Why do human beings sin?

GISMYS View Post

Why do human beings sin?

Men are born with a sin nature (Ps 51:5).  The only man who was not in Adam (e.g. born of sin) was Jesus, the second Adam (1 Cor. 15:20–24; 1 Cor. 15:45).  Men must be born again to be saved (Jn 3:7).  It's about as rare as being born the first time (Mt 7:13-14).

MarkSC View Post

...[I]t might be beneficial to define what sin is.

That which is opposed to good. Sin is missing the mark. If anyone believes he is a good person, he'll have to ask himself why Jesus had to die on a cross for his sins (Heb 9:22).

CrowCross View Post

Adam fell and imputed his sin nature to his progeny.

Men die for their own sins.

What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? [Ezek. 18:2].


“The children of Israel had a proverb they used, and it is mentioned twice by Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 31:29 we read, “In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” And then in Lamentations 5:7 we find, “Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.” I believe the people had built this proverb upon a passage back in Exodus: “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (Exod. 20:5). The problem is that the proverb they drew from this verse is incorrect. That is the danger in lifting out one verse of Scripture without considering its context. This is a false proverb: The fathers ate the grapes, and the children paid the penalty. That is true to a certain extent, but God judges the individual, father or son, according to his conduct. This is not a judgment for eternal life, but a judgment in this life according as a man obeys or disobeys Him.” McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Prophets (Ezekiel) (electronic ed., Vol. 25, p. 95). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
 

highrigger View Post

[Sin, missing the mark] No. That is wrong. Adams sin was not eating a forbidden fruit or falling short of some moral code...

He had one moral code—dont eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Ge 2:17). He could have been a tattooed pothead.

Who cares about a fruit? His sin was mistrust of the Lord’s word as it always is.

His sin was standing by while Eve ate, then he ate himself (Ge 3:6). Then, he blamed (Ge 3:12), then he stopped picking up his socks and it went downhill from there.

See:

The Breadth and Depth of Sin  

Why do human beings sin?