Sin

What really is sin, “bad things” but what are bad things, why are they bad? How were the sins selected? I think the only way to see how they were selected is to look for a pattern within the sins that we know- what sins do we know? Well we know the bible’s laws, and they distinguish sins. The Ten Commandments: (paraphrased from Deuteronomy 5)
1. You shall have no gods before me
2. No idols/ in place of God
3. Do not misuse the name of God
4. Keep the Sabbath
5. obey your father and mother
6. Do not murder
7. Do not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour
10. You shall not covet

6,7,8,9, and 10 all relate to living in harmony, 5 is listening to your parents as an authority placed over you by God and 1,2,3 and 4 relate to reverence for God. I think the Ten Commandments are about community, all living in harmony under a reverence for God, and there is a system (parents in authority over their children) to raise the next generation in the same way. It fits with the most important commandments: 1st love God and 2nd Love everyone else. It seems to be all about community.

I think the law has more of a purpose though, more than just as a template for community. This is an analogy of what I think the second purpose for sin is: if you’re alone in the world with one girl and you hook up with them, then it’s not real love, at least it’s not the same as if there were 2 girls and you chose one.
Love involves choice, Coke over Pepsi because you “love” it more.

It’s like if you give commandments to your kids and they choose to obey them, then they have chosen you over whatever else gets in the way. On the other hand if you don’t give any commands to your kids- then they can never be disobedient- but they can never be truly obedient because there is nothing to obey. So I think, that when God put Adam and Eve in the garden he put the apple tree there too, so that they could choose him over the tree and therefore be obedient to him.

I think God allows sin, to let us choose God’s law instead of it, and by that, show love for God. But that really ties back into community, if everyone has a great love for God, they will all be united in it as one. Community.