Psalm 32:5 mentions three things: (Sin, Transgression, and Iniquity). 5: I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
Let me walk you through each:
Sin:
The word 'sin' means to miss the mark. It was a word in ancient times that referred to an archer that missed the target. In the Greek, the word is “hamartano” and it means every decision or action made apart from faith in God. That is why scripture says, "that which is not of faith, is sin." Our acts of obedience to God, and not just religious observance or holding to manmade traditions, establishes order in our life. We each have a responsibility to walk in the truth that we know for God holds us accountable to that truth. We cannot claim ignorance. We must make a choice to grow in the knowledge of God and walk in obedience. Scripture reminds us that people perish for lack of knowledge.
satan gladly rejoices at our ignorance of God's word and His spiritual laws, and is ready to take advantage of every opportunity. Sins of attitude can include things like pride, jealousy, bitterness, envy, hatred, malicious intent, anger, a desire for vengeance and selfishness. It has everything to do with the intent behind a person’s actions, or what motivates them to say and do certain things.
That is not the same thing, however, as feeling upset at someone’s behavior or thinking about doing something wrong and then not acting on that impulse. We all have a human nature and have a multitude of thoughts. Emotions or thoughts are not always sin, unless perhaps a person entertains hatred in their heart, unforgiveness, or they have a desire for someone else to suffer. Those thoughts are sin. God always looks at what motivates a person's actions. Sins of action are those things that break God's commands, such as lying, stealing, murder, adultery, slander or bearing false witness against another person.
Sins of omission are things that we know to do, but don't, like offering to help someone in need when we have the opportunity to do so. There are also sins that we do in ignorance. That is called unintentional sin.
Transgression:
The word 'transgression' is from the Greek word 'pasha' which means a breach of trust, rebellion, or a willful, presumptuous act. A transgression is often intentional and it is when sin embeds itself into the genetic code. It is presumptuous and deliberate, making a choice to do the wrong thing even when the person fully understands the difference between right and wrong. It is a revolt against God's commands.
Iniquities:
There are a couple of Greek words that carry a slightly different meaning. The first is the word "poneros,” which means depravity, malice, plots, and wickedness. The second word, “adikia,” means the opposite of justice. It is unrighteousness that is a violation of God's standards of justice which brings divine disapproval. It also means unrighteousness of heart and life by which others are deceived. It also has to do with sins of the tongue and treachery. Acts of unrighteousness that violate God's laws and justice carry with it the penalty of an unrighteous reward for wrongdoing. The unrighteous acts of iniquities are things that specifically deprives another of what is theirs. Iniquity is long term sin that has never had the blood of Jesus applied to it. Iniquity has the ability to mold us to the image and likeness of the enemy because it has a lot to do with wrong mindsets and beliefs. It also gives the enemy the right to tempt people to repeat the same sins as their ancestors. It's a weakness in the bloodline that causes people to be vulnerable to making the same mistakes as their parents and grandparents.
It’s interesting that depriving others of justice is exactly what satan, our adversary and accuser does in the spirit realm. His whole purpose of bringing a lawsuit against us in the court of heaven is to deny us what is rightfully ours, and God can’t give it to us until we obey His Spiritual Laws. That is why prayers or renouncement and repentance are so vital to a Christian’s spiritual growth. They help shut doors to the enemy so that the person can establish themselves in their faith.