What Is Sin?
Welcome to the Learning Wall
Every one of us has questions about life, right and wrong, and the choices we make. Some even ask, “What does God say about it?” What comes from the heart shapes the way we live, so those questions matter.
The Learning Wall was created to help you explore biblical truth in a clear, honest, and active way.
Take your time. Read with an open heart. Ask questions.
Most importantly, allow God’s Word to speak for itself. We pray that as you continue exploring, you’ll return and share what you’ve learned with others.
“Truth Is the Desire.”
ADULTERERS... Adultery is not only the physical act of a married person having sexual relations outside the marriage covenant but also includes cultivating lust in the heart. God's design for marriage is lifelong faithfulness between one husband and one wife. The Bible also speaks of spiritual adultery, which occurs when we give our hearts, devotion, or loyalty to anyone or anything above God. {Everyday Life} Adultery often begins long before a physical act. It can begin by entertaining lustful thoughts, pursuing emotional intimacy outside of marriage, consuming sexually explicit material, or allowing the heart to desire someone who is not one's spouse. God calls His people to honor marriage with faithfulness in both actions and the heart. Scripture also warns against spiritual adultery. This happens when our greatest affection, trust, or devotion belongs to success, money, relationships, possessions, or anything else that takes God's rightful place in our hearts. Reflection Question? Is there anything or anyone that has become more important to my heart than faithfulness to God? {God's Word}: "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:28 (NKJV) "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4 (NKJV)
DISSENSIONS Dissensions are divisions, factions, and ongoing conflicts that arise from sinful attitudes such as pride, selfish ambition, anger, or bitterness. When left unchecked, dissensions damage relationships, disrupt unity, and oppose the peace God desires among His people. {Everyday Life} Dissensions can appear when pride, unforgiveness, or selfish ambition lead people to divide families, friendships, churches, workplaces, or communities. Rather than seeking understanding, they choose conflict, take sides, or promote division instead of pursuing peace and unity in truth. Reflection Question? Am I helping build unity through humility and truth, or have my attitudes or actions contributed to division? God's Word "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies..." Galatians 5:19–21 (NKJV) "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV)
ENVY... Envy is the sinful desire for what belongs to someone else, accompanied by resentment or dissatisfaction with what God has given us. When left unchecked, envy can grow into bitterness, hatred, and a willingness to harm others in order to gain what they have or to see them lose it. {Everyday Life} Envy can appear when we resent another person's success, possessions, relationships, abilities, opportunities, or blessings. Instead of rejoicing with others, envy compares, competes, and desires what belongs to someone else. God calls His people to be content, grateful, and to celebrate the blessings He gives to others. Reflection Question? Am I content with what God has entrusted to me, or has comparison allowed envy to take root in my heart? {God's Word} "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." James 3:16 (NKJV) "Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." Galatians 5:26 (NKJV)
FITS OF RAGE... Fits of rage are explosive outbursts of uncontrolled anger that lead a person to speak or act in ways that harm others. Rather than responding with self-control and wisdom, a person gives in to anger, often causing pain through words, actions, or violence. {Everyday Life} Fits of rage can appear during arguments at home, conflicts at work, road rage, online conversations, or any situation where anger is allowed to control a person's words or actions. God calls His people to exercise self-control, respond with wisdom, and seek peace rather than allowing anger to rule their hearts. Reflection Question? When I become angry, do I respond with self-control that honors God, or do I allow my anger to control my words and actions? {God's Word} "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: ... hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies..." Galatians 5:19–21 (NKJV) "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, Ephesians 4:26 (NKJV) "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." Ephesians 4:31 (NKJV)
HOMOSEXUALITY... Homosexuality refers to romantic or sexual attraction toward a person of the same sex. Throughout Scripture, God reveals His design for marriage as the lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and He reserves sexual intimacy for that marriage relationship. {Everyday Life} Our culture offers many different views about relationships, marriage, and sexuality. God lovingly calls every person to honor His design by pursuing sexual purity, faithfulness, and obedience to His Word. Every person, regardless of their temptations or struggles, is invited to seek God's wisdom, grace, and truth. Reflection Question? Am I willing to trust God's design for relationships, marriage, and sexuality, even when His ways challenge my own desires or the culture around me? {God's Word} "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Genesis 2:24 (NKJV) "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?" Matthew 19:4–5 (NKJV)
