A DISCUSSION OF SIN; THE DEVIL’S TOOL

HOW TO RECOGNIZE SIN

INTRODUCTION

In this section we will be studying sin and trying to answer several questions about sin, such as what sin is, where it came from, what the penalties are for sinning, and how to be forgiven for sin. Our focus of study will be how we can recognize sin and know when we are sinning. We will study the transition that occurred when Christ came to earth, and study the before and the after.

 WHAT IS SIN?

First, let's look at some of the characteristics of sin and then try to develop a simple definition of sin. Let's look at some scriptures that characterize sin:

Rom 2:23: A transgression or overstepping of the law.

Rom 1:21-23: An iniquity or something inherently wrong, forbidden or not.

Rom 1:18: An error or departure from right.

Rom 3:23: Missing the mark or not meeting God's standard.

Eph 2:1: A trespass or intruding into the sphere of divine authority.

1 Tim 1:9;1 Jn 3:4: Lawlessness or spiritual anarchy.

John 16:9: Unbelief or an insult to the divine truth.

When Jesus came to earth there was a transition from the law to Christ's command to love. God transitioned from dealing with humans as children to dealing with them as adults. Mankind had reached a level of maturity where he no longer needed a rigid and extensive set of rules; he needed only a couple of basic rules. In that case Christ's command to love encompassed all of the commandments. If we love our friends as Christ loved us we will not break any of the commandments. God's New Testament command adds one condition to Christ's command; that we believe in Christ. Now let’s see if we can't come up with a definition of sin that does the same thing for us.

Definition 1-Breaking the law of God by turning aside to follow our own desires, thus missing God's mark of Christlikeness.

Another simple definition of sin might be;

Definition 2-Things that humans do that are offensive to God.

How about defining it in terms of God's New Testament command.

Definition 3-Breaking God's New Testament command.

Doesn't this encompass all of the seven characteristics described above?

If we analyze these definitions we can see that we can't be aware of sin unless we are aware of God, know him and know what he finds offensive. It also encompasses rejection of Christ.

OTHER QUESTIONS CONCERNING SIN

Where did sin come from?

Isaiah 14:12-14; Satan.

How did it get into the world?

Rom 5:12; Through Adam.

What is the penalty for leading a lifestyle of sin?

Rom 6:23; Physical and spiritual death.

In what forms do we sin? Can we sin by just thinking evil thoughts?

Mk 7:21-23; Matt 15:18-19; Matt 5:27-28; In our hearts, minds, and actions.

How do we receive forgiveness for our sins?

That leads us to our next major topic on sin.

FORGIVENESS OF SINS; A MAJOR TRANSITION

Again, when Christ came to earth, he brought with him a major transition concerning how we are forgiven for our sins. Let’s first look at the Old Testament to see what the Israelites had to do to be forgiven for their sins.

Lev 4:3, 13, 22, 27: Under the law sacrifices of animals were required to receive forgiveness, and they only covered the offeror's sin. The Israelites sacrifices implied confession of sin and recognized the penalty as death.

Rom 3:21-26; Heb 9:15-28, 10:11-18 provide good summaries of the transition from the old to the new covenant. When God was treating mankind as children, he was overlooking man's sins in anticipation of Christ's sacrifice (Rom 3:25). Heb 10:17 is also key in that it says God will no longer remember our sins and lawless acts.

John 1:29 summarizes the transition from the old to the new. It says that Jesus was the fulfillment of the atoning sacrifices of the temple, he was the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. Rom 8:3-4 says that God sent Jesus as a sin offering.

The things that are required for forgiveness of sins after Christ's sacrifice are summarized in Acts 10:43; Mark 11:24-25; and Matt 6:14-15; Believe in Jesus and forgive the sins of others against us.

So we can see that forgiveness of sin is related to salvation. Salvation requires two things, to believe in Jesus and to love our friends as Jesus loved us (which demonstrates that we have changed our lifestyle from sin to love and are really followers of Jesus). Jesus changed our understanding of sin. In the Old Testament, sin involved breaking the law. The key question was, "What do I have to do to obey the laws so as not to be punished by God". In the New Testament the question changes to, “What do I have to do to receive eternal life.” Again, Christ changed the emphasis from following the letter of the law to following the intent of the law.

A NEW FREEDOM; HOW TO RECOGNIZE SIN

Gal 5:1; Rom 6:15-18; and 8:1-4 tell us that we are now free from the bonds of sin. Rom 8:4 says that we are free from sin and don't live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. 1 Cor 2:14-16 tells us that the Holy Spirit helps us make judgments about all things. This includes discerning what is sinful and what is not.

