Session 8: God Judges; Doctrine of Hamartiology Doctrine, What Christians Should Believe authors Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears Read pp.

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1 Ginosko Philippians 3:8-10 Session 8: God Judges; Doctrine of Hamartiology Doctrine, What Christians Should Believe authors Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears Read pp The Fall It does not matter if a person is saved, unsaved, a God lover or God hater. No matter a person s philosophy, everyone acknowledges that something is very wrong, very broken in our world. We have had enough history. If man had the ability to improve himself, he should have done it by now. If we are the captains of our destiny we should have mankind and nature under control. Instead we see people randomly kill others in shooting sprees, wars and genocide led by despots, and natural catastrophes destroying property and killing people. Something is very, very wrong with our world, everyone knows it and their Godless solutions are not working. The Bible tells us very plainly what the problem is. We have sinned against a Holy God, and we have fallen short of His holiness or perfection. This is known as The Fall which is the story of when sin was ushered into the world by Satan and sin was committed by our first parents, Adam and Eve. These next two sessions will be spent on covering this doctrine of sin and its impact on every human being. When did this Fall take place? I think it is significant that the fall took place with the very first two created beings on earth. It seems that Satan wanted to get as early a start on his plan of destruction as possible. The story of the fall of mankind unfolds in Genesis chapter 3. The following are the main facts of this terrible tragedy: 1. The Serpent (which is Satan) enters the Garden of Eden with full intent to deceive Eve and cause her to violate God s command. Genesis 3:1 2. The Serpent doesn t contradict God s command, but questions its validity with a vague misleading question. Genesis 3:1 3. The woman, Eve, repeats the command given by God and added the stipulation that they were not to even touch the tree. Genesis 3:2 4. Satan, since he has Eve s undivided attention, directly contradicts the command of God and lies to Eve, You will not surely die. Genesis 3:4 5. He continues the lie by stating that God is lying to you. Not only will you not die, but you will become like God and know good and evil. Genesis 3:5 6. Eve was deceived by Satan, justified her sin, and ate the fruit. Genesis 3:6 7. Adam was standing right there and was privy to the whole exchange. Being the strong spiritual leader that he was, he ate the fruit too choosing his wife over God. Genesis 3:6 (1Timothy 2:14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.) 1

2 8. God called to Adam and held him responsible for the sin. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the Serpent. Neither repented of their sin but justified their actions. Genesis 3:9-13 What is the result of the Fall? 1. Satan was able to infect God s first created human beings with the same disease that he introduced into heaven which caused his fall and the fall of one third of the angels. 2. The core sin he introduced is pride accompanied by rebellion, selfishness, and idolatry. 3. Mankind was banished from the Garden of Eden (intimate presence of God) and isolated from the Tree of Life (eternal life). 4. The infection of sin continues unabated and is passed genetically to all Adam s offspring. 5. Mankind becomes a slave to sin, death becomes his final destination and he does not have any power to overcome his plight. 6. As a result, God places a curse upon the Serpent, man, the woman, and even His created world. What is the definition of sin? The book gives us a clear definition of sin as illustrated in the Old Testament on pp. 149 and 150. For the sake of brevity we will look at sin as defined in the New Testament. 1. The most common Greek word in the New Testament for sin is hamartano (verb) or hamartia (noun). This is the word used by theologians as a title for this doctrine; Hamartiology. It is an archery term and means to miss the mark or fall short. Sin is missing the mark of God s holiness, perfection, true worship, and shalom. Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned (hamartano) and fall short of the glory of God, 2. The Greek word paraptoma means to trespass, or leave the correct path, to wander from the right path whether intentionally or unintentionally. Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses (paraptoma) and sins (hamartia). 3. Also the Greek word parabasis is used which is defined as blatant disobedience or defiance. This is the concept of shaking one s fist in the face of God in open rebellion. 1Timothy 2:14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (parabasis) 4. The Greek word asebias is used to describe one who is ungodly or is godless. This is one who acts as if there is no God or that they become their own God. Jude 1:15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (asebias appears 4 times in this verse) Here is a chicken and egg question: Are we sinners because we sin, or do we sin because we are sinners? The answer is YES! Romans 5: 12 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 ; 19 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. Romans 7:15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it 2

