In the religious context, sin is understood not so much as a mere violation of established external prescriptions as a profound and internal deviation from the perfection bestowed upon a person by God.

Sin as Internal Betrayal: A Multifaceted Religious Insight

In the religious context, sin is understood not so much as a mere violation of established external prescriptions as a profound and internal deviation from the perfection bestowed upon a person by God. Sin is primarily seen as self-injury, whereby a person, acting on his own discretion, harms his soul and inner being. As one source states, “By sin, a person violates himself; it is a sore, a wound inflicted upon oneself, for God resides within us. There are sins that obviously cause harm to a person…” (source: link txt).

From this viewpoint, sin is not limited to an external manifestation of defiance against God’s will, but is an inner vice spawned by the free choice a person makes between good and evil. It is precisely the freedom of choice granted to humanity that obligates one to bear responsibility for every thought, word, and deed. This conviction is reflected in the formulation: “Only a being endowed with freedom can sin—in some general sense, also be capable of refraining from sin; [...] between good and evil” (source: link txt).

From the perspective of Orthodox tradition, sin is even regarded as the greatest evil, one that harms not so much the external world as the inner state of a person. Thus, one source notes, “For the Orthodox consciousness, sin in itself, apart from all its destructive consequences, constitutes the greatest evil. Sin is in fact ‘evil in its own right’" (source: link txt).

Moreover, religious ethics emphasizes that sin is an act, deed, or even a thought that contradicts Divine law and the moral postulates imprinted in a person’s conscience. As it is put, “Sin is a dishonest, unseemly, and unworthy act that stands in opposition to the demands of Divine law and is detrimental to personal well-being and perfection” (source: link txt).

Thus, the concept of sin in the religious context encompasses several aspects:
1. The inner deviation of a person, such that an action, word, or thought contradicts God’s will, thereby harming oneself.
2. The free choice that renders a person responsible for every thought, word, and deed, since it is through free will that one chooses between good and evil.
3. A moral transgression defined not only by external laws but also by the requirement for an inner transformation of the self striving for perfection.

Supporting citation(s):

“In all other religions, sin is naturally understood as the violation of God’s external will, i.e., something external to the person. But sin is not an external violation of God’s will; by sin, a person violates himself—it is a sore, a wound inflicted upon oneself, for God is within us. There are sins that clearly harm a person (drunkenness, drug addiction, etc.), i.e., sins that we can feel. And there are subtler sins that our weak spiritual vision does not perceive. The most dreadful sin is the one committed freely, without the coercion of passion. This is the beginning that triggers a chain reaction. All mortal sins are never committed instantaneously; they are preceded by significant inner work, and everything begins with thoughts.” (source: link txt)

“For the Orthodox consciousness, sin in itself, apart from all its deadly consequences, constitutes the greatest evil. Sin is indeed ‘evil in its own right.’ Suffering and even bodily death are ‘only apparently evil, having the power of good’ (St. Basil the Great). The most dreadful death is the internal one, hidden within the heart. In the concept of salvation, an Orthodox Christian places the liberation from sin within oneself first, while the relief from torments and suffering is regarded as a mere consequence. A true Christian would prefer to endure suffering in order to be holy and righteous, rather than experience eternal bliss while remaining in sin.” (source: link txt)

“Sin is a dishonest, unseemly, and unworthy act that contradicts the demands of Divine law and is detrimental to personal well-being and perfection. From a natural standpoint, the norm of actions is their alignment with the postulates of reason and the demands of nature. Yet, sin represents the violation of God’s will, commandments, and that moral law which is inscribed in a person’s conscience. This violation is called sin.” (source: link txt)

“The primordial belief based on direct inner experience connects sin with free will. Only a being endowed with freedom can sin—in some general sense, also be capable of refraining from sin; this association is inherent in the very concept of sin.

But what does ‘freedom’ mean here?

In what sense should we embrace this idea? The most common view, prevalent in both traditional Church theology and philosophical literature, understands free will as the freedom of choice. A person is endowed with the ability to, when determining his actions and life’s path, ‘freely’ choose, i.e., exercise his own discretion, among varying possibilities—and thereby between good and evil.” (source: link txt)

These reflections epitomize the richness and multifaceted understanding of sin in the religious context, where it emerges not merely as a violation of external law, but as a deeply personal, internal deviation that undermines the divine order inherent in every individual.