Doctrinal Statement
Sin is more than the breaking of one of the Ten Commandments in an outward, physical manner. Christ amplified the law of God to include the spirit and intent of the law. Likewise, this amplified the meaning of sin to include the breaking of the spirit or intent of the law through one’s actions or attitudes. For example, the New Testament expands the law so that looking upon a woman to lust after her is the moral equivalent of adultery and thereby sinful; so that hating one’s brother is the moral equivalent of murder and is sinful. Thus one appearing outwardly righteous may inwardly harbor all sorts of evil.
Such external appearances of righteousness can often lead to self-righteousness, perhaps the most insidious of sins since it is so difficult for the person himself to comprehend since he “knows” that he hasn’t done anything wrong. Christ spoke pointedly against this type of hypocrisy which is common to men.
Paul understood the universal power of sin. It permeates every nation, every race, every citizen of planet earth. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God” (Romans 3:10-11; Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3); “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin envelops every human life. On the one hand, sin includes much more than just our occasional wicked actions. On the other hand, true sinlessness is more, much more, than just the outward adherence to any set of behavioral regulations and/or religious rituals. Paul saw this clearly in his own life, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do… For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members” (Romans 7:19, 22-23). All is not hopeless, indeed the recognition of the full reality of the almost omnipresent problem of sin in one’s life is the first step toward –– indeed it’s the major part of –– the solution to the problem. “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 7:24-8:2).
Although sin and the breaking of God’s holy way of life ultimately originates in the mind, mere temptation to sin is not sin, however strong the temptation may be. Christ was tempted by Satan in all points and in every respect but never sinned (cf. Matthew 4:1; Hebrews 4:15). No temptation should make a Christian feel guilty; temptations are normal, but they must be instantly resisted because the line between temptation and sin may become fine indeed. James expressed it this way: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full grown brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). As this verse and others point out, the ultimate penalty for all sin is the second death in the lake of fire (Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14-15).
The common penalty of death for all sin illustrates the important truth that God does not categorize sin in the ultimate spiritual sense. Some sins, of course, cause more character damage than others, or demand a more severe physical penalty, or are more depraved than others, but spiritually speaking, all sins are equally serious because they equally demand the death penalty. One who has broken any of God’s laws is a lawbreaker and, except for God’s great mercy, is unfit for His Kingdom (James 2:10-11; note that two of the Ten Commandments are used to define God’s law.)
God did not originally create sin, but by giving free moral agency to His created beings He did leave the door open for sin to be committed. One of these great beings –– later named Satan the Devil –– had been created full of wisdom and perfect beauty (Ezekiel 28:12). This being was actually perfect in his ways until iniquity, sin, was “found in” him (Ezekiel 28:15). Satan is the one who introduced sin into the universe and became the adversary of God and man (Isaiah 14). (Ultimately, God will place the full responsibility for sin on its originator. This is the meaning behind the Day of Atonement which pictures Satan being bound after the return of Christ, so that the millennium will be devoid of his evil influence. This was also represented in ancient Israel by sending the “scapegoat,” Azazel in Hebrew, into the wilderness on the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:10.)
Satan likewise introduced sin to mankind through Adam and Eve. Although created in moral and spiritual neutrality, Adam and his wife were deceived by Satan into disobeying God’s command that they must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In turn, all since Adam and Eve (except Jesus) have sinned and incurred the death penalty for their own sins. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all man, for that all have sinned…” (Romans 5:12).
Sin can be either by omission or commission, individual or national, affecting others or affecting only one’s self. But in the final analysis, all sin is against God, because God is the author of the law against which man transgresses (Psalms 51:4). While the types of sin are as numerous and varied as human beings, the effects of sin are direct and specific. As explained, the final penalty for all sin is death in the lake of fire. But sin has other effects.
Sin makes people miserable; it ruins their lives and their families; it maims, devastates and kills; it is the cause of all human misery and suffering. This is why God hates sin so much –– not because of what sin does to God, but because of what sin does to sinners whom God loves. Furthermore, sin perverts the mind; it can change the values of the sinner, his point of view and outlook, and make him rationalize that he is doing right when he is actually doing wrong. Sin blinds and deceives the sinner by causing a veil to fall over his eyes so that he cannot understand the reality of God’s truth as expressed in the Bible. More importantly, it cuts one off from God. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).
Sin is the absolute antithesis of God, the opposite of everything He represents and for which He stands. Thus the sinner can never be given eternal life as a member of God’s family until all sin has been wiped away from his life –– until it has been repented of and forgiven by God. This forgiveness is available only through the sacrifice of Christ upon repentance (Acts 2:38). But it is freely and fully given to all who ask. There is no sin that God won’t forgive, if the sinner is truly repentant.
Repentance is a gift from God. It comes when God opens one’s eyes to recognize his own sinfulness, and to see that his life has been a constant journey of self-centered vanity in defiance of God. Once one has acknowledged the reality of his sins, and has come to the heartfelt determination to change to a new life with Christ’s help, he can be baptized and receive total forgiveness for his sins. But repentance is not a one-time thing. Rather, one must repent of additional sins as he becomes aware of them; the now converted Christian must confess them before God on a daily basis.
It is crucial that Christians deeply realize that God does not forgive sin begrudgingly. He is quick to forgive lovingly and mercifully any repentant person of any and all sins, no matter what their magnitude, number or frequency may be –– and then permanently block even the memory of those sins from His mind for eternity. God says He “hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalms 103:10-14).