The following scriptures tell us not to do anything that will cause our brothers to sin; Rom 14:13-21; 1 Cor 8:9-13, 9:19-23, 10:31-11:1. We are free to decide what these things are, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Willmington's Guide to the Bible gives some good guidelines for deciding what is right and what is wrong. It says that there are two types of sins and that the Bible declares that an action may be wrong on two counts.

Because of an inherent sin factor. There are certain things that are always wrong because they go against the very grain of God's holiness. Such things would be murder, lying, adultery, stealing, idolatry, etc.

Because of an acquired sin factor. There are certain things that, in and of themselves, are harmless, but through time and custom have acquired the taint of being evil. An example would be the wearing of cosmetics, once considered sinful but now generally accepted among Christian women. The first factor is character sin, and the second factor is reputation sin. The child of God is to avoid both according to Paul. Paul talks a lot about reputation or acquired sins in his letters to the churches. He is interpreting for them those things which would be right or wrong for them to do according to existing customs, so as not to cause any man to sin.

These sins may change over time as customs change, but the inherent or character sins never change.

OVERCOMING SIN

Two key truths for overcoming sin are

1 Cor 10:13; Your desire to be intimate with God must outweigh your desire to sin, and

Gal 5:6; You need the Holy Spirit to help you.

CONCLUSION

James 4:16-17 says that anyone who knows the good that he ought to do and doesn't do it sins. 1 John 3:4-16 says that no one who lives in Christ keeps on sinning (lifestyle). Anyone who continues to exhibit a lifestyle of sin after coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus, who does not begin to exhibit a love for his neighbors and a willingness to forgive them for their wrongs against him should begin to wonder whether or not he is really saved.

SELF-CENTEREDNESS: THE MOTHER OF ALL SIN

INTRODUCTION

The theme for this study will be that all sin originates from being self-centered or selfish. We'll divide our study into three parts as follows:

We'll review our definition of sin.

We'll define self-centered and see what the Bible says about it.

We'll look at what the contemporary secular world says about sin.

Again, what I say is what I believe to be true. It's O.K. if you don't agree with everything that I say. I urge each of you to study and pray that the Spirit will reveal God's truth to you. Many of the concepts that I teach are hard to understand, but those are the very ones that I tend to enjoy studying the most.

REVIEW OF OUR DEFINITION OF SIN

Definition 1-Breaking the law of God by turning aside to follow our own desires, thus missing God's mark of Christlikeness.

Definition 2-Things that humans do that are offensive to God.

Definition 3-Breaking God's New Testament command.

SELF-CENTEREDNESS: THE MOTHER OF ALL SIN

I believe that the original sin came from self-centeredness or selfishness. I believe that it is the mother of all sins in that all sins derive from it. Let's look at definitions of self-centeredness and selfishness:

Selfish; concentrating on one's own pleasure, advantage or well being without regard for others.

Self-centered; placing one's self at the center of the universe, rather than God.

This reminds me of the mistake that the Catholic Church made several centuries ago, insisting that the earth was at the center of the universe, and then punishing anyone who didn't agree with them. Now, let's look at what the Bible says about placing self at the center.

Deny Yourself: In several places Christ says, "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me". Some of the scriptures that say this include: Matt 16:24, 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; 14:27. How do you take up your cross? How did Christ take up His cross? He died on it because He loved us. We take up our cross by following Christ's command to love our Christian brothers and friends as He loved us, so much that we would be willing to sacrifice ourselves for them, 1 John 3:16. This must be extremely important, because John 10:17-18 says that God loved Jesus because He denied Himself. Jesus had a choice and He made the right one. Of course, God also loved Jesus for a multitude of other reasons.

Self-will: In Titus 1:7-8 Paul says that a candidate for bishop or pastor cannot be self-willed. 2 Peter 2:10 says that those who walk according to the flesh are self-willed.

Self-indulgence: In Matt 23:25 Jesus said that the Pharisees were hypocrites because they cleansed the outside of the cup (their lives) but inside they were full of self-indulgence.

Self-control: In Gal 5:22-23 Paul says that the Christian is to be governed by God, not by self. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit.

