Many people, who claim that we are under the law of Moses today will claim that without the law then there is no sin. They will claim that sin is the transgression of the law ,using 1 John 3-4, as evidence for the claim.
But this is NOT what this means at all. Sin is NOT the transgression of the law of Moses and it’s pretty simple to explain.
1 John 3-4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
But sin was in the world BEFORE the law…
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
If we look at the Greek
1 John 3-4 Πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιεῖ καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία
The word LAw here is ἀνομία, anomia This means disobedience. It does not mean the law given by Moses.
This is NOT the same word as used for LAW as per Romans 5-13 which is νόμος nomos which is the actual law.
Without the LAW ( nomos) then Sin the disobedience (anomia) to God is not imputed.
Sin is the transgression of Gods word…his command…it is simply disobedience to God it does NOT mean to not keep the law.
Adm disobeyed God…he didnt transgress the law of Moses he simply disobeyed God and this was classed as sin.
This is perfectly shown in 1 Samuel chapter 15 where Saul did not do as the LORD commanded him to do.
Saul was commanded by God to utterly destroy Amalek
1 Samuel 15 2Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
However, Saul did not do as the LORD had commanded, he spared Agag the king of the Amalekites and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings and lambs.
1 Samuel 15: 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
God stated that Saul had not performed his COMMANDMENTS
1 Samuel 15: 10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
Saul was told that he had sinned, and was rejected as king.
1 Samuel 15 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Saul stated that he had sinned by transgressing the COMMANDMENT of the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
Saul had not transgressed the Law of Mose, he had transgressed a command that God had given HIM.