OBSERVATIONS
- Sins can be both voluntary (willful) and involuntary (sins of ignorance).
- Any transgression is sin.
- A transgression always involves God’s law.
- Sin does not always involve a transgression of God’s law (Proverbs 24:9; Leviticus 16:16).
- One can be a sinner or a transgressor, but not an “iniquitor.” (Iniquity is a noun not a verb).
- There is no offering under the law for iniquity.
- There are distinct differences between the three words (Isaiah 1:28, Exodus 34:7).
- There are overlapping areas of the three words.
- Sin corresponds primarily with the soul and mind.
- Transgression corresponds with the body and actions.
- Iniquity corresponds primarily with the spirit, and attitude.
BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT
I Thessalonians 5:23 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Notice the divisions in this verse— (1) spirit (2) soul and (3) body. A similar division shows up in Hebrews. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The spirit is the part of man that gives him God consciousness through his mind (Ephesians 4:23). The soul is where the Flesh (body) interacts with the Spirit creating desires and emotions.
Iniquity / Attitude.
The thing to bear in mind here is that “iniquitors” (noun) in this sense hate God (Exodus 20:5) and God hates the workers of iniquity (Psalms 5:5) and anything to do with covetousness and idolatry (Deuteronomy 16:22). Where sin and transgression deal primarily with tangible violations, iniquity on the other hand leans toward the intangible. Attitude is an intangible spiritual entity that not only is hard to define but is even harder, if not next to impossible, to govern by written laws, ordinances and statutes. By definition attitude is a state of mind or feeling with regard to some matter; disposition. Attitude subsequently would be hard to legislate which may explain, at least in part, why there was no offering for iniquity under biblical law (Ezekiel 42:13; Isaiah 3:14).
- Isaiah 57:17 “For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him…”
- Psalms 32:5 “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgression unto the LORD; and thou forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”
- Leviticus 22:16 “Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass…”
- Psalms 59:5 “Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors…”
- Psalms 64:6 “They search out iniquities… the inward thought of every one of them…”
- Isaiah 57:17 spoke of the iniquity of his covetousness and Psalms 52:5 records the iniquity of his sin, which indicates a certain attitude involved with the particular sin. Psalms 64:6 defines attitude as the inward thought.
Iniquity / Heart
Iniquity, as revealed through the study of attitude, and is definitely in relation to man’s heart.
- Ephesians 5:5 Covetous man, who is an idolater…”
- Isaiah 57:17 “For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him… (cf. Isaiah 59:7)
- Psalms 28:3 “Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts.”
- Hosea 4:8 “They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.”
- Acts 8:22, 23 “The thought of thine heart… the bond of iniquity.”
- Jeremiah 4:18 “This is thy wickedness, because it is Psalms 41:6 “His heart gathers iniquity to itself…”
- Psalms 141:4 “Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity:”
- Psalms 64:6 “They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.”
- Leviticus 26:41 “If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:”
- Isaiah 32:6 “For the vile person will speak villainy and his heart will work iniquity… “
- Ezekiel 14:4 “Every man of the house of Israel that sets his idols in his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face…”
- II Samuel 24:10 “And David’s heart smote him… I have sinned greatly… take away the iniquity of thy servant…”
- Iniquity / Spirit
- Iniquity appears to have a distinct relationship to man’s spirit: Iniquity is tied to the Spirit of man.
- Psalms 32:2 “Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”
- II Thessalonians 2:7 “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work…”
- Isaiah 64:6 “Our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away…”
- II Corinthians 7:1 “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit…”
Iniquity / Collective
Iniquity and its plural show up over 300 times in scripture. Approximately 70% of its usage is applied to a collective body of people such as a group, congregation, city or nation:
- Leviticus 10:17 “The iniquity of the congregation…”
- Leviticus 16:21 “All the iniquities of the children of Israel…”
- Genesis 15:16 “The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”
- Ezekiel 18:30 “I will judge you, O house of Israel, … so iniquity shall not be your ruin.”
- Jeremiah 16:10 “Thou shall show this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee… what is our iniquity? …”
- Isaiah 1:2,4 “Children, and they have rebelled against me. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, children that are corrupters…”
- Daniel 9:5 “We have sinned, have committed iniquity, have done wickedly, and have rebelled…”
- Ezekiel 16:49 “This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride…”
A collection of people can have a spirit of rebellion, pride or haughtiness. They are filled with a spirit of stubbornness, hatred or perversion.
