[[Doctrine of Sin|Hamartiology]]

Consequences of Sin

Practical Questions of Sin

Is there Degree of Sin?

[[Nature of Sin]]

[[Origin of Sin]]

Answer to Sin

  • Our only answer to sin is new birth in Jesus Christ.
  • The power of the Holy Spirit, and the death and resurrection of Chist
  • (2 Cor. 5:17, Titus 3:46)
  • Rom 8:1-4

Consequences on the Sinner's Life

  • Enslavement by Sin (Romans 6:17, 7:14)
    • David and Bathesheba (Adultery -> Lying -> Muder)
  • Flight from reality
    • Make death normal through euphemistic language (Pass away, no longer with us, departed)
    • drunkeness
  • Denial of sin
    • Not taking responsibility; just social maladjustment; ignorance; blame (Gen 3:11-12); mislabeled
    • Self Deceit (Jer 17:9, Mat 7:3)
      • David & Nathan
    • Insensitivity towards sin; Seared Conscience (1 Tim. 4:2)
    • Self-centerdness (1 John 2:15-16)
    • Restlessness
      • Sin never satisfies (sex, money)

What happens when Christian Sin?

  • Legal standing before God is unchanged (Rom 8:1; 6:23, 1 Cor 15:3)
  • Fellowship with God and Christian Life disrupted (Rev. 3:19)
    • fruitfulness (John 15:5, 1 Cor 3:12-15)
    • God is displeased
  • Unconverted Evangelicals (Matthew 7:23)
    • warning sign
      • Pattern of Sin
      • lack of fruits (Gal 5:22-23)
  • Unpardonable Sin? (Matt. 12:31-32; Mark 3:29-30; Heb. 6:4-6)
    • Unrepentant
      1. know the truth
      2. willfully rejects it
      3. attributes it to work of Satan
    • Unsual, willful rejection & slander against the work of the Spirit

Relationship with Others

  • Competition and Pride of Life (James 4:1-2; 1 John 2:16)
  • Inability to empathize (Phil 2:3-4)
  • Rejection of Authority
    • because it restricts what we what to do
  • Inability to Love

Magnitude of Sin

Extensiveness

  • All people
    • OT
      • Gen 6:5, 8:24; 1 Kg 8:46; Prov. 20:9; Ps. 143:2; Ps. 14; Ps. 13:3; Isa. 53:; Ecc. 7:20
    • NT
      • Rom. 3:9-20, 23; Eph. 2:3; Gal. 3:22 Romans
  • Death goes to all (Rom. 6:23; 5:12)

Intensive

  • Jer 17:9, Ps. 51:5-10, Gen 6:5
  • NT (Matthew 5:21-48; 12:33-35, Mark 7:14, Rom. 7:7-25; 7:5; Gal 5:17)

Totally Depraved

  1. Reason, conscience (Rom 1:21; Eph 4:17-19)
  2. Affections, emotions (Rom 1:26-27, Gal 5:24; 2 Tim :2-4)
  3. Will (Rom 6:17)

Our motives are sickened and self-serving. No love for God.

Does not mean that human are as bad as possible. (Rom 2:15)

  • Unable to:
    • be free from sin (Rom 8:7, Eph 2:1-3; Heb 4:14)
    • repent and believe (1 Cor 2:14, 2 Cor 4:3-4)
  • still responsible for sin (John 3:36; Rom 3:19-20)

Inherited Sin (Aka. Original sin)

Inherited guilt

[!bible] Romans 5:12 - ESV <sup>12</sup> Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned —

  • Mankind were represented by Adm in the Garden of Eden
  • We were born into guilt and sinful tendency
  • Is this unfair?
    • We all have already committed voluntary sins
    • then also unfair to be represented by Christ (Rom 5:12-21)

Inherited corruption

  • Psalm 58:3, Ps. 51:5
  • Our actions lack spiritual good (Rom 8:8; John 15:5)
  • Nature totally lack spiritual Good
    • Rom 7:18, Titus 1:15
  • Doesn't mean people are as bad as they could be
    • Civil, common grace, societal/family expectation

Biblical Answer

  • ! God is not the source, but he did ordain it (Eph 1:11)

    • Deut 32:4, Job 34:10; James 1:13

  • Initial Source

    • Satan
    • Adam & Eve's disobedience

  • Continual Source (After the Fall)

    • Our sinful nature (James 1:13-15, Eph. 2:1-3, Rom. 7:18, Gal. 5:16-24)
      • Misuse of our God given desire
    • 1 John 2:16
      • Lust of the flesh
        • inordinate enjoyment of things
        • food -> gluttony
        • sex -> adultery
      • Lust of the eye
        • to obtain things
        • lust, greed, covet, envy
      • Pride of life
        • to do things; achieve, create, expand, power, glory
    • Not trusting in God
      • overstep divine limit of our desire (Matt. 4:1-13)
      • temptation: enticement to sin

