Sin is transgression. It is the deliberate climbing of the fence. We see
the trespass-board, and in spite of the warning we stride into the
forbidden field. Sin is not ignorance, it is intention. We sin when we are
wide-awake! There are teachers abroad who would soften words like these.
They offer us terms which appear to lessen the harshness of our actions;
they give our sin an aspect of innocence. But to alter the label on the
bottle does not change the character of the contents. Poison is poison
give it what name we please. "Sin is the transgression of the law."
Let us be on our guard against the men whose pockets are filled with
deceptive labels. Let us vigilantly resist all teachings which would
chloroform the conscience. Let us prefer true terms to merely nice ones.
Let us call sin by its right name, and let us tolerate no moral conjuring
either with ourselves or with others. The first essential in all moral
reformation is to call sin "sin." "If we confess our sin He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sin."