In connection with the topic of sin, many skeptics and sincere believers alike through the centuries have wondered why God allows sin to even exist: “If God is both all good and all powerful,” they ask, “why does He allow such terrible evils on earth?” The answer is rooted more in the biblically stated purpose of human life than in the philosophically structured arguments of intellectual tradition.
God is, through man, reproducing Himself. In order to enable man to build righteous character, God created his mind with free moral agency. This means that human beings have been given the right and the capacity to make their own choices and to guide their own actions, thoughts, and lives. Therefore, in effect, God has given man the right and the capacity to do evil. Yet even this accomplishes God’s purpose. For in allowing man to commit evil, God enables man also to learn a great lesson from the experience of the evil: that disobedience to God’s ways, laws and principles will produce horrendous results. Once man has thoroughly and completely learned this hard, painful lesson of history –– that disobedience to God produces destruction and death –– he will never make the same fatal mistake Satan did; he will never rebel against God, because he knows such rebellion will produce only corruption and calamity.
While we need to deeply recognize the presence of sin in our lives as highlighted by God’s law, we need to forgive and forget sin, just as God does (Psalms 103:12). This applies to both our own sins and the sins of others. One of the most common problems for true Christians having been trained in, and imprinted by, puritanically based Western culture, is the continuing guilt-complex over past sins even after they are fully repented of and buried with Christ. As far as God is concerned, He sees no reason why the repentant person should feel guilty since He Himself will not even remember their sins. Christians, therefore, should grow toward having this same attitude regarding their own sins and (equally important) the sins of others. Once forgiven, all sins should be forgotten.
Certainly, sin affects us all because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But sin, however heinous and antithetical to God’s way, has become an intimate part of God’s plan of reproducing Himself through mankind. God’s forgiveness –– the greatest expression of His total loving kindness and mercy –– is the perfect antidote that completely nullifies and makes void Satan’s efforts at turning man from his Creator.
Summary: Read these scriptures in your own Bible:
1 John 3:4 –– Sin is the transgression of the law.
Psalm 14:1-3; 53:1-3 — The Lord looketh down from heaven to see if any seek God.
Romans 3:23 — All have sinned.
Romans 7:19, 22-23 — Though sin dwells in us, we can delight in the law of God.
Romans 7:24 to 8:2 — There is no condemnation to those in Christ, who walk after the Spirit.
Matthew 4:1; Hebrews 4:15 — Jesus was tempted as we are.
James 1:14-15 — Sin is a process that ends in death.
Romans 6:23 — The wages of sin is death.
Revelation 20:14-15 — Whosoever is not found in the Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire.
James 2:10-11 — If we sin in one point, we are guilty of all sin.
Ezekiel 28:12 — Satan was originally created full of wisdom and beauty.
Ezekiel 28:15 — Sin was found in Satan.
Romans 5:12 — Sin entered the World by one man, Adam
Psalm 51:4 — When we sin, we sin against God.
Isaiah 59:1-2 — Sin separates man from God.
Acts 2:38 — Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.
Psalm 103:10-14 — God does not reward us according to our iniquities.
Psalm 103:12 — God removes sin far from us.
Questions (Answers Below):
1. Sin is the transgression of the ___ [what?]
2. Christ came to amplify the law of God to include the spirit and intent of the law. True or False?
3. According to amplified law, hating your brother is the moral equivalent of murder. True or False?
4. Probably the most insidious of sins is…
a) murder b) adultery c) self righteousness d) covetousness
5. The power of sin is universal, permeating every nation, every race and every citizen. True or False?
6. Sincere recognition of sin in one’s life is the first step toward solving the problem. True or False?
7. When we experience temptation, this too is sin. True or False?
8. When we experience temptation, we should feel guilty. True or False?
9. Which of the following statements are true?
a) Jesus experienced temptation
b) sins don’t just happen but are the result of a process
c) all sins begin with a thought
d) sins result in the death of the sinner
e) all statements are true
10. Spiritually speaking all sins are equal. True or False?
11. God originated sin to test man. True or False?
12. Sin originated in…
a) God b) the world c) Satan d) man
13. Sin entered the world by…
a) God b) Satan c) man
14. Sin can be …
a) by commission b) by omission c) individual d) national
e) affecting self f) affecting others g) all of the above
15. Sin blinds and deceives the sinner to the reality of God’s truth. True or False?
16. Forgiveness of sin by God is only possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. True or False?
17. Repentance must be earned through obedience to God. True or False?
18. Repentance is a one-time action. Once one repents, he repents for all past and future sin. True or False?
19. Repentance must be done on a daily basis. True or False?
20. God’s primary plan is to reproduce Himself. True or False?
21. To do this [God reproducing Himself] God gave mankind the right and capacity to make their own choices and to guide their own actions, thoughts and lives. True or False?
22. God has given man the right and capacity to do evil. True or False?
23. God did this so man would learn the futility of doing evil. True or False?
24. When God forgives us our sins, He forgets them. He wants us to do the same. True or False?
25. God’s forgiveness of sins defeats Satan’s plan to turn man from God. True or False?
Lesson Twenty-One –– Answers:
1. (law)
2. (true)
3. (true)
4. (c)
5. (true)
6. (true)
7. (false)
8. (false)
9. (e)
10. (true)
11. (false)
12. (c)
13. (c)
14. (g)
15. (true)
16. (true)
17. (false, it is a gift)
18. (false)
19. (true)
20. (true)
21. (true)
22. (true)
23. (true)
24. (true)
25. (true)