[[Age of Accountability]]

  • All have sinned
  • Our ability does not limit our responsibility
    • Against [[Pelagianism]]: "only responsible for what we're able to do"
    • We were dead in our trespass (no ability to do good) (Ephesians 2:1)
    • Does that mean, Satan who can only sin have no guilt at all?
  • If the infant dies and is saved, it is not by their own merits. It is possible for God to bring regeneration before birth (Luke 1:15), but this is not the norm)
  • (2 Samuel 12:23)
  • Though it seems the pattern of Scripture for God to save the children of those who believe in him (see Gen. 7:1; cf. Heb. 11:7; Josh. 2:18; Ps. 103:17; John 4:53; Acts 2:39; 11:14(?); 16:31; 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:16; 7:14; Titus 1:6; cf. Matt. 18:10, 14)
  • [[THS501 Paper 9]]

[[Pelagianism]]

[[Arminianism]]

  • We only have corrupt nature
    • Adam's fall affected the mind not the will
  • No corrupt guilt
    • Prevenient grace: We're guilty for our own sins

[[Augustinian]]

  • 5th century
  • inherited guilt and sinful nature at birth

Nature of Relationship between Adam and Humanity?

[!bible]- Romans 5:12-19 - ESV <sup>12</sup> Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned — <sup>13</sup> for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. <sup>14</sup> Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. <sup>15</sup> But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. <sup>16</sup> And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. <sup>17</sup> For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. <sup>18</sup> Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. <sup>19</sup> For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

  • 3 views
    • Alienation from God
      • no transfer of guilt
      • born into the realm of sin and death
    • Federal Headship (legal tie)
      • Covenant of Works
      • Adam represented humanity, therefore we are treated as he was
    • Natural or Seminal Headship ([[Augustinian]])
      • Depravity of Adam is passed on to us
      • We were in germinal or seminal form in Adam
      • His act was the act of the whole race
      • in whom all sinned

Relationship with God

  • Pre-fall
    • Close fellowship with God (Gen 3:8)
  • Post-fall
    • Death (Rom 6:23, Gen 2:17)
      • Spiritual (separation from God)
      • Physical (Rom 5:12; Heb 9:27)
      • Spiritual death becomes eternal at physical death
    • Divine Disfavor (Gen 3:23-25)
      • God hates those who sin (Hos 9:15, Jer 12:8, Psalm 5:5; 11:5)
        • God is holy
        • Enemies of God (Isa. 63:10; Lam 2:4-5)
          • God hates sin and sinners (Prov. 6:16-19, Rom 8:7)
        • Wrath hangs over sinners
          • Now (Rom 1:8, 24)
          • Pay-day someday (John 3:36; Rom. 2:5)
    • Guilt (Rom. 3:23; 1:21)
      • not a feeling but judicially objective
      • We cheated God of what is His
    • Punishment (Jer. 46:10; Ezek. 25:12-14)
      • Remedial (corrective)
        • Judges; Ps. 107:10-16, Heb 12:6, Ps. 119:71
      • Deterrent (Josh 7; Jer 2:12-14; Ps. 95:8-11)
        • Archan's punishment
      • Retribution (Avenge)
        • Justice
        • OT. Naqam 80 times
        • Gen. 6:5-7, Rom 12:19, Heb 10:30

Are There Degrees of Sin?

  • Legal guilt (Gal 3:10, James 2:10-11)
    • Same sentence
  • Consequences differ (Ezek. 8:6, John 19:11)
    • Pilate v.s. Judas
  • Leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1)

Catholic View

  • Two level of sin:
    • Venial (can be forgiven)
      • punishment and purgatory
    • Mortal (can't be forgiven)
      • ! All sins are mortal according to Scripture and all sins are venial (can be forgiven) (1 Cor. 6:9-11)

Application

  • Where to put efforts in sanctification
  • When to point out sin
  • Church discipline
  • civil punishment

Atheistic Answer

  • Animal Nature (F. Tennant)
    • Based on Evolution theory
    • Human envolved from lower form of life
    • Morality slowly developed (conscience)
    • Origin of sin is gradual
  • Anxiety About Our Humaness (R. Niebuhr)
    • finitness vs. freedom
    • We over come our humaness by 1) accept finitness 2) trust in God
      • Change our attitude
    • Sin is when we don't do that
  • Existential Estrangement (Paul Tillich)
    • We are estranged from god, people, and ourselves
    • We need to change our attitude to be in harmony
  • Economic Struggle
    • Came from liberation theology, feminist theology, and black theology
    • Elimate oppression and inequality
    • God is identified with the oppressed
  • Individual Competitiveness (H.S. Elliot)
    • Sin not as innate but learned
    • Antidote is more education