Sin

Sin is a term with religious connotations. In Christian understanding, it denotes the imperfect state of man separated from God and his wrong way of life (i.e., transgressing or falling out of the divine order of laws). This separation came about, according to the biblical narrative (Gen 3 EU), through the Fall (by eating the fruit "from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil"). According to Christian understanding, sin consists in turning away from God's will, in distrusting God, in allowing evil or being seduced. In Paul, sin appears as a power that determines life and living together and makes people slaves to their passions, to which they are accordingly at the mercy (Rom 6:12-14 EU).

The term sin further refers to the single reprehensible and therefore sinful act (transgression) that begins with the evil thought (Mt 15:19 EU). Sins of thought and deed follow from the separation caused by unbelief (i.e., the fundamental sin). Evil words, hurtful or untrue statements, therefore, are to be counted among the sins of fact according to biblical understanding. Sin can also be understood as the opposite of moral responsibility or be the cause of psychological misconduct.

Ultimately, according to the Christian faith, remaining in sin leads to condemnation in the so-called Last Judgment of God, to two different fates for believers and unbelievers: believers go to heaven, unbelievers to hell (Dan 12:2 EU, Mt 25:46 EU).

An act is considered reprehensible or bad because God marks it as a sin, e.g. through the Ten Commandments. Through sins, other fellow human beings and the sinner himself come to harm directly or indirectly. Thus, the sinner is burdened with guilt not only by the transgression itself, but also by its consequences. In Judaism, until the destruction of the Second Temple, the offering of sacrifices in Jerusalem atoned for guilt, i.e. covered it up. In Islam, on the other hand, animal sacrifice has lost its atoning significance (see below, cf. the Islamic Feast of Sacrifice). In Christianity, Jesus Christ is the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29 EU, Jn 1:36 EU, Rev 1:5 EU), so animal sacrifices are no longer necessary. Closely connected with the forgiveness of sin are confession and repentance of the same as well as repentance as turning away from wrong attitudes and wrong behavior. Through this repentance and because of the saving act of Jesus Christ on the cross, people experience forgiveness.

In other religions, forgiveness is achieved through the graciousness of the deity(ies) (merit, self-salvation). In Hinduism and other Vedic religions, sin is understood to be actions that affect karma.

Colloquially, "sin" is often understood to mean an action that is regarded as wrong, without any theological statement being implied. In trivialized form, the term is encountered in the violation of dietary regulations ("sinning against the line"), clothing fashion aesthetic ideas ("fashion sin") or against traffic regulations ("parking offender").

Etymology

The Greek expression ἁμαρτία (hamartía) of the New Testament and the Hebrew word chata'a or chat'at (חַטָּאָה/חַטָּ֣את) of the Tanakh mean missing a target - concretely and figuratively, i.e., failure - and are rendered as sin in German translations of the Bible.

Wulfila translated hamartía as frawaúrhts (from frawaúrkjan, from Gothic waúrkjan, "to work," root-related to "work"). The German word Sünde (from Old High German sunta or suntea) has a common West Germanic root with words of other Germanic languages (English sin, Old Norwegian synd). The origin is not exactly clear. Presumably, like Latin sunnia ("distress of being" in the Lex salica), the word goes back to the Indo-Germanic root *es- ("to be," Old High German sīn) as a participle meaning "that which is." In German, "sin" was first used as a Christian term.

A folk etymological interpretation traces it back to the Germanic sund, because Sund denotes a separation of two land masses (by a strait). However, this is countered by the fact that Sund, on the contrary, denotes a narrowness, i.e. a connection, for example a strait. According to another explanation, however, the word can be derived from the Old Norse verb sundr. It means "to separate" or "to divide" (cf. German "(ab)sondern", modern Scandinavian sondre and Swedish sönder "broken"). Thus a sund would be a land division or fracture.

Judaism

In Judaism, the transgression of a law of God is a sin. The laws are the commandments of the Torah, other regulations in the Tanakh, and the interpretations compiled in the Talmud. According to Jewish understanding, every person commits sins in the course of his life. God compensates the appropriate punishment through grace. As mentioned in the prayer Unetaneh tokef on Rosh ha-Shanah and on Yom Kippur, sincere repentance and conversion (Jonah 3:5-10 EU), (Dan 4:27 EU) as well as almsgiving are central elements of atonement.

The common Hebrew word for sin is aveira, literally "transgression" (of a commandment). According to the interpretation of the Tanakh, three forms of sin are distinguished:

• Pesha or Mered: Sin committed deliberately, in conscious rebellion against God.
• Avon: Sin committed emotionally, consciously, but not in rebellion against God.
• Chet: Unintentional sin

According to Jewish teachings, no human being is perfect, and all people sin. However, these actions do not result in permanent damnation; only a few sins are unforgivable. According to the Babylonian Talmud, God's grace is summarized in thirteen attributes:

1. God is merciful even before man sins, although He knows that man is capable of sin.
2. God is merciful to the sinner after he has sinned.
3. God can be gracious even where a human being cannot or does not deserve it.
4. God is compassionate and eases the punishment of the guilty party.
5. God is gracious even to those who do not deserve it.
6. God is not easily angered.
7. God's kindness is manifold.
8. God is a God of truth; therefore, His promise to forgive the confessing sinner is valid.
9. God is kind to future generations, just as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob experienced His kindness.
10. God forgives sins consciously committed when the sinner repents.
11. God forgives the deliberate angering of Himself when the sinner repents.
12. God forgives sins committed out of error.
13. God forgets the sins of those who repent.

Jews are to apply these principles in their dealings with fellow human beings.

According to the Jewish Bible, the "tabernacle" and later the Jerusalem temple were places where the Hebrews or Israelites could offer sacrifices after repenting their sins before God (Hebrew: kippär). Some sins additionally required confession before God. Priests performed the rituals specified in the Torah (singing, prayer, offerings). The holiday of Yom Kippur is a special day when all the Jewish people come together for the forgiveness of their sins.

In the later books of the prophets, rituals without genuine repentance are rejected and the necessary inner attitude of the supplicants toward repentance and conversion is again urged.