IMPURITY... Impurity is living, thinking, or acting in ways that are morally or spiritually unclean in the sight of God. It includes anything that corrupts the heart, mind, body, or conduct and falls outside of God's standard of holiness and purity. {Everyday Life} Impurity can appear through sinful thoughts, immoral behavior, corrupt speech, dishonest actions, or anything that pulls our hearts away from God's standard of holiness. God calls His people to pursue purity in their thoughts, words, actions, and relationships. Reflection Question? Is there anything in my thoughts, words, or actions that does not reflect the purity God desires for my life? {God's Word} "For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness." 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NKJV) "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8 (NKJV)
MURDERERS... A murderer is a person who deliberately and unjustly takes the life of another human being. Every human life is created in the image of God and has inherent value. God alone is the giver of life, and He commands that human life be protected. {Everyday Life} Murder is the deliberate and unlawful taking of human life. Jesus also taught that murder begins in the heart when hatred is allowed to grow unchecked. God calls His people to value every human life, reject hatred, seek reconciliation, and love others as He has loved us. Reflection Question? Do I value every human life as God does, and have I allowed anger or hatred to take root in my heart toward anyone? {God's Word} "You shall not murder." Exodus 20:13 (NKJV) "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." 1 John 3:15 (NKJV)
THEFT... Theft is taking or keeping something that belongs to another person without their permission or rightful authority. Whether done openly, secretly, through deception, or by fraud, theft violates God's command to respect the property and possessions of others. {Everyday Life} Theft can take many forms, including stealing money or possessions, cheating, fraud, shoplifting, plagiarism, or intentionally taking advantage of another person's property or resources. God calls His people to live honestly, work faithfully, and respect what belongs to others. Reflection Question? Do my actions demonstrate honesty and integrity, or have I taken or kept something that does not rightfully belong to me? {God's Word} "You shall not steal." Exodus 20:15 (NKJV) "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need." Ephesians 4:28 (NKJV)
SEXUAL IMMORALITY... Sexual immorality is any sexual thought, desire, or behavior that falls outside of God's design for marriage. Throughout Scripture, God reveals marriage as the lifelong covenant between one husband and one wife and reserves sexual intimacy for that relationship alone. {Everyday Life} Sexual immorality can include sexual activity outside of marriage, adultery, pornography, lust, and any sexual practice that departs from God's design. Our culture often encourages people to follow their desires, but God calls His people to pursue purity, holiness, and faithfulness according to His Word. Reflection Question? Am I honoring God's design for purity in my thoughts, desires, and relationships, or have I allowed my own desires to shape my choices? {God's Word} "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." 1 Corinthians 6:18 (NKJV) "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." Hebrews 13:4 (NKJV)
DISCORD... Discord is the act of creating division, conflict, or strife among people. A person who sows discord consistently opposes truth, stirs confusion, damages relationships, and disrupts peace through words, attitudes, or actions. {Everyday Life} Discord can appear through gossip, spreading rumors, stirring unnecessary arguments, creating division within families, friendships, churches, or workplaces, or encouraging others to take sides instead of seeking peace. God calls His people to pursue truth, unity, and peace while standing firmly for what is right. Reflection Question? Am I helping bring peace and truth to those around me, or are my words and actions creating unnecessary division? {God's Word} "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." James 3:16 (NKJV) "A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends." Proverbs 16:28 (NKJV)
DRUNKENNESS Drunkenness is the sinful act of becoming intoxicated or habitually controlled by alcohol. It includes repeatedly drinking to excess or becoming dependent on alcohol. God calls His people to live with self-control, wisdom, and lives directed by the Holy Spirit rather than being mastered by anything. {Everyday Life} Drunkenness can affect every area of life. It may damage relationships, impair judgment, lead to harmful choices, and become a controlling influence over a person's thoughts and actions. God desires His people to exercise self-control and to seek their strength, peace, and guidance through His Spirit rather than through alcohol or anything that takes control of the heart and mind. Reflection Question? Is there anything in my life that has begun to control me more than my desire to follow God with wisdom and self-control? {God's Word} "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV) "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 1 Corinthians 6:12 (NKJV)
FACTIONS... Factions are groups that divide people by promoting their own opinions, loyalties, or interests above truth and unity. Rather than seeking peace and working together, factions create division, encourage people to take sides, and place personal agendas before God's desire for His people. {Everyday Life} Factions can develop in families, churches, workplaces, communities, or friendships when people gather around personalities, opinions, or personal agendas instead of seeking truth, humility, and unity. God calls His people to pursue peace, resolve conflict with wisdom, and remain united in Him. Reflection Question? Am I helping build unity through truth and humility, or have I allowed my attitudes or loyalties to create unnecessary division? {God's Word} "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9 (NKJV) "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV)
