"Knowing what is right to do and then not doing it is sin." (James 4:17) You see, God is holy and perfect. . . and we are not. Sin not only means doing wrong or failing to do all that God wants. Sin is also our attitude of ignoring or rejecting God. Because God is holy, he cannot accept our sin.
"Yes, they have all sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal; . . ." (Romans 3:23)
"But the trouble is that your sins have cut you off from God" (Isaiah 59:2) "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) Sin causes a gap between God and us. Death, which means eternal separation from God, is the penalty of our sin.
