Sin
October 5
The Nature of Degeneration
“Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned …” (Romans 5:12).
The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away—an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26).
The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, “I am my own god.” This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it always has a common basis—my claim to my right to myself.
When our Lord faced either people with all the forces of evil in them, or people who were clean-living, moral, and upright, He paid no attention to the moral degradation of one, nor any attention to the moral attainment of the other. He looked at something we do not see, namely, the nature of man (see John 2:25).
Sin is something I am born with and cannot touch—only God touches sin through redemption. It is through the Cross of Christ that God redeemed the entire human race from the possibility of damnation through the heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a person responsible for having the heredity of sin, and does not condemn anyone because of it. Condemnation comes when I realize that Jesus Christ came to deliver me from this heredity of sin, and yet I refuse to let Him do so. From that moment I begin to get the seal of damnation. “This is the condemnation [and the critical moment], that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light …” (John 3:19).
25 No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
Primarily a wrong relationship with God, which may express itself in wrong attitudes or actions towards God himself, other human beings, possessions or the environment. Scripture stresses that this condition is deeply rooted in human nature, and that only God is able to break its penalty, power and presence.
6021
sin, nature of
Scripture portrays sin in terms of wrongness before God in a variety of different ways, such as uncleanness, guilt or rebellion.
The basic nature of sin
All sin is directed against God Ps 51:4 See also Ge 13:13; Ex 10:16; Jdg 10:10; Ps 41:4; Lk 15:18
Sin is essentially a lack of faith in God Ro 14:23 See also Heb 11:6
Descriptions of sin
Corruption of God’s good purposes Dt 32:5 See also Ge 6:11-12; Dt 9:12; 31:29; Jdg 2:19
Doing evil in God’s sight Jn 3:19-20 See also Jdg 2:11; Ps 34:12-16; Pr 8:13; Isa 59:6-7; Mt 12:35 pp Lk 6:45
Ungodliness Jude 14-15 See also Isa 9:17; 32:6; 1Ti 1:9
Rebellion against God’s authority Isa 30:9 See also Dt 9:7; 1Sa 15:23; Ps 78:40,56; Jer 3:13; Hos 7:13
The breaking or transgression of God’s laws 1Jn 3:4 See also 1Sa 13:13-14; 1Ch 10:13; Ne 9:29; Mic 1:5; 7:18; Ro 2:23; 4:15; 5:14-17; Jas 2:10-11
Straying from the right path Isa 53:6 See also Ps 58:3; 95:10; 119:10,21,118
Incurring a debt Mt 6:12 See also Mt 18:21-35
Falling short of a standard Ro 3:23 The words most commonly used for “sin” in the OT and NT originally signified “missing the mark”.
Uncleanness Ps 51:2; Isa 1:16 See also Ps 51:7; Heb 9:14
Kinds of sin
Sins of omission Jas 4:17 See also Mt 23:23 pp Lk 11:42; Mt 25:45
Deliberate sins Lk 12:47 See also Nu 15:30-31; Dt 1:42-43; 17:12; Ps 19:13; Isa 57:17; Ro 1:32
Unintentional sins Lk 12:48 See also Lev 4:1-5; Nu 15:22-29; Dt 4:41-42; Ac 3:17; 1Ti 1:13
Sin against the Holy Spirit Mk 3:29-30 pp Mt 12:31-32 pp Lk 12:10 See also 1Jn 5:16
6022
sin, causes of
Sin is the result of the fall, at which the creation rebels against God its Creator.
Sin as a result of the devil’s activity
The devil’s instigation of the first sin Ge 3:13 See also Ge 3:1-6; 2Co 11:3; Rev 12:9
The devil’s role as tempter 1Th 3:5 See also Mt 4:1-11 pp Mk 1:12-13 pp Lk 4:1-13; Mt 6:13
The devil as the source of sinful behaviour Jn 8:44 See also Jn 8:38,41; 1Jn 3:8,10
The sins of angels 2Pe 2:4 See also Jude 6
Sin as a power in the world
Sin’s reign from the time of Adam Ro 5:12 See also Ge 4:7; Jn 8:34; Ro 5:21; 6:16
Sin uses the law to provoke sinful desires Ro 7:5 See also Ro 7:7-12; 1Co 15:56
The world is under sin’s dominion 1Jn 2:16 See also Lk 21:34; Tit 2:12
Sin is rooted in human nature
The human heart is dominated by sin Jer 17:9 See also Mt 15:19 pp Mk 7:21-22; Ro 1:24; Heb 3:12
Human nature is fundamentally opposed to God Ro 8:5-8 See also Ro 7:14-25; Gal 5:17-21; Eph 2:3; 2Pe 2:10,18
The act of sinning
Sin results from giving in to evil desires Jas 1:14-15 See also Ro 13:13-14; Jas 4:1; Jude 16
Sin results from the human desire to be like God Ge 3:5 See also Isa 14:12-14; Eze 28:2
Sin results when the body is placed at sin’s disposal Ro 6:13 See also Mt 5:29-30; 18:8-9 pp Mk 9:43-47
Sin results from the influence of others 1Co 15:33 See also Ex 23:33; 1Ki 11:3; Pr 1:10; 22:24-25
The seriousness of leading others into sin Mk 9:42 pp Mt 18:6 pp Lk 17:1-2 See also 1Co 8:9-13
See also
4025 world, the
4120 Satan
6154 fall, the
6166 flesh, sinful nature
6023
sin, universality of
All human beings sin and are guilty in the sight of God on account of an inherently sinful disposition, which can be traced back to Adam. Acts of sin thus arise from a sinful human heart. The basis of cleansing and cancellation of “original sin” is the atoning death of Jesus Christ.
