MODULE 11: SIN INTRODUCING SIN What would you consider the most basic problem of the human race? Sin is the most basic problem within human nature and society. Man the creature is also man the sinner. Sin is the great spoiler of human history! The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is God=s answer to man=s sin problem. Not everyone agrees that sin is humanity=s basic problem. Note the following views: $ Man has no problem - He may have a few defects, but underneath it all his condition is natural and fine. The more we believe that people are >OK=, the better the human situation will become. $ Man is on the way up - The present situation obtains because he is not yet mature. He is immature because of his evolutionary past and animal background, but he is steadily improving towards maturity. $ Man needs enlightenment - His basic problem is ignorance and poverty. He needs higher levels of education, which will yield societal skills, enabling him to cope with the complex problems of life. $ Man suffers from suppression of individuality - He needs to be himself, unencumbered by authority patterns, taboos, or repressive guilt. $ Man is the victim of negative thinking about life - He must think affirmatively, feel positively, act enthusiastically, ignore the negative concept of sin, and he will solve his problems. $ Man=s condition is one of estrangement and alienation - Surface problems are reflections of a sense of dislocation and unease concerning the surrounding world, producing pessimism, hopelessness, and despair. $ Man has a sin problem - which permeates the essence of his being. This is the Christian biblical perspective which sees the problem of sin as a serious one. Neither increased education, nor attainment of maturity, nor a more affirmative attitude, nor fuller self-expression - vital as all of these are - sufficiently engage the profound human sin problem. Optimistic evaluations of the human situation generally ignore reality. According to the Bible, sin is the reason why Jesus came (Jhn 3:16). DEFINING SIN Sin may be defined as the personal act of turning away from God and His will. It is the wilful transgression of God=s law, yet the act is ultimately not against the law but against His Person - it is deeply and profoundly personal. Note: Ps. 51:4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Isa 1:2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rom 1:32 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A definition of sin should include the aspects of: Deviation. Which implies a wilful going astray, or a turning aside from the Lord God and His will, resulting in a failure to measure up to His intention. In the Old Testament the most common word for sin is h~t~, which means to Amiss@ or to Afail@ (1 Sam 3:13; Neh 9:17). One of the Greek words for Asin@ is hamartia, which, amongst others, means to miss the mark. The picture is that of an archer who fails to hit the bull=s eye. Every time we sin we miss the mark, we fail to hit the bull=s eye which God has set for us. Another is the word skandalon (Matt 18:7) which is translated as Aoffence@ or Astumbling block.@ Sin is both scandalous and a barrier between us and God and others. Rebellion. Which implies an active, determined, and direct opposition to God=s will, purpose, or command. The New Testament uses terms such as Atress-passes@ (Rom 5:15), Alawlessness@ (1 Jhn 3:4), Awickedness@ (Rom 1:29) to convey this idea. It is clear from these and other descriptive terms that sin is an act of defiance against God for the purpose of pursuing one=s own will and way. The Bible warns that the repeated act of turning away becomes a condition (Rom 1:18-23). It is this persistent turning away from God and His will which has led to the historically deplorable, sin permeated human condition. Man=s inability to resolve his problems is rooted in his prevailing attitude of opposition to God and His will. Because mankind transgresses God=s declared will, the resulting human situation is a hopeless one. Frustration, alienation, guilt, and anxiety are endemic, for permeating all human life is the poison of sin. THE ORIGIN OF SIN Sin seems out of place because of the character of God, and because of the kind of world He has made. Note God=s verdict on His creation. Gen 1:31 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Man was created as the apex of creation, in God=s own image and likeness (Gen 1:26), and thus in holiness and righteousness and truth. What possible place could there be in this good creation for the slightest trace of sin or evil? The Bible teaches or implies at least three dimensions in the origin of sin. The Temptation by Satan. The first figure in the drama of sin=s origin is neither man, nor God, but Satan (Gen 3:1). It is an obvious inference that the serpent of Genesis 3 is the disguise and the mouthpiece of Satan (Rev 12:9). The story that unfolds, leading to the entrance of sin into the world, is the account of the temptation of man (male & female) by Satan. It is a story of subtlety, craftiness, and deception leading to man=s fall into sin. Evil did not begin with Adam and Eve, it was already existent in the figure of the serpent. There is not much biblical information regarding the identity and origin of Satan. The Bible makes it is clear, however, that Satan is unceasing in his opposition to all that is of God, and that he is determined to pervert and destroy God=s highest and noblest creation in the physical universe, namely, man (Job 1-2; Jhn 8:44). Prior to the sin of man, Satan had already sinned (1 Jhn 3:8), for he was the provocation of man=s sinning. For that purpose he adopted the disguise of a serpent. The Bible implies that 3 Satan is a fallen angel, who attempted to usurp the place of God. This attempt produced a rebellion by some angels against God in the heavenly realm (Jude 6; 2 Pet 2:4; Rev 12:7). What do you think was the essence of Satan=s sin? Isa 14:12-15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ezek 28:15-17 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Genesis 3 account teaches us that the way of temptation is always the way of deception. Satan=s discussion with the woman consists of a maze of craftiness, deception and lies. The woman was totally deceived, fell into transgression, and helped her husband into it (2 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 2:14). The temptation by the serpent - Satan himself - is the primary consideration in the origin of sin. The Freedom of Man. It is important to note that the primal sin was an act committed in freedom by humans created with the ability to make moral choices. Man could choose which way he wanted to go! Although the woman was deceived by the serpent, there was no compulsion involved; and although the man listened to his wife, he did not have to eat the fruit. What does 1 Cor 10:13 imply? