EPHESIANS 1:4-5 JUST AS HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, THAT WE EXIST HOLY AND WITHOUT BLAME BEFORE HIM IN LOVE, HAVING PREDESTINED US TO ADOPTION AS SONS BY JESUS CHRIST TO HIMSELF, ACCORDING TO THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL.
REVELATION 13:8 ALL WHO DWELL ON THE EARTH WILL WORSHIP HIM, WHOSE NAMES HAVE NOT BEEN WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE OF THE LAMB SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD
The Definition of Sin
The word sin in the Greek is hamartia a noun-which means to be without a share in. The root of the word consists of two words ( a- without and meros meaning a part due or assigned to one, a lot, inheritance or destiny).
So, sin means not a part of or not having a share in. The definite article is used a lot in the New Testament referring to “the sin”. The lostness of our identity we inherited from Adam.
So, sin is a spiritual state in which we are not partaking of the divine nature which leaves an emptiness in which other things enter into our heart in which we try to get our God given needs met. This is why the word sin is often personified referring to demons, that enter into us when we have open doors in our heart, and are not filled with the Holy Spirit.
Sin is the loss of our inheritance in God, as a result we cannot do the good we should, we do what is wrong and we do not live by the faith of the Son of God.
The Effect of Sin
In the introduction verses from Ephesians, we saw that God’s original intention was to have holy and blameless children. Not only that, but it is also His plan for His children to grow from glory to glory.
2 CORINTHIANS 3:18 BUT WE ALL, WITH UNVEILED FACE, BEHOLDING AS IN A MIRROR THE GLORY OF THE LORD, ARE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO THE SAME IMAGE FROM GLORY TO GLORY, JUST AS BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD.
The effect of sin is a lack of growing in the glory of God.
ROMANS 3:23 FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD,
Some sin may result in the loss of His glory. Sexual immorality and murder have this effect. We see this in David when he committed adultery then murdered Uriah. God still loved David, but David did lose some of his glory. It resulted in him losing his kingdom to his son Absalom and never going into battle again.
David’s illegitimate son died as a direct consequence of his sin. As a result, there was always disharmony in his family.
The End Result of Sin is always death.
ROMANS 6:23 FOR THE PAYMENT OF SIN IS DEATH, BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.
JAMES 1:15 THEN, WHEN DESIRE HAS CONCEIVED, IT GIVES BIRTH TO SIN; AND SIN, WHEN IT IS FULL-GROWN, BRINGS FORTH DEATH.
Shame, guilt, hopelessness, anxiety, fear, broken relationships, sickness, poverty, judgement, curses, condemnation are all examples of the wages of sin.
Adam and Eve Sinned by doing something God had told them not to do. God had expressly given them a choice.
GENESIS 2:16 AND THE LORD GOD COMMANDED THE MAN, SAYING, “OF EVERY TREE OF THE GARDEN YOU MAY FREELY EAT; GENESIS 3:6 SO WHEN THE WOMAN SAW THAT THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD, THAT IT WAS PLEASANT TO THE EYES, AND A TREE DESIRABLE TO MAKE ONE WISE, SHE TOOK OF ITS FRUIT AND ATE. SHE ALSO GAVE TO HER HUSBAND WITH HER, AND HE ATE.
GENESIS 3:7 THEN THE EYES OF BOTH OF THEM WERE OPENED, AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE NAKED; AND THEY SEWED FIG LEAVES TOGETHER AND MADE THEMSELVES COVERINGS.
Knowing this meant that they knew that God was good, and they had committed evil. Sin brought shame into their lives, and they felt guilty.
Sin Entered the world
ROMANS 5:12 THEREFORE, JUST AS THROUGH ONE MAN SIN ENTERED THE WORLD, AND DEATH THROUGH SIN, AND THUS DEATH SPREAD TO ALL MEN, BECAUSE ALL SINNED—
Sin entered the WORLD (Gk Cosmos, referring to the creation on planet earth and the universe). This scripture does not say sin entered MAN. It says death spread to all men because all men SINNED.
Humankind is unable to resist the sin in the world. As a result, they act out sin. From there, they develop a nature that sins.
We can see this clearly in the first generation off-spring of Adam and Eve – the story of Cain and Abel:
GENESIS 4:6-7 SO THE LORD SAID TO CAIN, “WHY ARE YOU ANGRY? AND WHY HAS YOUR COUNTENANCE FALLEN? IF YOU DO WELL, WILL YOU NOT BE ACCEPTED? AND IF YOU DO NOT DO WELL, SIN LIES AT THE DOOR. AND ITS DESIRE IS FOR YOU, BUT YOU SHOULD RULE OVER IT.”
Do you notice that sin is at the door?
God does not say: “Sin is inside of you Cain”. Sin is outside of people in the world, wants to try and make them sin. It is a force, not just an act.
The Incorrect Theology of Original Sin
It is necessary to challenge this doctrine as it goes against the character of God, who IS love.
The theory of Original Sin originates from Augustine’s value placed on the Greek philosophers, particularly Plato.
Augustine believed that sin passed from generation to generation through sexual acts, considering that the sexual act in itself is sinful. Progressing on from this wrong theology, he made other errors like Mary never sinned!
This contradicts scripture saying all humankind have sinned. Sin entering humankind through the sexual act would mean that God is not just.
Because babies in the womb are incapable of sinning, then with the doctrine of original sin, babies lost in the womb would not have the opportunity to have eternal life instead of going hell.
The Cornerstone Scripture for Original Sin. There is a scripture that, if read casually, appears to say that we are all conceived in sin:
PSALMS 51:5 BEHOLD, I WAS BROUGHT FORTH IN INIQUITY, AND IN SIN MY MOTHER CONCEIVED ME.
