What the Bible means by sin: ‘This experiment was shot in a space station and shown on a TV documentary. – One of the astronauts was floating at rest inside the space vehicle, wearing just a T-shirt and shorts. When he stretched out his hand, he was a metre from the wall. He was then commanded to move himself to the wall. Being in a weightless condition, he had full freedom to move. He moved, spun, jack-knifed etc. but every time he was able to stretch out his hand, he was still exactly a metre from the wall! The TV commentary explained: “We all have a physical centre of gravity. He can spin freely around his centre of gravity, but he cannot move it! If we left him there, he would eventually die, still a metre from the wall of the space station. One of the others must reach out and pull him to safety.”

This is a perfect illustration of sin. We appear to have freewill to do what we like. Every day we make freewill choices and decisions. But spiritually, the Bible says we are in the most terrible form of bondage. We are all, by nature, slaves to selfishness, self-centredness and pride. I am in bondage to my own spiritual centre of gravity. This is what the Bible means by sin. I want to run my own life, with myself as the controlling centre of my world. I cannot save myself, but if I remain in this condition I will die, spiritually, and without hope. Another person from outside myself must step in and bring me to safety. This is what Jesus has done for us by his life, death and resurrection!’

Source: Christianity Explained, 2010, The Good Book Company, New Malden, Surrey, p.58