Introduction
In our modern pluralistic culture, sin has become an incorrect term. There is only right or wrong. And right and wrong are defined in relation to the customs, practices and religious beliefs of different social groups. The right of one social group is the wrong of another group. Thus anything can be defined right in the particular social group.
We have become so tolerant to sin that we call it
an inclination of the mind or a psychological mental condition. Even cold blood
murder is often described as psychological disorder. Murder is only a
psychological depression now.
The new age philosophy has influenced the
religious sphere also. Sin is reduced the violation of the peace of the
society. Spirituality has become a personal affair of chosen ethics.
Holiness is legalism and Grace is freedom to sin. Separation from ungodliness is an anti-social attitude. Hell is replaced by a short term purification and God’s judgment is a fable. Sanctification is declared as a legalistic burden.
So let us try to understand what sin is, how it came to us and what is our responsibly towards it. Here we are discussing Sin on the basis of the Biblical teachings.
Definition
The study of sin is called Hamartiology. The doctrine of sin is central to Christianity because sin is always related to the redemption in Christ.
Sin is a concept of evil that
existed in all culture and social groups, ancient and modern. The Biblical
principles of sin is often explained with the Hebrew and Greek concepts of it.
It is because of historical and geographical role of these nations in the
biblical history.
The English term, “syn” is a translation of from the Biblical Greek term “hamartia” and Hebrew term “hata”. The word is taken from the registry of archery and the sport of spear throwing.
In the original sense of the terms is a failure
in missing the mark. It literally refers to missing the "gold" at the
center of a target that is drawn as a bull ’s eye, but hitting the roundabout
of the precise target.
The Hebrew and Greek words translated “sin” throughout the Bible contain two major concepts.
The
first concept is what we have already mentioned: “to miss the mark.”
This
is the concept of our going in one direction but straying off course to another
the side. We are not in the right direction and we are continuing in the wrong
direction. The result is that we never reach the finishing line or the aim. Remember
ways always lead to another way; no one can travel back through the same way.
So once we miss the right path, we go on through the wrong path and away from
the right aim.
This
concept also encompasses the idea of failing to measure up to a standard.
Let
me use a modern analogy to explain it. Even if a student writes the exam bad,
he may get some marks in the examination. But he is not declared passed in the
exam, because he has not secured the minimum standard for passing the exam. He
has secured some marks but not the minimum level of marks necessary to pass the
exam. He has missed it.
In
the sport of archery and spear throwing, the participant has hit somewhere in
the roundabout of the central golden mark, but missed the expected level of
perfection. He missed the gold in the center of the round, the precise target. So
he fail.
The gold center of the target could be seen as
God's commandment for righteousness and we miss that standard of holiness and
we are said to commit sin.
1 John 3:4
says, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”
(NKJV)
The Greek word “anomia” is translated as
“lawlessness” in the above verse. This Greek word means, without law or against
law.
Thus sin is the active violation of God’s laws
and basic moral principles. This refers to actions that are outside the bounds
of God’s law and that are committed deliberately rebelling against His laws.
The second concept in sin is “transgression”. To transgress means “to step across” or “to go beyond a set boundary or limit.”
This concept is also related to the ancient
practices in sports. All athletic playing field will have lines delineating the
boundaries within which the game is played. When a player crosses over those
boundary lines, he has committed a “transgression” and gone out of bounds. The
boundary lines are the limits that define the playing area, and the players are
to stay within the limits of that area.
It may be compared to the track drawn in the
field for a race. All those who run in the race are supposed to run within the
track.
That means, reaching the finishing line is not
enough, running through the proper track is a must.
2 Timothy 2:5
says, “And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he
competes according to the rules.” (NKJV)
Both
of these concepts, missing the mark and transgressing the boundaries involve a
basic requirement. The requirement is that, we must have a mark, target or
standard. Without a precise mark or target none is said to miss it.
If
we transgress, which means to cross over a set boundary or limit, then we must
have a boundary or limit to cross over.
Sin,
then, is to miss the target God has set for us or to transgress those
boundaries God has set for us.
The
Word of God explains to us the standards and the boundaries God has set for us.
They define the goal we are to aim and the tracks in which we are live. God has
given us both the end and means to achieve it. Achieving the end without the
keeping the rules of the means is sin. The end and means must qualify the
parameters of God.
