Some Bible students cite a "law of first mention" which means that a word representing a theme occurs first at the beginning of the Bible and is developed more throughout the remaining books. Furthermore, "these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction" (1Co 10:11). If sin is the subject, then logically a reference to it early in the Bible could help define what it means. For instance, Moses asked two of the tribes, "'Why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given them?'" (Nu 32:7). He referred to them as "sinful men" (:14) and if they disobeyed God he would abandon them in the wilderness again (:15). Moses told them, "'If you do not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out'" (:23). Sin, therefore, would be disobeying God's command which is what happened when "she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate" (Ge 3:6). Isaiah told them "your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hiddden His face from you so that He does not hear" (Isa 59:2). "Every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty" (Heb 2:2). We've all heard "fire and brimstone" sermons which seem to imply we are all guilty because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Ro 3:23). But God's character requires him to confront sin because permitting it without judgment would be condoning it. God proclaimed he was, "'Compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin, yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished'" (Ex 34:6-7).
What condition is the world in? "There is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and never sins" (Eccl 7:20). "They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one" (Ps 14:3). "Like Adam, they have all transgressed the covenant" (Hos 6:7). Even though they "had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam" (Ro 5:14) "there is no man who does not sin" (1Ki 8:46). In addition, "the wages of sin is death" (Ro 6:23). "By a man came death" (1Co 15:21), "in Adam all die" (:22) and "death reigned from Adam until Moses" (Ro 5:14). "The person who sins" (Eze 18:20) and "the soul who sins will die" (:4). How is this turned around or rectified? "The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ro 6:23) "who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father" (Gal 1:4).