b. What heart attitude is at the root of our Sin? i. Our desire to be autonomous from God, which is often articulated in violating His moral law.

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1 Christianity 101: 20 Basic Christian Beliefs Chapter 8 What is Sin? I. What Sin Is a. What is Sin? i. Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature. 1 b. What heart attitude is at the root of our Sin? i. Our desire to be autonomous from God, which is often articulated in violating His moral law. II. Where Sin Came From a. If God is sovereign, and His work is perfect, how did sin enter creation? i. Since sin is in complete contradiction to God, he cannot sin, and we should never blame God for sin or think that he bears the responsibility for sin. God s work is perfect and all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he (Deut. 32:4). It is impossible for God even to desire to do wrong, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one (James 1:13). Yet the Bible also says that God works all things according to the counsel of his will (Eph. 1:11), so it seems that God somehow ordained that sin would come into the world. 2 ii. Instead, God decided that he would allow moral creatures to willfully and voluntarily choose to sin. 3 iii. How we put these two truths together is one of the most difficult questions in theology, and it is healthy for us to allow a substantial element of mystery, admitting that a full understanding is beyond anyone s ability in this age. (The recognition that there is mystery here should also guard us against getting into heated arguments over this topic!) 4 b. Did sin begin with Adam and Eve? i. Sin existed in Satan and his demons before the disobedience of Adam and Eve, and then it entered the world of humans through their decisions. 5 1 Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 63. 1

2 c. What is Original Sin? i. It is the sin nature that all humans have inherited from our Federal Head Adam ii. God told Adam, of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat (Gen. 2:17). So when Adam and Eve ate from the tree (Gen. 3:6), they directly contradicted God s command. Neither God nor Satan forced them to eat from the tree; they did so willingly and so willingly sinned against God. 6 iii. As a result, Adam s nature became sinful. Sin became something Adam naturally did. Adam s sin also caused us to inherit a sinful nature, one that is naturally opposed to God and his moral law. That is why Paul said, I know that nothing good dwells in me (Rom. 7:18). It is why Jeremiah said, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9). It is why David said, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me (Ps. 51:5). It is why the wicked go astray from birth (Ps. 58:3). 7 d. Are we capable without God to do anything spiritually that pleases God? i. Although our inherited tendency to sin does not mean we are as bad as we could be, it does mean that we, like Adam after he sinned, are unable on our own to do anything that pleases God. We lack any spiritual good in ourselves, and therefore, we are unable to do any spiritual good before God. 8 e. How can we be held accountable for Adam s guilt? i. We received not only Adam s sinful nature, but also his sin-produced guilt. Adam s action resulted not only in his own guilt, but also in the guilt of every other human. As Paul explains, Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Rom. 5:12). And, by the one man s disobedience the many were made sinners (Rom. 5:19). Therefore, when Adam sinned, God thought of us all as having sinned. 9 6 Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 64. 2

3 III. How Sin Affects Us a. If someone didn t believe that the Bible taught that all have sinned what passages might you share with them? i. Scripture is clear: There is no one who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46); There is none who does good, not even one (Ps. 14:3); All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23); and as John tells us, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). Therefore, all stand guilty before God. 10 b. If a saved persons sins, does it affect their legal standing before God? i. So, when we sin as forgiven Christians, our legal standing before God is not affected. We are still forgiven because Christ s death paid for all of our sins. As Paul tells us, Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3) without any distinction among past, present, and future sins. Although John tells us we all sin, he also affirms that even in our sin, we are God s children now (1 John 3:2). 11 c. So what does a saved person s sin affect? i. While sin does not affect our status or standing with God, it does affect our fellowship with God, for God is grieved by our sin. This can often result in God s discipline in our lives since the Lord disciplines the one he loves (Heb. 12:6). This loving discipline is for our good, that we may share his holiness (Heb. 12:10). Sin can also affect our relationships with others. Sinful words or actions can result in a broken relationship, even between Christians. 12 d. What does it mean if a person who professes faith in Christ continues in a long-term pattern of sin? i. Even though all Christians still sin, they should not participate in a long-term pattern of greater and greater disobedience to God s moral law, for no one born of God makes a practice of sinning (1 John 3:9). But if a person makes a practice of sinning, that is, if someone continues in a pattern of disobedience without repentance, he may not have ever truly put his trust in Jesus for salvation. That is, the sinful pattern of his life could show that he never really was a Christian. ii. In contrast, when Christians sin, they should earnestly and quickly confess their sins to God. When we do so, we will find God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 66. 3