SIN FROM THE CONTEMPORARY SECULAR WORLD'S VIEWPOINT

A few years ago an issue of TIME magazine contained articles on GENESIS; The Creation of Man and Science and the Original Sin. The article on the origin of sin contained a lot of thoughts that I agree with, mainly that sin originated in the self-centeredness of man. It also contains much that I didn't agree with. These secular authors think that it's sad that spiritual Christians are so biased and can't see things as they do. However, we know that the real truth is that God has given those in the secular world a set of blinders and that it's impossible for them to find the real truth in science only. This is explained in 1 Cor 2:14, and 2 Cor 3:15-16, 4:3-4. We Christians who are filled with the Spirit (all who have truly accepted Christ) have a huge advantage in that we can understand both science (some of us Christians wear science blinders) and the workings of God as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, while the secular world can only understand science. This is a truth (being filled with the Spirit) that the secular world cannot understand and there is not even a reason for us to tell them. It is futile for them to try to interpret or understand Genesis or any part of the Bible. Unfortunately, the secular world includes a lot of people who call themselves Christians. I can remember studying nuclear physics and Einstein's theories in college. The concepts were extremely difficult to comprehend, and many students simply couldn't understand everything. It was a matter of "brain power". Some of God's concepts are equally hard to understand. The difference is that it is not so much a matter of "brain power" as it is "Spirit power". Einstein may have been one of the two smartest men to ever live; his I.Q. was about 200, while the average is close to 100. We all have some amount of I.Q. (or brain power), and we can all understand his concepts to the degree that we are blessed with intelligence. However, in terms of "Spirit power", the secular world is running on empty; they have none whatsoever unless and until they accept Christ, and then the process of filling just begins. If you would like to begin this process of being filled with the Spirit and take off your blinders go to How to become a believer.

PUTTING IT ALL IN PERSPECTIVE

The New Testament teachings that we are not to be selfish or self-centered do not mean that we cannot feel good about ourselves. Feeling good about ourselves is important to our mental health. The key to understanding this concept relates to priorities. Christ's command teaches us to place our Christian brothers and friends needs above our own; to give them a higher priority than we give ourselves. That does not mean that we can't feel good about ourselves. Now I give you a paradox; we are to love ourselves so much that we deny ourselves. It can make perfect sense to us, but certainly not to the secular world. If we love ourselves, what is the best thing that we can do for ourselves? Deny ourselves as Christ told us. When we accept Christ we are given the fruits of the spirit, described in Gal 5:22-23 as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. When we are first given these fruits they are not ripe; we must study, pray, and work for them to ripen. Somebody with these characteristics is certainly going to feel good about himself. In fact, as Paul continues, in Gal 6:2-5 he says that we should carry each other’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. He further says that if we do this that we can "take pride in ourselves, without comparing ourselves to somebody else". In verse 10 he adds that we should do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers.

I believe that we need to be especially concerned with teaching these concepts to young people. One of the most valuable lessons that we can teach our children is to share. If they learn to share, it will be much easier for them to cope with their sinful nature as they grow older. Gal 5:17 says that our sinful nature’s desires are in conflict with the desires of the Spirit, and that we often do just what we don't want to do. We need to start practicing yielding to the desires of the Spirit when we are young.

SUMMARY

We have defined sin and discussed how sin originates from selfishness. We were created this way, as sinners. 1 John 1:8-10 says that we have all sinned but that if we confess our sins, we will be forgiven. In a global context this means that our soul will be cleansed so that we can come into God’s presence in prayer. We cannot come into God’s presence unless we are perfect in God’s eyes. This is possible because our spirits have been made perfect forever by Jesus sacrifice for us and we can go to heaven immediately upon our death to be with God because he now considers us perfect because Jesus bought our pardon.

MYSTERIOUS AND SINISTER SINS OF THE BIBLE

ONCE FOR ALL

The New Testament teaches over and over (Paul, Peter, author of Hebrews, etc.) that Jesus died for all men’s sin’s “once for all” (1 Pet 3:18, Heb 9:12, 26-28, 10:10, Rom 6:10, 2 Cor 5:14-15, 1 Tim 2:6). When Jesus said on the cross, “it is finished,” he had completed his work in that no more sacrifice for man’s sins would ever be necessary. For believers, all sins were forgiven by Jesus’ sacrifice; once for all sins and for all time. Believers are thus assured of salvation through their acceptance of and commitment to Jesus, without regard for the final results of their works on earth (1 Cor 3:9-15). “All” of their sins are forgiven.

