The word “sin” is an archery term that means “to miss the mark.” Since the “target” is the perfect example set by Yeshua—that is, the very nature of HaShem Himself—then we believe that anything that falls short of that goal misses the mark and is, by the broadest sense of its definition, “sin.”

We believe that there are two classifications of sin:

(1) original (imputed) sin, that sin nature which every human inherits from his/her father Adam, and

(2) personal sin, the individual choices each person makes to either willfully or ignorantly disobey HaShem and His Torah.

We believe that all men and women are totally depraved, without personal merit, and completely unable to save themselves.

We believe that the penalty for sin is separation from fellowship, which takes one or more of three forms:

(1) separation from HaShem (spiritual death);

(2) separation from the visible Body of Mashiach through discipline and “excommunication” (which is to be practiced by the Elders [or Beit Din] of the local congregation solely for the sake of maintaining the purity of the Body of Mashiach and for producing the repentance and eventual restoration of the sinning brother or sister), and

(3) separation from this earth and from the physical body through physical death. We believe that the physical illness and death of all earthly creatures is the direct result of Adam’s sin, and that some physical illness and death is the result of personal sin.