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The temptation by Satan did not lead to sin in and of itself. Both the man and the woman, as free agents with the capacity to choose not to sin, were fully responsible for what they had done! The very fact that they were punished underscores this fact (Gen 3:16-19). Notice how they both tried to avoid responsibility for their actions by passing the blame to someone else: Gen 3:12 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gen 3:13 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The action taken by man (male & female) was totally contrary to God=s command, and done in the freedom God had granted. It was not a matter of ignorance, but an actual decision of the will to disobey rather than to follow God=s bidding. The consequence was devastating deception. God=s Permissive Will. Sin could not have occurred without God=s permissive will. God is holy and, therefore, never the author of sin. However, God did not create man as a robot, but as a being with moral responsibility and the capacity of moral choice, which includes the possibility of turning away from God. Having given man clear guidelines linking his well-being to obedience to God, God nevertheless permitted man to exercise his freedom and choose evil. Equally true is the fact that God allowed Satan to tempt man. Without God=s permission the serpent would not have been able to tempt man into deception and sin. What does Job 1:8ff teach us concerning this principle? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God permitted man to disobey His command and thereby to sin against Him. Without God=s permission, there could have been neither the temptation by Satan, nor the fatal decision by man. Although God did not will the sin of man it is nevertheless true that He is able to bring good out of evil, and so manifest His glory. What do you 4 think of Gen 50:20 in this respect? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The permissive will of God is the ultimate factor in understanding original sin. This by no means justifies the horror of sin and evil, nor the ensuing misery of the human condition. But it does say that through it all God is sovereignly working out His purpose and, in the process, manifesting His grace and glory. THE NATURE OF SIN The nature of sin is reflected in three core issues - every other manifestation of sin has its roots in these three core issues. Unbelief. Is at the heart of the first sin committed in Genesis 3. Man=s response to Satan=s tempting reflects a shaking of faith in God and His word, His goodness, and His justice. If you read Genesis 3 it becomes obvious that rather than standing upon God=s word in faith, the man and the woman departed from it. If they had responded in faith, the temptation would have been driven away, and they would not have acted upon a lie. At what point should their faith response have been made? Note the way of temptation - When anyone allows a forbidden thing to become the object of direct attention, it soon becomes so attractive and compelling that all other good things, including God himself, are simply bypassed under the growing urgency to have that which is forbidden. The thing forbidden becomes the only important thing, making the temptation virtually overwhelming. Note that the thing forbidden was not placed in the garden to lure man from God, but to give opportunity, through rejecting it, to freely decide for God. To this day all sin is grounded in failure to believe in God and His Word. Sin is attraction to the false claims of the world that offer something better than God. Pride. Is the very essence of satanic evil. What does Isa 14:14 teach? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Through pride, man made in God=s image, and already like Him in so many ways, is tempted to be like Him in the wrong way, by exalting himself to the place of God. The background for this temptation to pride is failure to trust God and His word - i.e. unbelief. There are numerous references in the Bible to the evil of pride: Ps 10:4; Prov 16:18; Isa 2:11; Amos 6:8; Zech 10:11; Oba 1:3-4; Lk 14:11. Man was not made to play God, but to worship Him, love Him, and serve Him gladly and freely. Anything else leads to a tragic end, as illustrated by the expulsion of man from the garden. What do you learn from: Gen 3:23-24 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is tragic to note that the human race continues to make the impossible attempt at being God. Man continues to seek the glory of man, rather than of God. People pridefully desire to throw off any traces that bind them to God, and to become their own gods. They imagine that to serve God is bondage, to do as they please is freedom. This is the ultimate satanic delusion. 5 Disobedience. Genesis 3:6 records the tragic act of disobedience through which sin entered into the human race (Rom 5:19). Note the progression of the fall in sin from unbelief to pride to disobedience. Unbelief begins in the mind, then pride fills the heart, and finally disobedience captures the will. Sin and its consequence, therefore, is the deliberate act of disobedience. What does Gen 3:11 imply? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exodus 19:5 and Deuteronomy 5:33 are just two examples in the Old Testament of God=s repeated calls for the obedience of His people. The response was only recurring failure and disobedience. Jesus not only stressed the need for obedience, but gave it a deeper meaning with a call to an obedience which is not only outward, but of the heart. How do you understand Matt 5:18; 21-22; 48. Throughout his history man has elevated his own thinking above that of God and, in this way, declared his independence of God (Rom 1:20-21). This attitude has been reflected in unbelief, pride and disobedience which constitute the very nature of sin. Ultimately, lack of love toward God is the heart of all sin. Note Deut 6:4 and Matt 22:38. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 22:06:09 +0000
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