TWO PARTICULARLY MYSTERIOUS AND SINISTER SINS

So we see that the Bible teaches that Jesus died for the forgiveness of all men’s sins, past, present and future. Having said that, then why does the Bible talk about sins that are unforgivable? The Bible talks about two sins that are particularly mysterious and sinister. They are referred to as “the unpardonable sin” and “the sin that leads to death.” Just what are these sins and can they be committed today?

After much study of this topic it seems to me that these sins can be committed today and in fact are committed by the majority of the people in the world. We said that these sins were very mysterious. One of the things that makes them so mysterious is the figurative language that Jesus and other New Testament authors used so frequently. Literally millions of people in history have wondered to themselves at one time or another if they might have committed an unpardonable sin. Let me reassure you. If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ and his gospel you have not committed an unpardonable sin, for it is impossible. What then is this sin and who does it apply to?

AN EXCEPTION TO “ONCE FOR ALL”

If these sins are a mystery then there must be a catch, right? It turns out that there is a catch for unbelievers. There is a sin that is unforgivable and unpardonable for them. That sin will keep them from salvation and from heaven. It is failure to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior (John 14:7). That sin also results in rejection of the Holy Spirit, which is given to all believers (Rom 8:9-10). When we reject Christ we also reject the Holy Spirit and sin against him. When unbelievers get to their judgment there will be one unpardonable sin that they certainly have committed; rejection of Jesus Christ, and thus rejection of the Holy Spirit. Let’s next address this “unpardonable sin” in some detail and then follow that up with a discussion of “the sin that leads to death.” We have said that the unpardonable sin applies to unbelievers and we’ll see later who the sin that leads to death applies to.

 THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

The unpardonable sin is discussed in Matt 12:24-32 and Mark 3:22-30. The sin discussed there was crediting Christ’s miraculous powers to Satan. Jesus said that this was an eternal sin that would never be forgiven. Many scholars have said that this was a unique sin that cannot be duplicated today. They apparently infer its uniqueness from (1) Luke 11:45-51 and Matt 23:29-36 where Jesus says that the Pharisees and teachers of the law of that generation would be held responsible for the sins of all preceding generations of Jews because they rejected Jesus, crucified him, and abused his followers, and (2) from Luke 14:15-24 where Jesus seemed to be saying that not one of them would get into heaven. Also, John 12:34-43 says that the Pharisees and leaders of that time were blinded by God and could not understand that Jesus was the Messiah. All of this certainly was unique! It also resulted in them being banned from heaven. But did their being banned from heaven result from the sin of the Pharisees and leaders in which they said that Jesus received his miraculous power from Satan or because it was God’s plan to bring the gospel to the gentiles as described by Paul? This is discussed in Rom 11 and in verse 20 Paul says that it was God’s plan to separate the Jews from Himself in order to save the gentiles, but that it was a result of unbelief. So unbelief seems to be the bottom line reason for what happened to them. Because of the Jew’s unbelief, God used them to reach the gentiles with the gospel. Also because of their unbelief, they were sentenced to hell (Rom 11:13-16).

Paul tells us in Rom 3:21-26 that God left the sins of the previous generations unpunished to demonstrate his justice to their generation (Paul’s and Jesus’ generation) and to justify those who had faith in Jesus. What was justice to that generation? It was demonstrating that those who rejected Jesus would pay a heavy price (the sins of all previous generations would be transferred to them) and that those who accepted him would receive the promised eternal life, i.e. justice, bad for the bad and good for the good.

Heb 10:26-37 lumps the sins of rejecting Jesus, rejecting the gospel and insulting the Spirit together and says those who do so face punishment and the raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. This was written in the Church age after Christ and certainly applies to us today. The situation with the Pharisees and leaders was certainly unique and there may be a special punishment awaiting them in hell. However, both the Pharisees and unbelievers of all ages face the same certain prospect of eternal separation from God.

It seems to me that the Bible says that anyone who at anytime rejects Jesus and continues in that condition until the end of his life faces eternal punishment in hell. They have committed an eternal, unforgivable, unpardonable sin. Certainly people today who have rejected Christ and the Holy Spirit can change their minds, accept him and obtain eternal salvation, provided that they do it before they die. The sin is only unpardonable if you die in unbelief. Why then was the Jew’s sin unpardonable? I believe as Paul said, that all of this happened to the Jews because of their blindness to the truth about Jesus, i.e. their unbelief. In fact the unbelief of all of their ancestors was heaped on their shoulders in accordance with Ex 20:5.