However, careful examination shows this scripture does not support the false doctrine of original sin. The word IN is an adverb for qualifying the verb, not the object. So it points to the sin of David’s mother. She, during an act of sexual immorality, sins and conceives David. Let’s use a different word than sin in this scripture just for an example: joy.
PSALMS 51:5 BEHOLD, I WAS BROUGHT FORTH…, AND IN JOY MY MOTHER CONCEIVED ME.
Using this different word says something completely different. IN joy means David’s mother experienced joy when she conceived David. Joy points to the experience of the mother. So sin refers to the experience of the mother.
What Sin did David’s Mother Commit?
Hebrew scholars believe Jessie committed adultery with an unnamed mother. Being illegitimate is why Jessie did not present David to Samuel to anoint him king of Israel.
Notably, against the Hebrew tradition of naming both parents, there is only reference to his father, not his mother.
Not noting a parent was commonly done when there was sexual immorality. Being illegitimate explains why he had the lowest position of being a shepherd boy where he would not receive any education.
David uses the word yaham for conceived. Usually, intimate relations between a husband and wife use the Hebrew word yada, meaning “to know”.
Yaham, on the other hand, is used for an animal in heat.
In other words, an act of unrestrained lust also supports the theory. As the Hebrew scholar Dr Robert Alter put it in his excellent translation,’
“BUT THERE IS NOT MUCH HERE TO SUPPORT THE IDEA [OF ORIGINAL SIN] THAT THIS IS THE CASE FOR EVERY HUMAN BEING.” ‘THE HEBREW BIBLE: A TRANSLATION WITH COMMENTARY’ BY DR ROBERT ALTER
It is an assumption by theologians that sin entered David at conception, rather than his mother was committing sexual immorality. It is an assumption with no theological backing that sin entered David at conception.
There are three types of sin mentioned in this verse:
PSALMS 32:5 I ACKNOWLEDGED MY SIN TO YOU, AND MY INIQUITY I HAVE NOT HIDDEN. I SAID, “I WILL CONFESS MY TRANSGRESSIONS TO THE LORD,” AND YOU FORGAVE THE INIQUITY OF MY SIN. SELAH
Sin
We need to be careful not to make everything a sin. “If your teenage son disappeared for three days without telling you where he had gone, would you consider that sin?” By far, the majority say, yes, it is.
Yet, God does not think that sin.
Jesus did precisely that at the age of twelve. He disappeared for three days and was later found at the synagogue.
Transgression is a Deliberate Crossing of a Boundary.
Transgression is also sin, but more severe in that it means a deliberate crossing of the boundary or intentionally disobeying a known rule. The person who gets drunk then drives has committed a transgression, as he has transgressed the law.
Iniquity literally means Bend, Twist or Distort.
Iniquity is sin but it leaves a lasting, corrupting impact of sin upon the soul of an individual. Serious iniquity MAY be called wickedness.
The CONSEQUENCES of iniquity can pass from generation to generation – curses, sickness, generational depression, poverty, etc.
We All Sin Because Sin Entered the World
ROMANS 3:23 FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD,
1 JOHN 1:8 IF WE SAY THAT WE HAVE NO SIN, WE DECEIVE OURSELVES, AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN US.
Slaves to Sin
Before we become a believer in Jesus, we are slaves to sin. Sin is in the world, and we don’t yet have the grace to overcome evil.
ROMANS 6:20 FOR WHEN YOU WERE SLAVES OF SIN, YOU WERE FREE IN REGARD TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Sin Nature
Many theologians talk about sinful nature. However, a careful search of the Greek does not find the words sinful nature. Instead, the Bible uses the word flesh:
The Flesh is Weak. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus referred to the flesh as being weak and unable to overcome temptation:
MARK 14:38 WATCH AND PRAY, LEST YOU ENTER INTO TEMPTATION. THE SPIRIT INDEED IS WILLING, BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK.”
Our weakness is why WE ALL need to believe in Jesus Christ.
It is not because we have sin inside of us. Sin is outside of us, constantly tempting us to sin. Every one of us gives in to sin, even from an early age.
As a result, we develop a ‘sin nature’ and need rescuing. We develop a sinful nature when our flesh (as opposed to our spirit) gives in to temptation.
Death Reigned From Adam To Moses, Because Sin Entered the World Sin brought death, and therefore, death reigned until Moses.
ROMANS 5:14 NEVERTHELESS DEATH REIGNED FROM ADAM TO MOSES,
Sin Entered the World and Brought Judgment and Condemnation
ROMANS 5:18 THEREFORE, AS THROUGH ONE MAN’S OFFENSE JUDGMENT CAME TO ALL MEN, RESULTING IN CONDEMNATION, EVEN SO THROUGH ONE MAN’S RIGHTEOUS ACT THE FREE GIFT CAME TO ALL MEN, RESULTING IN JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE…
ROMANS 2:1-2 THEREFORE YOU ARE INEXCUSABLE, O MAN, WHOEVER YOU ARE WHO JUDGE, FOR IN WHATEVER YOU JUDGE ANOTHER YOU CONDEMN YOURSELF; FOR YOU WHO JUDGE PRACTICE THE SAME THINGS. BUT WE KNOW THAT THE JUDGMENT OF GOD IS ACCORDING TO TRUTH AGAINST THOSE WHO PRACTICE SUCH THINGS.
The person who is not yet born again, not a son or daughter of God, cannot resist sin. It is not just an action, it is an outward force.
The result of sin entering the world is that they become sinners because they act out evil.
Summary of Sin Entered the World
God hates sin because it takes away from the glory, He wants to give His sons and daughters.
Sin entered the world, through Adam.
Augustine’s doctrine of Original Sin does not stand up to sound theological challenge.
We all sin because sin entered the world, and our flesh is weak to temptation without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.