 10:9-10:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Dear friend, God want to save you from all the hustle and baffle of this life and He wants to give you eternal life. Your decision to follow God by accepting Jesus Christ and your Lord and Savior is one decision you will never regret taking – I can assure you that. Call on Jesus now! Say:
Lord Jesus, I come to you this day as a sinner.
I acknowledge you as the Son of God who died to save me from my sins.
Please, Lord, forgive me of all my sins.
Cleanse me with your Holy blood shared on the cross of Calvary
I surrender my life to you; be my Lord and my Savior!
Have your way in my life, and help me live to please you only
I am saved; I am born-again by the power of Jesus. Glory to God
Thank you Lord for saving me, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!
Congratulations if you just prayed the above prayer. I warmly welcome you into God’s beloved family. May Jesus bless and keep you strong in your walk in Him. Click here to send us a message. God bless and keep you always!