The
aim and standards are the fundamental principles of God, given to us to live
today. They are the acceptable parameters of God’s holiness.
Man
is not the agent to define sin; the principles of God defines the sin. Sin does
not come into effect by an arbitrary declaration of good and evil by God. God’s
principles reveal His Holiness and they are the way He lives and works. God
expects the same standard of living from his supreme creation, human beings.
Origin
of sin
Bible is not a record about
everything God has been doing. It is a record about the God’s eternal plan to
redeem and restore human beings and the Kingdom of God.
So it is not described in detail
what happened to the angels in heaven. But we have short descriptions about the
past events that happened in heaven, before the creation of humans, Isaiah
14:12-15
Though it is not clearly stated
in the Bible, it is right to assume that all angels had the Free Will to choose
good and evil. We have to assume that, the majority of angels chose good. It
was a choice of once and forever.
But Lucifer was not content with
his position. He desired to be higher than God. He was joined by a large group
of angels. But that was the beginning of sin and it caused the downfall of the
evil angels.
Sin is not the downfall or
separation from God, but sin is his desire to be higher than God. Sin is
Lucifer’s pride that caused the rebellion against God. The downfall and
separation is the effect of the sin. Sin is an act, the rebellion against God
and His eternal authority.
Sin originated in the free will
of Lucifer. He was free to choose good or evil. He had the full understanding
of the effect of this choice. Still he choose to rebel against God.
So God judged him and
Lucifer was absolutely and completely cast out of God’s heavenly government and
his place of authority (Luke 10:18).
Lucifer who is later known as satan brought sin to the human race.
In the Garden of Eden he tempted
Adam and Eve with the same enticement, “you shall be like God.” Genesis
3 describes Adam and Eve’s fall to sin and rebellion against God. Adam
and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit with the ambition to become
like God. This is rebellion against the heavenly Kingdom.
Since Adam is the federal head
of all humanity, sin passed down from him to all generations of mankind. Thus
we have inherited sin from him.
Romans 5:12 tells
us that “… through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and
thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (NKJV)
This is the Original Sin
in the Christian
view, which brought into the nature of in sin in humans. Humans live in the
nature of sin since the fall of man.
Original Sin
The concept of original sin was first alluded to
in the 2nd century by Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon.
Tertullian, Cyprian (SIP-ree-ən) and Ambrose considered
that humanity shares in Adam's sin, transmitted by human generation. Later,
St. Augustine shaped and developed the doctrine.
Augustine formulated the concept of Original Sin
after 412 AD. It was popular among Protestant reformers, such
as Martin Luther and John Calvin. They affirmed that it
persisted even after baptism and completely destroyed freedom to do
good.
Before 412 AD, Augustine said that free will was
weakened but not destroyed by original sin. But after 412 AD, he changed his
view to a loss of free will except to sin. Modern Augustinian
Calvinism holds this later view.
The Catholic Church declares that Baptism erases
original sin.
The effects of Sin
What are the ways in which humans are
affected by the Original Sin?
According to Romans 5:12–21, Adam’s sin
affects us all in three ways.
They are the inherited sin, the imputed sin and
the personal sin which is a choice.
Let us learn more about these three types of sin
one by one.
Inherited Sin
The Original Sin of
Adam causes the rest of humanity after him to be born into a sinful state or
condition. The corrupted sin nature that we inherit from Adam begins in our
mother’s womb. This is what John Calvin referred to as “a hereditary depravity
and corruption of our nature.”
This passed-on depravity, from
generation to generation is known as inherited sin. Just as we inherit
physical characteristics from our parents, we inherit our sinful natures from
Adam.
This is what he meant when King
David lamented his fallen condition of human nature in Psalm 51:5:
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”
(NKJV).
Romans 7:18 Paul
writes, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;
for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.”
(NKJV)
That is to say, we are sinners not because we
sin; rather, we sin because we are sinners.
Imputed Sin
“Imputed” is a term used in financial and legal settings. The Greek word translated “imputed” means “to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another’s account.”
Before the Law of Moses was
given, sin was not imputed to man, although men were still sinners because of
inherited sin. Even sins committed by people were considered as inherited sin.
