“HaShem said to Kayin (Cain), “Why are you so angry? Why so downcast? If you are doing what is good, shouldn’t you hold your head high? And if you don’t do what is good, sin is crouching at the door – it wants you, but you can rule over it.” (Bereshit / Genesis 4:6-8)  Here in this passage from the Holy Torah (teachings of God), we see a direct quote from HaShem concerning sin in our lives, and our authority to rule over it. The NIV study bible gives a very interesting commentary regarding this portion of scripture. “Sin is crouching at your door. The Hebrew word for “crouching is the same as an ancient Babylonian word referring to an evil demon couching at the door of a building to threaten the people inside. Sin may thus be pictured here as just such a demon, waiting to pounce on Cain. He may have already been plotting his brother’s murder. It desires to have you. In Hebrew, the same expression as that for “Your desire will be for [your husband]” in 3:16.” In this study we will dig deeper into the meaning and definition of “sin”, analyze various scriptures regarding sin, and learn from our Rabbi Yeshua the Messiah and His example of overcoming the temptation of sin crouching at His door.

In our previous study we touched on what it means to sin; in Hebrew “Chata” – to miss the mark of Torah, the teachings of God and the living Word, Yeshua the Messiah. The English dictionary defines sin as; “noun – 1. Transgression of divine law: the sin of Adam. 2. Any act regarded as such a transgression, esp. a wilful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.” So according to the dictionary alone, for those who rely on the dictionary for the confirmation of definitions, sin is a transgression of the law, or better translated the Torah for my brothers and sisters in faith who are reading from the King James version of the bible. A review from our study in redemption, shows us the function of the Torah when it comes to sin (Romans 3:20) “what the Torah really does is show people how sinful they are.” We serve a just and fair God who reveals to us what is right and wrong, and as the called and chosen in faith, it is a blessing to have the Torah written on our hearts and the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to guide us.

So where exactly does sin originate? Once again we have the blessing of the Torah to show us the where it all started (Bereshit/Genesis 2:16-18) “HaShem, God, gave the person this order: “You may freely eat from every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die.” Throughout scripture, it is evident that sin and death go hand and hand (Romans 8:2) “Why? Because the Torah of the Spirit, which produces this life in union with Yeshua the Messiah, has set me free from the “torah” (teaching/lifestyle) of sin and death. As we all know, Adam transgressed against the Torah of the Spirit when he rejected Gods Word and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and through him there is death. (James/Ya’akov 1:14-15) Rather, each person is being tempted whenever he is being dragged off and enticed by the bait of his own desire. Then, having conceived, the desire gives birth to sin; and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.”  We need to keep our desires kosher (clean/pure) and according to God’s Word so that with Emuna we will be blessed and God will make all the desires of our heart manifest into our lives, but if we desire what is sinful and un-kosher then death is sure to follow. (Romans 5:16-17) “No, the free gift is not like what resulted from one man’s sinning; for from one sinner came judgement that brought condemnation; but the free gift came after many offences and brought acquittal. For if, because of the offence of one man, death ruled through that one man; how much more will those receiving the overflowing grace, that is, the gift of being considered righteous, rule in life through the one man Yeshua the Messiah!” By the grace of God, we are no longer seen as sinners and dead because of the transgression of Adam, because we have the gift of salvation and being considered righteous in the eyes of God because of the faith we have in Yeshua the Messiah. This however does not give us a licence to sin freely, although we do still sin and all fall short of Gods glory, this is why we have the Messiah to lead us and to teach us as we grow in faith. No matter how many times we may stumble and fall just like little children, Our Father in Heaven still sees the blood of Messiah over us and considers us righteous, we serve an amazing God.

Our Rabbi, Yeshua the Messiah was faced with the temptation to sin while he was in the wilderness fasting and praying for 40 days.  However unlike Kayin (Cain), Yeshua always did what was right and lived a perfect Torah lifestyle, thus meaning He did not let sin come anywhere near His door, which means it wasn’t even a though in His mind or within His heart. Yeshua was in this position at a time when He would have been as we would know as weak both physically and mentally because during a period of fasting, the body and mind become weak and even cranky. During Yom Kippur, we fast for a full day and I can tell you from my own experience that it really takes a toll on the body especially if you love food like me, however Yeshua fasted a full 40 days and speaking for myself, I can say that right now I would not make it. So Yeshua showed us that even in the times of weakness both physically and mentally as we know it, we can still overcome sin and rule over it before it enters doorway of our hearts and minds. (Luke 4:5-8) The Adversary took Him up, showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world, and said to Him, “I will give you all this power and glory. It has been handed over to me, and I can give it to whomever I chose. So if you will worship me, it will all be yours.” Yeshua answered him, “The Tanakh says, ‘Worship HaShem your God and serve Him only’.” Yeshua was filled with the same Ruach HaKodesh that is in every believer and He spoke with authority against the Adversary (Satan) and used the greatest sword and shield ever created, the Word of God. No matter how seductive the adversary may sound, we must Worship HaShem, the God of Israel and serve Him only. (Mattityahu/Matthew 4:3-4) “The Tempter came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, order these stones to become bread.” But He answered, The Tanakh says, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of HaShem.’” Remember, Yeshua was fasting for 40 days and was very hungry and just as any other human, but Yeshua was filled with Emuna (active living faith/trust/authority) and He stood on the foundation of the Word of God and it was His sword and shield once again, the same as it is for you and me.

As long as we are in this mortal flesh, we will be struggling with sin, it is a fact. But the good news is we have the Torah to reveal to us what sin is, the blood of our risen Messiah to cleans us when we do sin, and the Ruach HaKodesh to guide us and give us the same authority as Yeshua to repel sin with the Torah written on our hearts, when it is creeping at our door (mind and heart).

Create in me a clean heart, God; renew in me a resolute spirit. Don’t thrust me away from your presence; don’t take your Ruach Kodesh away from me. Restore my joy in your salvation, and let a willing spirit uphold me. Then I will teach the wicked your ways, and sinners will return to you. Tehillim/Psalms 51:10-13