4 IV. Review Questions: a. What is sin? How does it affect our lives and the world we live in? 14 b. Will Christians continue to sin? Why or why not? c. What are some of the negative results of sin in the life of a Christian? What should Christians do if they sin? Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), Wayne A. Grudem, Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know ( ed. Elliot Grudem;Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 66. 4

5 Appendix: HAMARTIOLOGY THE DOCTRINE OF SIN (Dr. LARRY PETTEGREW, TH.D.) I. THE ORIGIN OF SIN A. The Fall Was an Historical Event Genesis 3:1-24 Hoekema: If the fall is not literal, it would seem that the human person as he comes from the hand of his Creator, is a being who invariably and inevitably falls into sin. Such a view would tie sin inseparably to man s finiteness, to man s creatureliness, to man s humanity. But if sin is inevitably locked in with man s humanity, is redemption from sin possible? Does the human person then have to become a completely different type of creature--say, an angel--before he or she can become sinless? ( ). The talking serpent is the only possible suggestion that the Fall was not a historical event, but that is only through our modern eyes. 1. The rest of Genesis is historical. It is clear! Some people try to call the first 5 chapters a song, but that just doesn t fit 2. Geographical locations in the early chapters of Genesis are historical: 2:8-14 a. Eden was a real place located in a definite place in the Middle East: a. Theologically, to give up the literal, historical-geographical quality of the place called Eden is part and parcel of retreat to some form of mythological interpretation (Culver, 286). 3. The genealogies speak of Adam and Eve as real people (1 Chron. 1:1-3; Luke 3:38; Matt. 19:4-6; 1 Tim. 2:13-14; 1 Cor. 15:21-22; 45-47) 4. Theologically, the denial of the Edenic events has disastrous consequences for other doctrine. B. The Test (Temptation) Was For Good Reasons 1. The probation of mankind Genesis 2: The Serpent 3:1 (Anything about Satan in this passage? No, but we are told in Revelation 12:9 that he is Satan) 4. The Divine Purposes in allowing the temptation a. God intended Adam and Eve to gain an experiential knowledge between good and evil by obeying and thus develop a holy character. b. Had man rejected the temptation, the contrast between good and evil would have been vividly present to his mind. c. Had Adam and Eve passed the test, presumably God would have permitted them to eat the tree of life and they would have been confirmed in holiness and in physical life forever. d. The very fact that God had already set the tree of life in the garden indicates that God had made provision for the passing of the test. e. Eve apparently had no interest in the tree of knowledge of good and evil until Satan called attention to it. C. The Effects Were Devastating 1. At what point did Eve and Adam sin? Eve probably sinned before biting the fruit. There wasn t anything in the fruit itself. 5

6 They had been created in the circle of God s truth, but when she stepped outside of that circle that is when she sinned. She said something like yes, God is too severe here, I m thinking for myself Adam had to choose between God s Word and the experience of someone else 2. What were the effects on Adam and Eve? a. Spiritual death separation from God b. Physical death separation of the soul/spirit from the body c. Change in anatomy of woman 3:16 multiplied the pain in childbirth a. But were there any children born before the Fall? b. Also implies more children needed. c. Point: Women must now bear more children in order to perpetuate the race, since death has modified the social situation d. Her desire shall be for her husband If death had not entered, every baby born would have become a permanent inhabitant of earth. Countless generations would have become contemporary. Now, on the contrary, since death soon removes each generation within a few decades, every couple on the average must produce at least three offspring who survive to procreate children of their own, to fulfill the command to multiply and replenish the earth two to replace themselves; one for minimal increase (Culver 314). e. Hardships for mankind 3: ) Cursing of the ground 2) Condemnation to hard labor 17b-19a 3) Expulsion from the Garden (v ) 3. On the Serpent 3:14-15 The serpent also underwent a structural change, going from an apparently upright creature to one that crawls on its belly. In this, it was cursed away from the rest of the animals (v. 14). 4. On Creation as a Whole natural disasters, germs, viruses, diseases (Rom. 8:19-22) 5. On Society Cain murders Able Civilization devolved morally while advancing technologically Gen. 4 Lamech violated God s original marriage plan with bigamous relationship Gen. 4:19 The earth became filled with violence Gen. 6:11 D. Why Did a Holy God Permit Sin? 1. Somewhat of a fruitless question since the Bible does not give a specific answer. 2. Possible options (A. A. Hodge, Outlines of Theology, 319): a. Either God could not prevent sin: i. In any system or kind of a world ii. Or in a moral system or world involving free agency b. Or God did not choose to prevent sin because: i. Sin is desirable in itself ii. Or, sin is the necessary means to the greatest good iii. Or, sin may be overruled for ultimate good iv. Or, the permission of sin would involve less evil than its pervention 6

