Sin: Shooting at the Wrong Target

Have you noticed that almost everyone has something that they focus on in their life?  If we do not pursue something… depression sets in.   Have you also noticed that some will spend their lives pursuing a goal that ultimately isn’t worth having once they achieve it?

God offers you a better way of life.  The Bible helps us to direct our lives in such as way as to gain what is worth pursuing and avoid what should be left alone.

In the New Testament the normal word for sin is harmatia (it’s verb form is harmartano).  It means literally “to miss the mark.” It is a archer’s term. Here is the problem… if you shoot at the wrong bulls eye, you just may hit it.

On the other hand, you can aim at things that are worthwhile… i.e. You can aim high but still fall short of what you are aiming for. Hitting the wrong mark or missing the right mark pretty much have the same effect.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” ( Romans 3: 23)

Here is the nature of what the Bible calls sin… We shoot at what we should not have or do not pursue what we should have.  James explains this situation to us graphically…


James 4:
1.  What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?
 2.  You lust and do not have; {so} you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; {so} you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
 3.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend {it} on your pleasures.
 4.  You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Sometimes our sin stems from the lack of establishing a good bulls eye.  In other words sin is sometimes from the fact that we don’t aim for the right things or for anything at all.  If we are without aim, we are without law.  We need (and crave) purpose.

John explains this to us in I John 3: 

2.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
 3.  And everyone who has this hope {fixed} on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
 4.  Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
 5.  You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
 6.  No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
 7.  Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

In other words we need to pursue righteousness. If we “fall short” of that mark, John calls it lawless.  If we are purifying ourselves we have direction.  We are shooting at something worthwhile.  We must keep pursuing it till we hit it.  Fully achieving it is not to be within this life.  The pursuit is our life’s goal. That goal (bulls eye) is set before us by God Himself.  Don’t let anyone lie to you…

Ecclesiastes 12:

10.  The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.
 11.  The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of {these} collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.
 12.  But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion {to books} is wearying to the body.
 13.  The conclusion, when all has been heard, {is:} fear God and keep His commandments, because this {applies to} every person.
 14.  For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

What is our conclusion? Sin is missing the mark, missing the purpose for which you were created.  Therefore, aim at the right target and keep shooting at it until you hit it. 

Philippians 3:

13.  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
 14.  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
 15.  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded:

Hi I am glad you stopped by our blog. These articles are from an emailing that we did several years ago.   Today most of our work is on facebook

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  Jerry Blount 

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Las Vegas church of Christ 


If you wish to worship with us....
Las Vegas church of Christ
709 Dora Celeste
Las Vegas, NM 87701

Our meeting times are
10am Sunday morning for Bible study.
11am Sunday morning for the worship service.
6pm Wednesday evening for Midweek Bible study.

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Be well
Jerry Blount