That means, humans committed sin because of the inherited sin in them. Humans
were not directly responsible even for the sins committed by them. But after the
Mosaic Law was given, sins committed by a person in violation of the Law were
imputed (accounted) to them. Imputed sin is the violation of God Laws described
in the Mosaic covenant.
That is what we read in Romans
5:13 “For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when
there is no law.” (NKJV)
All humans, from Adam to Moses,
were subject to death, not because of their sinful acts against the Mosaic Law
but because of their own inherited sinful nature. After Moses, humans were
subject to death because of both inherited sin from Adam and imputed sin from
violating the laws of God.
Imputed sin makes man
responsible for his sinful actions. Imputed sin makes us responsible for the
sins committed by us. It is reason for repentance.
Thus imputed sin was introduced by God by the Mosaic Law. But it is not meant
to condemn humans, but as a principle to redeem human beings. The principle of
imputed sin is a blessing to us.
God used this same principle
when He imputed the sins of believers into the account of Jesus Christ. By
imputation of sins, Jesus could pay the penalty for it on the cross.
Jesus did not inherit sin from
Adam, but human sin was imputed on Him. He bore the penalty for sin, but He
never became a sinner. His pure and perfect nature was untouched by sin.
In exchange, God imputed the
righteousness of Christ to believers and credited our accounts with His
righteousness.
That is what we read in 2
Corinthians 5:21: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that
we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (NKJV)
Personal sin
The third type of sin is personal sin, that which is committed every day by every human being. Because we have inherited a sin nature from Adam, we commit individual, personal sins, everything from seemingly innocent untruths to murder. Thus we are each sinners by both nature and choice. That means, we have the Free Will to choose sin or holiness. We shall discuss this topic in detail later on.
But all those who have confessed
their faith in the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus have the power to resist
sinning. God’s Grace is enabling power to overcome sins and Holy Spirit is our
helper to triumph over satan. Holy Spirit further convicts us of our personal
sins, if we ever commit them and helps us to confess them and receive the
forgiveness from Jesus Christ. Thus Holy Spirit helps us to restore the
fellowship and communion with Christ.
1 John 1:9:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (NKJV)
Thus, personal sin becomes our
personal choice. We are free to choose God’s Holiness or commit a sin. We are
free to accept God’s Grace and His Spirit to resist and overcome sin.
Sin
as our nature
After the discussions so far, we have come to the conclusion that sin is our
nature and a choice. Now let us discuss how inherited sin becomes our corrupted
nature.
The sin nature in man is the inherent natural inclination to sin. If we are given
the choice to do God’s will or our own, we will naturally choose to do our own
thing. Violating God’s will or law is rebellion against His authority. The sin
nature in humans turns him rebellious against God. Sinful behavior comes
natural.
Proof of the sin nature abounds in our life. No one has to teach a child to lie
or be selfish; rather, we have to work hard to teach children to tell the truth
and to be unselfish.
Our news media is filled with
tragic reports about human’s cruelty and dishonesty. Wherever people are, there
is trouble.
Charles Spurgeon, the famous
evangelist liven in England in the 19 century, said, “As the salt flavors every
drop in the Atlantic, so does sin affect every atom of our nature. It is so
sadly there, so abundantly there, that if you cannot detect it, you are
deceived.”
Humanity is sinful, not just in theory or in practice but by nature.
The sin nature is that part of
human beings that impels us to commit sin. Not only do we commit sin, but it is
our nature to do so.
Isaiah 53:6
says: “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his
own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (NKJV)
Paul admits that “For we know
that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. (Romans 7:14
- NKJV)
Solomon concurs: “For there is
not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20
- NKJV).
Apostle John confesses the fact
in 1 John 1:8: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us.” (NKJV)
David was speaking of the sin
nature of his flesh in Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in
iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” (NKJV).
How we got the sin nature? Bible in Genesis 1: 27 says that God created
humans good and without a sinful nature: “So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (NKJV). But
Genesis 3 records the disobedience of Adam and Eve and their fall
to sin. By their one action, sin entered into their human nature. They were
immediately stricken with a sense of shame and unfitness, and they hid from
God’s presence. When they had children, Adam’s image and likeness was passed
along to his offspring (Genesis 5:3). Thus the sin nature was passed on to the
next generation.
