Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  But how is ‘SIN’ defined?  Let’s take a look.

This is what the word Sin looks like in Hebrew. It is Strong’s # 2398

And here is what Strong’s says about the word:

châṭâʼ, khaw-taw’; a primitive root; properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemn:—bear the blame, cleanse, commit (sin), by fault, harm he hath done, loss, miss, (make) offend(-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self), make reconciliation, (cause, make) sin(-ful, -ness), trespass.

1. (Qal)
   1. to miss
   2. to sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty
   3. to incur guilt, incur penalty by sin, forfeit
2. (Piel)
   1. to bear loss
3. (Hiphil)
   1. to miss the mark
   2. to induce to sin, cause to sin
   3. to bring into guilt or condemnation or punishment
4. (Hithpael)
   1. lose oneself, wander from the way
   2. to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness

Here is the breakdown of the Hebrew letters:

Chet  8 = New Beginnings. Means: Fence, Gate, Tent wall to Separate, Protect, Cut off. Torah

 Tet 9 = Judgment.  Means: Choice, Basket, Snake, Surround or Twist

 Aleph 1= God – Echad – Unity, Unique (no other like it) Means: Ox head—Strength or Leader, Most Important, First – The Strength and Power of the leader

SIN: A choice (Tet) to separate and cut off (Chet) from God (Aleph)

If SIN is to miss the mark, what is the mark? 

Let’s look at Genesis 1:26-27  Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  

Each of us was created in the image of God.  I believe to miss the mark means that we are no longer presenting the image of God through our lives.

But, what does IMAGE mean?

The word ‘image’ looks like this: It is Strong’s #6754

Reading from right to left.

Tzade 90 = Humility. Picture-Fishhook.  Means: Righteousness, to pull toward, Desire, Trouble, Harvest

Lamed  30 =  Blood of Messiah, Dedication to a task.  Means: Staff, Goad or Stick, to Teach or Instruct, Authority, to Control, Urge Forward, a Tongue

A closed Mem 600 = Means: Hidden Truth

IMAGE means: To be created with a humble and righteous nature (Tzade) able to instruct with authority (Lamed) revealing Hidden Truth (Closed Mem)

This is the nature of Christ.  Here are the meanings of humble and righteous:

HUMBLE: recognizing our weakness compared to God’s strength and knowledge.  So, we must look to Him for EVERYTHING.

RIGHTEOUS: To be righteous means that we have fully surrendered to God and are following Him in every area and decision of our lives. This is a picture of total submission.

OKAY, LET’S PUT THESE TWO WORDS TOGETHER.

SIN: A choice (Tet) to separate and cut off (Chet) from God (Aleph)

IMAGE: To be created with a humble and righteous nature (Tzade) able to instruct with authority (Lamed) revealing Hidden Truth (Closed Mem)

SO, WHEN WE SIN, WE…

• No longer resemble our Creator – We’ve forgotten who we are and Whose we are
• No longer realize our weaknesses and look to God for strength.
• No longer manifest God’s love and wisdom in the decisions we make.
• No longer follow Jesus but follow our own way.
• No longer able to teach others about the King or His Kingdom
• No longer able to exercise God’s authority on the earth.

BUT  if we sin and we want to change, God made provision for us:

1 John 1:8-10   If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Here is the video link that goes with this teaching: God Words – Sin