HATRED... Hatred is an intense feeling of hostility, resentment, or deep animosity toward another person or group. When hatred is allowed to remain in the heart, it opposes God's command to love others and reflects a life walking in darkness rather than in His light. {Everyday Life} Hatred can grow from unresolved anger, bitterness, jealousy, prejudice, or a refusal to forgive. It may appear through harsh words, a desire for revenge, treating others with contempt, or delighting in another person's suffering. God calls His people to reject hatred, forgive as He has forgiven us, and love others with truth and grace. Reflection Question? Is there anyone toward whom I have allowed hatred, bitterness, or unforgiveness to take root in my heart? {God's Word} "He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now." 1 John 2:9 (NKJV) "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." 1 John 3:15 (NKJV)
IDOLATRY... Idolatry is the worship of anyone or anything other than the one true God. It includes bowing to handmade idols or images, as well as giving our highest devotion, trust, or allegiance to people, possessions, power, money, nature, or anything else that takes God's rightful place in our hearts. {Everyday Life} Idolatry can appear in many forms. Some worship carved images, while others place their identity, security, or purpose in money, success, relationships, possessions, careers, fame, or even themselves. God alone is worthy of our worship, trust, and complete devotion. Reflection Question? Has anything or anyone become more important to my heart than my relationship with God? {God's Word} "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image... you shall not bow down to them nor serve them." Exodus 20:3–5 (NKJV) "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." 1 John 5:21 (NKJV)
JEALOUSY... Jealousy is the fear of losing a relationship, position, affection, or blessing that a person believes rightfully belongs to them. When left unchecked, jealousy can grow into resentment, insecurity, suspicion, and conflict as a person feels overlooked, replaced, or threatened by someone else. {Everyday Life} Jealousy can appear in marriages, friendships, families, churches, workplaces, or any relationship where a person fears losing attention, affection, influence, or opportunities to someone else. Rather than trusting God and communicating with wisdom, jealousy often creates suspicion, resentment, and unnecessary conflict. The Bible sometimes speaks of God as "jealous" (for example, Exodus 34:14), but His jealousy is holy and rooted in His covenant relationship with His people. It is completely different from sinful human jealousy, which is driven by selfishness, insecurity, or fear Reflection Question? Have I allowed fear, insecurity, or comparison to affect the way I view my relationships, or the blessings God has given me? {God's Word} "Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy?" Proverbs 27:4 (NKJV) "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." James 3:16 (NKJV)
ORGIES... Orgies are wild, unrestrained gatherings centered on drunkenness, sexual immorality, and reckless pleasure. They reflect a lifestyle that seeks satisfaction through excessive indulgence rather than honoring God with self-control and holiness. {Everyday Life} This behavior can appear anywhere people gather to pursue excessive pleasure through drunkenness, sexual immorality, drug use, or reckless living without regard for God's design. Whether in public or in private, God calls His people to pursue holiness, self-control, and lives that honor Him. Reflection Question? Am I seeking fulfillment through temporary pleasures, or am I pursuing the life God desires for me through holiness and self-control? {God's Word} "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness... drunkenness, revelries, and the like..." Galatians 5:19–21 (NKJV) "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy." Romans 13:13 (NKJV)
SELFISH AMBITION... Selfish ambition is the pursuit of personal success, recognition, or power with little or no regard for God's will or the well-being of others. It places self above truth, humility, and love, often seeking to elevate oneself at the expense of others. {Everyday Life} Selfish ambition can appear in the workplace, ministry, school, relationships, or any area of life where a person's primary goal is personal gain, recognition, influence, or control. Rather than serving others with humility, selfish ambition seeks to advance itself, often leaving division and conflict behind. Reflection Question? Am I pursuing success to honor God and serve others, or has my ambition become centered on myself? {God's Word} "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Philippians 2:3 (NKJV) "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." James 3:16 (NKJV)
SORCERY / WITCHCRAFT... Sorcery and witchcraft involve seeking spiritual knowledge, guidance, power, or influence apart from the one true God. They include practices that attempt to manipulate or contact the spiritual realm through occult means rather than trusting and following God. {Everyday Life} Sorcery and witchcraft can include practices such as casting spells, communicating with spirits, séances, mediums, spiritists, consulting psychics, fortune-telling, divination, astrology for spiritual guidance, tarot cards, crystal or energy practices believed to possess spiritual power, curses, charms, and attempting to contact the dead. Although these practices are often presented as harmless or entertaining, God calls His people to seek wisdom, guidance, protection, and truth from Him alone. Reflection Question? Am I seeking guidance, power, or spiritual answers from God alone, or have I looked elsewhere for what only He should provide? {God's Word} "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: ... idolatry, sorcery..." Galatians 5:19–21 (NKJV) "There shall not be found among you anyone who... practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord." Deuteronomy 18:10–12 (NKJV)