So, is there an unpardonable sin today? Yes, but only for the unbeliever. It is failure to believe the truth about Jesus, and thus receive the Holy Spirit. It is forgivable and correctable until death. Was there an unpardonable sin in Jesus’ day? Yes. It was failure to believe the truth about Jesus and thus receive the Holy Spirit. Why was it not forgivable? Because the Jews were blind to the truth and could not ask for forgiveness and salvation. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8)! Now let’s turn to the other mysterious sin, the sin that leads to death.

THE SIN THAT LEADS TO DEATH

We read in several places in the New Testament that there is a “sin that leads to death.” It is rather puzzling to try to figure out what this sin is because the authors do not say clearly what it is. However, they do give us several clues with which to figure it out. Let’s read a few of the key scriptures that hint at this sin and then see if we can figure out what it is and who it applies to.

I Jn 5:16-18 16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. 18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.

Rom 6:19-23 19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Heb 9:11-15 11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-- now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Heb 6:1-6 1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

JUST WHAT IS THE SIN THAT LEADS TO DEATH?

The acts that lead to death above in Heb 6 and 9 are the useless rituals performed by Jews for forgiveness of sins. The sin that leads to death appears to be refusing to accept the new covenant, Jesus once for all sacrifice for our sins. According to the author of Hebrews, performing sacrificial acts for forgiveness is akin to crucifying Jesus all over again. Many New Testament Jews became Christians but later returned to Judaism, thus falling away from grace and returning to works. Hebrews leads us to believe that those who died in this state were lost. This was primarily a Jewish sin, involving returning to regular animal sacrifices for forgiveness of sins, and thus rejecting the gospel of Jesus.

Is this a sin that we can commit today? I believe it is. If we accept Jesus sacrifice for us and then later in life renounce him, I believe that we are in essence doing the same thing. Many first century Jews indicated an acceptance of Jesus sacrifice for them but then failed to follow through; they did not change their lifestyle. This same thing happens regularly today as many people voice an acceptance of Jesus sacrifice for them but then fail to follow through and change their lifestyle. Simply expressing an acknowledgment of Jesus identity is not sufficient for salvation; there must be a commitment to him and his gospel. For a complete discussion of this topic see How can I become saved. There is a fairly extensive discussion of one time believers rejecting Jesus at some time later in their lives and losing their salvation in the section Can a person lose their salvation.

The first century Jews that we are discussing were willing to make an acknowledgement that Jesus was the Son of God, but they were not willing to accept his message, his gospel and what he died for. They were not willing to give up their beliefs that (1) they could earn their way to heaven by sufficiently keeping their Jewish law, and (2) that they could only be forgiven for their sins by following their sacrificial traditions. Jesus discussed this topic with them extensively in his Sermon on the Mount. That sermon is as mysterious as the two sins that we have been discussing and most of us are thoroughly confused by it. See the sermon on the mount for details.

IS SUICIDE AN UNPARDONABLE SIN?

Let me start off by reassuring those who have had a loved one commit suicide that it is not an unpardonable sin. Anyone who is a true believer in Jesus at the end of their lives will go to heaven. I have absolutely no doubt about that. If a person knows Jesus and is trying to follow him there is nothing that can keep him out of heaven. There is no sin, save one, that can keep a person out of heaven. That sin is rejection of Jesus as one’s Lord and Savior. If a person is a believer then there is no sin, including suicide that can keep him out of heaven. Jesus “once for all” forgiveness of sins provided for by his sacrifice of himself on the cross forgives all of our sins, past, present and future. When we die we do not have to be “prayed up” so to speak, having asked for forgiveness of every last sin that we have recently committed. Jesus sacrifice has forgiven us of them even before we ask.

There are two reasons that I am aware of for asking God for forgiveness for sins. One is so that we can think about them, discuss them with God and try to overcome them with the help of the Holy Spirit. We can’t overcome them without acknowledging them before God. We are told that we should try to pattern our lives after Jesus’ sinless life. Believers should want to do that. The second reason is because the model prayer that Jesus gave us included asking for forgiveness of sins. Anytime that we come into the presence of God he wants our souls to be cleansed and pure. Asking God for forgiveness accomplishes that. Our inward selves, our spirits, the part of us that goes to heaven immediately upon our death has been made perfect forever by Jesus sacrifice. However our souls, our outward selves, are continually being made unclean by our participation in this unclean and sinful world. God also wants that part of us cleaned up when we come into his presence in our outward selves while we are still in this world.Let’s now tackle another very complex teaching, the Sermon on the Mount.