By the sin nature in him, the very first child born to Adam and Eve, Cain, became the very first murderer (Genesis 4:8).
The consequence of sin nature mainly is death. From generation to generation, the sin nature was passed down to all of humanity. And so the sin nature leads humanity to death.
Romans 5:12
says: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death
through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (NKJV)
Another consequence of the sin
nature are hostility toward God and ignorance of
His truth.
Paul says, in Romans 8: 7, 8:
“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the
law of God, nor indeed can be (7). So then, those who are in the flesh cannot
please God. (8)
1 Corinthians 2:14,
Paul says, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of
God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.” (NKJV)
We don’t lose our sin nature when we receive Christ; sin remains in us. And so
the struggle with that old nature will continue as long as we are in this
world. Paul bemoaned his own personal struggle in Romans 7:15 – 25.
Romans 7: 15 - 18
15 For
what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not
practice; but what I hate, that I do.
16 If,
then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.
17 But
now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
18 For
I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is
present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. (NKJV)
Adam’s sin is imparted to us so that we are
conceived in a fallen state and, apart from the enabling grace of God, are
unable to respond to the gospel or remedy our depravity. As a result of our sin
nature, we are by nature children of wrath, all sinners, and destined to
death.
Sin is a choice
Romans
6:16
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are
that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of
obedience leading to righteousness?”
(NKJV)
According
to Paul, we have a choice: “to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey”. He
also says that we are free to choose sin leading to death or obedience leading
to righteousness.
That
means the saying, “we sin because we are sinners” does not contain the human
condition completely. Sin is a choice also. Sin is the sinner’s individual act.
It is imputed to humans.
It
is inevitable that children should suffer from the consequences of parental
wrongdoing, but they are not punished for the parents’ guilt, except as they
participate in their sins.
Sin
is the sinner’s individual act and free will is the central issue. We are not powerless.
We
are born sinful but
not sinners.
There is a tremendous difference.
Clearly,
the fallen human nature we inherit, offers us, no escape or excuse. But by the
correct exercise of Free Will we can keep us away from sin. Overcoming sins is
a divine gift given to the New Testament believers, by the Grace of God. And
Holy Spirit indwells every believer in order to help us to overcome the sinful
nature.
Thus
by the Grace of God and by the help of the Holy Spirit, the evils of the fallen
human nature can be repressed. We can submit ourselves to the control and
guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus
inherited these very tendencies, but throughout His life repressed them and was
guided and controlled by the Holy Spirit by His own choice. So it may be with
us.
We
make the choice to sin because we have a sinful nature. However, we are free
moral agents, meaning we do what we want to do. No one makes us sin. When a
person stands before God in judgment, he is held accountable for what he has
actually done, not what someone else has done. As Ezekiel 18:20 says,
“The soul who sins shall die.” (NKJV)
Proverbs
8:36
says, “But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me
love death." (NKJV)
There
is a difference between struggling against sin and living sinning.
I
John 3:6 says: “Whoever abides in Him does not sin.
Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” (NKJV). The present tense of
the verb “sins” indicates ongoing activity.
God does not tempt
us to sin, but instead the temptation arises from within our own sinful hearts.
James 1:13 - 15
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am
tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself
tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away
by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth
to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. (NKJV)
T
That
makes sin a choice exercised by the Free Will of humans.
Conclusion
The unfortunate result of our sin nature is that we sin. Being sinners by nature, we cannot help but sin. These sins separate us from the perfect, sinless God. Yet God has provided a way to receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke of salvation as being "born again."
He told Nicodemus:
John 3: 5 - 7
5 Jesus answered,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born
of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that
I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
(NKJV)
Born again is a spiritual
rebirth. Our old man with all its sin nature dies and a new man born of Holy
Spirit, empowered to inherit the triumph of Jesus over sin and satan is born
anew. It is the born again experience, it is salvation, redemption and
restoration. All those who are truly born again and live submissively to the
Holy Spirit in God’s Grace have the power to overcome sin. They “shall not be
hurt by the second death." (Revelation 2:11 - NKJV)
Revelation 20:6
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the
second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and
shall reign with Him a thousand years. (NKJV)
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