7 It is obvious (a) that God has permitted sin, and (b) hence it was right for Him to do so. But why it was right must ever remain a mystery demanding submission and defying solution (Hodge). Hoekema: Sin is therefore against God s will but never outside of or beyond (praeter) God s will. God permitted the Fall to occur because in his omnipotence he could bring good even out of evil. But the fact that man s sin does not occur outside of the will of God neither excuses it nor explains it. Sin will always remain a riddle (p. 132). o For sure: o God is not the author of sin o The Bible never gives God the responsibility for sin (James. 1:13) o God did set up the universe with the possibility of sin, knowing that it would happen o But God so decreed the moral universe so that He was in no way responsible II. THE SPREAD OF SIN A. The Universality of Sin in the Race 1. Proven by the explicit testimony of Scripture b. Old Testament (Gen. 6:5, 11; 1 Kings 8:46; Ps. 143:2; Isa. 53:6 c. Jesus Christ (John 3:36) d. New Testament (Eph. 2:3; Gal. 3:22) e. Rom. 3:9-23 (Culver, 407ff) 1. The Prosecutor s Statement 9b All under sin 2. The Prosecutor s Summation a. A general charge of unrighteousness 10 b. An accusation that people are sinful in their inmost part the heart and mind. c. People are especially sinful in speech 13 d. People s violent deeds match their wicked speech, both of which come from a wicked heart. e. The source of all depravity is their lack of fear of God The Defense is Without Response 19a 4. The Judge s Verdict 19b 2. Proven by the universal need for a. Atonement (Acts 4:12) b. Repentance (Acts 17:30) c. Regeneration (John 3:3-5) B. The Spread of Original Sin in the Race Defined: Original sin is the sinful state and condition in which every human being is born (Hoekema). Of all the religious teachings I know, none not even the belief that some people are eternally damned generates as much hostility as the Christian doctrine we call original sin. It is one of the most baleful of ideas, says one modern scholar; it is repulsive and revolting, says another. I have seen it variously described as an insult to the dignity of humanity, an insult to the grace and 7

8 loving-kindness of God, and an insult to God and humankind alike. And many of those who are particularly angry about the doctrine of original sin are Christians. One of the great evangelists of the nineteenth century, Charles Finney, called the doctrine subversive of the gospel, and repulsive to all human intelligence. A hundred years earlier an English minister, John Taylor of Norwich, had cried, What a God must he be, who can curse his innocent creatures before they have a being! Is this thy God, o Christian? (Quoted in Jason Byassee, Original Sin). 1. Scriptural Teaching about the spread of sin: Romans 5:12-19 a. Sin came into the world through one man (v. 12) b. Death came into the world through sin (v. 12) c. Death spread to all people because all sinned (v. 12) i. The aorist there adds some significance, means that we all sinned in the original sin with Adam ii. Aorist one past act, not a succession of acts d. Many died through one man s trespass (v. 15) e. The result of one man s sin is condemnation (v. 16) f. Because of one man s trespass, death reigned through that one man (v. 17) g. One trespass led to condemnation for all (v. 18) h. By one man s disobedience, the many were made sinners (v. 19) 2. Denials and compromises of Original Sin: a. Pelagianism i. Adam was created mortal; he would have died even if he had not sinned. ii. Adam s sin impacted only himself, not the human race. iii. At birth, each person is in the same condition as Adam was before the Fall. iv. The idea of inherited guilt is both unthinkable and blasphemous (Makes God the author of sin; doesn t fit with a sense of fair play). v. The law and gospel operate alike and one can be saved by one or the other. b. Semi-Pelagianism has affinities with Arminianism, Wesleynanism, some Southern Baptist thelogy, a good bit of Mennonite thinking and synergistic Lutheranism, as well as the Roman Tridentine theology (Culver, 387) i. The sin of Adam brought physical and moral disadvantage to himself and his posterity. ii. The power to do good was weakened but not lost. iii. Therefore, there is a mixture of grace and a weakened free will. c. Wesleyan Arminianism probably most evangelicals and fundamentalist i. The guilt of all through Adam is removed by the justification of all by the righteousness of God through the work of Christ on the cross. ii. Every infant comes into the world free from guilt and condemnation because of the righteousness of Christ. iii. However, since the Fall, man is totally depraved, in a state of entire pollution and depravity. iv. Man, in this state of depravity, cannot naturally cooperate with the grace of God. 8

