The term sin in the Bible generally means to "Miss the mark". I can remember the very first sermon I ever heard that demonstrated this. It was Rev. Ron Rand of College Hill Presbyterian Church who set up one of his famous visual illustrations so we could really see what the Bible means.
He put up a picture of a target with circles to show the Bull's Eye and circles concentric around it away from the center. then he showed us a bow and arrow to illustrate what the Bible writers had in mind when they said Sin was missing the mark. The mark is the Bull's Eye. We can get close but not hit exactly in the center and still "Miss the mark".
In life it is very hard to always "Hit the Bull's Eye". In fact, St. Paul said that all of us have missed the mark or the Bull's Eye ever since we were born. (All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23) In fact, none of us can consistently hit the Bull's Eye no matter how hard we try.
Few of us are archers today so perhaps the Corn Hole game is a better illustration. I would love to be able to throw my little bag of corn into that small hole every time. I make it sometimes but I need more practice. However, even the very best players miss sometimes and they almost always hit the side of the hole or slide it in after missing it at first.
That is like us Christians who have tried for decades to improve our aim spiritually. I try to be accurate but I miss my mark still after all these years of trying. PTL in Christ there is hope for forgiveness and healing and a new day after I sin. Even St. Paul admitted that he could not always hit the mark. In Romans 7 he said "I know what I am supposed to do but I just cannot do it!"
Proverbs reminds us that Life or death are in the tongue.
Gary Sweeten
Sweetenlife.com
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