Before you can accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, you must admit to something. That something is sin. People think sin has different meanings, but what is sin according to the Bible and according to God? And why do we need forgiveness for our sins?
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:8-10
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."
Proverbs 28:13
What Is Sin?
Think of God's perfect way as a mark on a target; sin is missing that mark. Sin is any action, word, or thought that is outside of God's perfect way. We are human, and because of that, we tend to desire the things that our hearts want, and many times those things are not what God wants for us. Sin can be doing something wrong or failing to do something right.
"For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." Romans 14:23
"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." James 4:17
Why Do We Need To Be Saved From Sin?
We need forgiveness of our sins because sin keeps us from God. To be able to live the way that God intended, and that is to live in relationship with Him we needed to be pure and spotless. Of, course we could never get that way ourselves, we needed a sinless substitute. There was no other way for us to get to God, then Jesus taking our sin and bringing us to Him. When we live a life of fellowship with God only then can we indeed live!
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit," 1 Peter 3:18
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--" Ephesians 2:4-5