9 v. Man has the ability to cooperate with God, but this is not due to natural ability; it is due to the universal influence of the redemption of Christ through the Holy Spirit. 3. A more accurate teaching about Original Sin: a. Original sin includes both guilt and pollution (depravity) i. Guilt is a judicial or legal concept describing one s relationship to God s moral law 1. Guilt is the state of deserving condemnation or of being liable to punishment because the law has been violated. 2. By original guilt, we mean that we deserve condemnation because Adam broke God s law. ii. Depravity (pollution or corruption) is a moral concept having to do with our moral condition rather than with our status before the law. 1. Original pollution (the pollution involved in original sin) is the corruption of our nature which is the result of sin. 2. All human beings, as a result of Adam s sin, are born in a state of corruption (Thus every person is born into this world both depraved and guilty). Because Adam was our head and representative when he sinned, the guilt of his sin is reckoned to our account (direct imputation). And because we were in Adam when he sinned, we were involved in his sin, and therefore we have been born with a corrupt nature (realism) (Hoekema, 166). (We have both guilt and corruption in this model) Hoekema, 161:... Adam stands in a twofold relationship to his descendants: he is both their Federal natural or physical head (in the sense of being their progenitor) and their representative. When he sinned, he did so as our representative, and therefore we are all involved in the guilt of that sin, and in the condemnation that results from it.... God imputes to us the guilt of Adam s first sin.... As an implication, and therefore a result, of our involvement in Adam s guilt, all human persons are born in a state of corruption. This corruption (also called pollution or depravity) is transmitted to us through our parents. Our involvement in and identification with Adam s sin carries with it the perversity apart from which sin does not exist. We are born in a state Seminal of corruption because we are in solidarity with Adam in his sin.... pollution of sin is indeed passed on from parents to their offspring. III. THE NATURE OF SIN a. The Essential Character of Sin i. Definition: Sin is lack of conformity to the moral law of God, either in act, disposition, or state (Strong, 549). ii. Explanation of the Moral Law a. Definition: The moral law of God is the expression of God s nature in the form of moral requirements. (Rom. 7:25) o The moral law takes different applications in different dispensations: EDEN PRE-LAW OLD COVENANT NEW COVENANT ETERNITY 9

10 o The moral law of God is not permanently expressed in the Mosaic Law, or even in the Ten Commandments. o The moral law is not arbitrary. o The essence of the moral law itself is unchangeable. o The moral law is both negative and positive. o The moral law is not outwardly published in total. o The moral law is not limited by mankind s awareness of it. (ignorance is no excuse) o Sin has no independent existence, but is always related to God and his will. Ps. 51:4 o Since all law flows from God, all sin is against God iii. Sin can be acts, disposition, or state 1. Sin includes wicked acts Eph. 5: Sin includes a wicked heart Jer. 17:9; Prov. 4:23; Matt. 15:19 3. Sin includes wicked thoughts--mt. 5:28; Gal. 5:16, Sin is described as a disposition a. Lawlessness--1 Jn. 3:4 b. Unrighteousness--1 Jn. 5:17 c. Lack of faith--rom. 14:23 d. Absence of right act--jas. 4:17 e. Reigning power--rm. 6:12 f. Subconscious state--rm. 7:8-10 g. Condition at birth--ps. 51:5 iv. Sin is essentially HUMAN AUTONOMY 1. Proof that Autonomy is essence of sin: a. Deut. 6:4-5 love to God is the essence of virtue. b. Autonony is at the root of all other sins (Pride, vanity, idolatry, sensuousness) c. Isa. 14:14 It was the essence of Satan s sin. Lucifer must have known that he wasn t like God, ( I will make myself like the most high ), therefore he wanted to be autonomous with no one over him. d. Autonomy is the essence of Anti-christ s nature ( the son of destruction ) 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 e. Gen. 3 Autonomy was Eve s desire in the Fall. She wanted to be outside of God s truth circle. 2. Other ways to describe autonomy: a. Selfishness maybe not the best term, but could be seen as choice of self b. Displacement of God or failure to let God be God c. The desire to be happy apart from God i. Cf. John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World, ii. The root of our sinfulness is the desire for our own happiness apart from God and apart from the happiness of others in God (275). d. Pride: Pride is the presumption that we can be happy without depending on God as the source of our happiness and without caring if others find their happiness in God (Piper; pg. 257). 10