Adam, the cause of universal sin
Ro 5:19 See also Ge 3:1-24; Ro 5:12; 1Co 15:22
The universe is in subjection to sin
Gal 3:22 See also Ro 5:21; 11:32
Sin is inherent in human nature
Sinfulness from birth Ps 51:5 See also Job 25:4; Ps 58:3
The sinful heart Ge 6:5 See also Ge 8:21; Ecc 9:3; Jer 17:9; Mt 15:19 pp Mk 7:21
The sinful nature Eph 2:3 See also Ro 8:6-8; Gal 5:19-21
The universality of sin
No-one is righteous Ro 3:9-19 See also Ps 5:9; 10:7; 14:1-3 pp Ps 53:1-3; Ps 36:1; 140:3; Isa 59:7-8
All have sinned Ro 3:23 See also Ge 6:11-12; 1Ki 8:46 pp 2Ch 6:36; Ecc 7:20; Isa 53:6; Ro 1:18-32; Jas 3:2
Everyone is sinful in God’s sight 1Jn 1:8 See also Ps 130:3; 143:2; Pr 20:9; Isa 64:6-7; Mt 19:17 pp Mk 10:18 pp Lk 18:19; 1Jn 1:10
Some characters in Scripture are described as being blameless in comparison with their contemporaries
Ge 5:24 Enoch; Ge 6:9 Noah; 1Ki 15:5 David
Jesus Christ alone is sinless
Heb 4:15; 1Pe 2:22 See also Isa 53:9; Lk 23:47; 2Co 5:21; Heb 7:26; 1Jn 3:5
See also
2075 Christ, sinless
4005 creation
5020 human nature
5080 Adam
6115 blame
6160 fathers, sin of
8201 blamelessness
6024
sin, effects of
Sin affects every level of human existence, including the sinner’s relationship with God, with other human beings and with the environment.
The effects of sin on individuals
Lack of peace of mind Isa 57:20-21 See also Job 15:20-35; Ps 38:5-8; Pr 13:15-22; La 1:20-21
Bondage to a continuing habit of sin Jn 8:34 See also Pr 5:22; Ro 6:16; 2Ti 2:16
Physical death 1Co 15:56 See also Ge 2:17; 3:19; Pr 21:16; Ro 5:12-14; 6:21-23; 1Co 15:22; Jas 1:15
The sinful life is equivalent to death Eph 2:1 See also Ro 7:9,13; 8:10; Col 2:13
The effects of sin on the sinner before God
Uncleanness Isa 64:6 See also Ps 106:39; Isa 6:5; Jer 2:22; La 1:8; Mt 15:18-20 pp Mk 7:20-23
Guilt Ezr 9:6 The prayer of Ezra. See also Ge 3:10; Ps 38:3-4; 44:15; Isa 59:12-13; Jer 3:25; 14:20
Separation from God Isa 59:2 See also Dt 31:18; Isa 1:15; 64:7; Eze 8:6; Hos 5:6; Mic 3:4; Eph 2:12
The effects of sin on Israel
Pr 14:34 See also Jos 7:1-16 Achan’s sin; 1Ki 8:33-40 the consequences of sin for Israel; Isa 1:4-9 the plight of Judah; Ro 1:21-32 the condition of humanity
The effects of sin on the world
The ground cursed Ge 3:17-18 See also Jer 12:13; Ro 8:20-22
The land polluted Lev 18:25 See also Ge 4:10-12; Nu 35:33-34; Ps 106:38; Isa 24:4-6; Jer 3:1
See also
5447 poverty, causes
5493 retribution
5568 suffering, causes
5947 shame
5952 sorrow
6172 guilt
7340 clean and unclean
7348 defilement
7449 slavery, spiritual
8341 separation
9020 death
Darkness as Sin — Sin is conceptualized as darkness.
Source: Darkness
Factbook | Dark
Target: Sin
Factbook | Sin
Category: Substance Metaphor
Reference Works
• Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• Nature of Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• Causes of Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• Universality of Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• Effects of Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• Sin and God’s Character (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• God’s Judgment on ’Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• God’s Remedy for Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• God’s Deliverance From Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• Accepting Forgiveness of Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• Avoidance of Sin (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• Sin of the Fathers (Dictionary of Bible Themes)
• Sin (Lexham Theological Wordbook)
• Sin (The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary)
Adam and Christ Contrasted
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sin is a fundamental relationship—it is not wrong doing, but wrong being—it is deliberate and determined independence from God
The Christian faith bases everything on the extreme, self-confident nature of sin. Other faiths deal with sins—the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ confronted in people was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the gospel that the message of the gospel has lost its sting and its explosive power.
