Sin: Part 3

This is part 3 of 3 of the series on sin that I taught to the youth at my church. Read part 1 here. Read part 2 here.

Sin.

Part 3. How Does Sin Affect The Human Race?

Sin affects the Human race in many ways, but can be divided into two major categories; consequences in life, and punishment.

Consequences in Life.

1. Original Sin

The consequences of sin in this life include original sin. Original sin can be further separated into the categories of original guilt, and original pollution.

Original guilt is the doctrine that teaches that Adam’s sin was imputed to his descendants, and therefore every descendant of Adam has the guilt of that sin to bear. We can see, biblically, that death is the punishment for sin, and that punishment is passed from Adam to all of his descendants. See Rom. 5:12-19; Eph. 2:3; 1 Cor. 15:22.

Original pollution teaches that “original sin is not merely negative; it is also an inherent positive disposition toward sin”. (LB) Original pollution is well expressed by the doctrines of total depravity, and total inability.

Total depravity is not the idea that men are as depraved as they possibly could be, or that they have no God-given conscience, but rather that every part of man’s nature is corrupt. This doctrine teaches that there is no spiritual good in relation to God, in the sinner, only perversion.

Total inability is not the idea that man cannot perform good in any sense of the word. He is able to do external religious good, civil good, and natural good, but “these same actions and feelings, when considered in relation to God, are radically defective. Their fatal defect is that they are not prompted by love to God, or by any regard for the will of God as requiring them.”. (LB) The unregenerate man can do nothing that is pleasing to God, including changing his own propensity for wickedness. In the words of Paul, “those who are in the flesh, cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8) See also: John 6:44; 8:34; 15:4,5; Rom. 7:18,24; 8:7,8; 1 Cor. 2:14; Heb 11:6

2. Free Will.

In any discussion of inability, depravity, pollution, and original sin, inevitably the question of free will is going to come up.

Sin: Part 2

This is part two of a three part series I taught to the youth at First Baptist Church of the Lakes, in Las Vegas, NV. You can read part one, here.

Sin.

Part 2. Where Did Sin Come From?

In Genesis Ch. 3 we have a historical narrative of the fall of the race of man. Historical narrative is a type of literature that records actual events in the form of a story. The chapters before and after the account of the fall of Adam and Eve are also historical narrative, although some would have us believe that some parts should not be taken in the form in which God himself gave them to us. The implications of the first few chapters of Genesis are so wide reaching that in order to avoid them, some people have distorted the plain reading of the text to fit in their own ideas. As Bible believing people, we must submit our lives completely to the Word of God, and this includes any and all ideas that may not be popular to an increasingly secularized society. See 2 Cor. 10:5

Take some time to carefully read the third chapter of Genesis and you will see the origination of all corruption ever to befall all of creation. The sin of Adam may seem to our modern mind as not possibly affecting his descendants, but we must continue to see things from a biblical perspective. The culture in which the Bible was written, and in which the Israelites were raised up was much more comfortable with the idea of “federal headship”.

Federal headship is the system in which the father represents his family, and by extension, his descendants. The concept is not only cultural, but biblical as well. In Hebrews Chapter 7, we see Levi represented by Abraham in the giving of the tithe to Melchizedek, many years before Levi was even born! Furthermore, if federal headship is rejected, we have no basis to accept a substitutionary atonement at Calvary. If it’s “not fair” for Adam to sin in my place, then it is surely “not fair” for Christ to die in my place.

At this point we must remember that how comfortable, or easy a doctrine is, has no bearing on whether or not that doctrine is true. The Bible clearly teaches that we all sinned “in Adam” (Romans Ch. 5), and therefore we are all guilty of that sin. We commit various sins because it is our nature to do so, being sinners, in virtue of what our first father purchased for us in his disobedience.

Sin: Part 1

This paper is another that I presented to the youth in my church, in three parts. Parts two and three will be posted in the days to come. Part one is somewhat shorter than the following installments, but defining terms is important, so be sure to look up the scripture references and don't be afraid to dig. Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology was the main reference used, and is quoted throughout.

SIN

Part 1. What is sin?

The book of 1 John tells us “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). So a simple definition would be “sin is lawlessness.” This statement is true, however lawlessness does not encompass all that sin is.

Another attribute of sin is that it is specific. By specific, we mean a specific kind of evil. “It is not a calamity that came upon man unawares, poisoned his life, and ruined his happiness, but an evil course which man has deliberately chosen to follow and which carries untold misery with it.” LB See: Gen. 3:1-6; Isa. 48:8; Rom.
1:18-32; 1 John 3:4

Sin is also absolute. There is no neutral ground between good and evil. We may perceive some gray area because of our lack of proper perspective, but in reality, black and white are the only two options. This point is important to understand, so that we don’t see evil as a lessening of something good, but as a positive evil. Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.”(Lk. 11:23) Our Lord knows no middle ground. See Matt. 10:32,33; 12:30; Luke 11:23; Jas. 2:10

Sin is always in relation to God, and His will. “It is separation from God, hatred of God, and this manifests itself in constant transgression of the law of God in thought, word, and deed.” LB See: Rom. 1:32, 2:12-14, 4:15; Jas. 2:9; 1 John 3:4

Sin includes both guilt and pollution. Guilt is the state of being liable to punishment for the violation of a law or moral requirement. See Eph. 2:3. Pollution is the inherent corruption that every sinner is subject to. The state of pollution the fallen race of man is in is present from birth and unavoidable. See Jer. 17:9; Eph. 4:17-19

In Biblical terminology the heart is the center of the man. His intellect, will, affections, and every other faculty of a man proceed from this point. If the heart of man is “deceitful” and “desperately wicked”, then logically, every part of a man’s soul is affected by that sin. Therefore, it may be said that the seat, or originating point, of sin, is the heart of sinful human beings.

The sinful state of man leads to sinful habits, which in turn lead to individual sinful deeds. The state, habits, and deeds are all equally sinful and therefore sin is not confined to outward acts, but can be merely thoughts, or intentions of the heart.