3 is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? From these two passages of Scripture we find the horrible dilemma that all mankind find themselves in. The Bible further states that there is no one that is good. Romans 3:10 as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Here Paul is repeating what is written in the Psalms. We are bad people at our very core so we do bad things. We do bad things and it shows our bad core. We are all sinners both by nature, and by choice. We are in a vicious downward spiral and cannot do anything to get out no matter how hard we try. The end result is death. We are LOST with NO HOPE!!! This is known as the doctrine of Total Depravity. Total depravity does not mean that man is completely and totally evil because man, even sinful man is created in the image of God. Each man is endowed with a conscience which comes from God. Unbelievers love their families, give to the poor, seek justice, and can even sacrifice themselves for the good of others. In fact, we all know people who do not have faith in Jesus that live more moral lives than some who claim to be Christians. What Total Depravity teaches us is that every part of man is damaged and tainted by sin. Our mind, will, emotions, motivations, actions, bodies, every part of us has been affected by sin and cannot be trusted. Titus 1: 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. Jeremiah 17: 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? These verses are not saying that man can do no good, but that the unbeliever does not have the ability to do anything that is spiritually good, nothing that can be effective in establishing a personal relationship with God. If it wasn t for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross on our behalf we would have no hope. It is only through faith in Christ and Christ s righteousness imputed to us that we can stand before God. This is the only thing that breaks the bondage of sin and the curse of death that hangs over every human being. Can God sin or can He cause others to sin? The Bible clearly teaches that sin did not originate with God. Because God is holy and perfect, He cannot sin. It would violate His very essence, or who He is. Sin originated with Satan and he was cast out of heaven by God. Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-18 Sin was introduced by Satan into this world to our first parents. Genesis 3:1-14 We are all sinners because we are the children of sinful Adam. Romans 5:12-19 But the clearest answer to this question is found in James1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But 3

4 each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Satan uses a three- pronged attack against us to trip us up in sin. These are the world, the flesh, and the Devil and are designed to produce in man pride and self- glory as opposed to humility and God s glory. 1. The World: When the Bible speaks of the world in a negative sense it is referring to the fallen world system that is in open rebellion against God. It is ruled by Satan (Ephesians 2:2) who fuels the fire of greed and self- worship in fallen mankind who in turn, puts pressure on believers to abandon their faith for the pleasures and rewards of this earth. This is also the world system that persecutes followers of Christ and sometimes puts them to death for their belief. 1John 2:16 For all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions is not from the Father but is from the world. What are our instructions when facing the temptations of this world system? a. 1John 2: 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. If we as believers in Christ love this cursed world system we will find that we cannot please God because we will be seeking to please ourselves and those around us. We cannot please ourselves and Him at the same time. Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. b. Romans 12: 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. If we allow this world to press us into its mold we cannot experience the inner transformation that takes place as a result of yielding to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It will be an outer conformation to the pattern of the world rather than an inner transformation by the Holy Spirit. The end result is that we will not be able to discern the will of God. c. Galatians 6: 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. One result of the believers identification with the crucifixion of Christ is that he counts himself as crucified to the world. We are either alive to sin and dead to Christ or we are alive in Christ and dead to the temptation of this world. This is a choice I make. Galatians 2:20, Romans 6 2. The Flesh Romans 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. The flesh is a word the Bible uses to describe our old sin nature that entices us to sin. We battle this flesh till the day we are glorified in the presence of Christ. Satan is fully aware of our weaknesses and is more than willing to tempt us to sin in these areas. Our response to our flesh is threefold: a. Realize that we are no longer the slaves to sin because of the crucifixion of Christ and our faith in Him. (Romans 6) The bondage of sin and death has been broken. 4

5 b. Walk in conscious submission to the Holy Spirit (Romans 8) Since the power of the Holy Spirit is so much greater than the grasp of sin on us we are to yield to Him and allow Him to lead and guide us in every thought, word, and deed. c. We are to consciously, actively put to death the sinful deeds of our body. The Bible rarely advocates violence but this is one incidence where we are to become violent. Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Get the mental picture of you bending over your old sin nature with your hands around its neck trying to choke the life out of it. 3. The Devil; Satan will use himself and his demons to actively pursue believers and try to trip them up. 1Peter 5:8 Be sober- minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Our responses: a. Resist him! The next verse, 1Peter 5:9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Peter tells us to resist Satan not in our own power but firmly planted in our faith. James sets the prerequisite that we must humble ourselves before God and then resist the Devil. Our resistance is futile unless we do it guided by the Spirit of God (Romans 8) in faith, with an attitude of humility and dependence. b. Do not give Satan any room or place to work. Ephesians 4:27 and give no opportunity to the devil. The things we expose ourselves to, the things we watch, listen to, and take part in or are in the presence of, if they are not God honoring provide an opportunity for Satan to use them to cause us to stumble. The context of Ephesians 4 is that if you are engaged in a sin such as stealing, don t just quit stealing but replace it with specific acts of giving. If you are lying all the time, replace it with specific acts of telling the truth for God s glory. Don t just remove a sin but replace it with the opposite that glorifies God or Satan will use the empty space as an opportunity to cause more sin. c. 2Corinthians 2: 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. As believers in Christ we have been made dead to sin but alive to righteousness. We have been given the precious gift of the Holy Spirit for our guidance. God makes it very clear in His Word that Satan s only goal is glory for himself and he is a liar, deceiver and murderer. We need to constantly remind ourselves that sin is a lie that tells us that we will find greater satisfaction in sin than what we will find in Christ. We need to permeate our lives with the satisfaction found in Christ. As we embrace the wonder and glory of the Gospel and saturate ourselves with the jewels of His grace, sin and the lies of Satan will be exposed for the cheap glitter and trinkets they really are. Passionately Pursue Christ!! Sola Gloria Dei ALL GLORY TO GOD ALONE! 5