Theology Week 5 Chapter 4

Human Nature & Sin

Western Culture/Enlightenment Doctrine states: “Human nature is basically good.”

Jeremiah 17:9–10 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Is it true that human nature is basically good?

Psalm 51:10 ESV

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Why did the psalmist state that?

How many of your children were born with an innocent nature?

Proverbs 22:15 ESV

15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

So what is the basic nature of man?

Western culture is being pushed by Marxist doctrine to believe that man is good and that the only problem nations face is that there is no equality.

What do we hear from our colleges and university students and what are they being taught?

Marxism states: “The primary human problem is economic exploitation”

Is that the primary human problem?

G.K. Chesterton stated: “Human depravity is the one Christian doctrine that can really be proven.”

I would agree. Take a look back at Jeremiah 17:9

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Human depravity is moral corruption, evil, wickedness.

SIN is the problem!

Crime, murder, violence, terrorism, sexual immorality, adultery, drugs, Hollywood, none of those are the problem. They are a symptom if the problem, that is sin.

Most in the west don’t want anything to do with morality, someone telling them right from wrong.

The infection of determinism (knowing there is an illness, but believing nothing can be done about it) is killing us.

Here’s an example.

Health: when you are sick, what do you do?

Most would say we go to the doctor.

What does the doctor do?

He or she provides a diagnosis? Then what?

What is the purpose of medicine?

Diagnosis = some illness Diagnosis = we are broken by sin

Medicine = the cure Medicine = the blood of Jesus washes us

What is the cure for sin? Jesus

What is sin?

Turn to Genesis three

Sin is 2 things.

The failure to do or not do something

A Condition - a state of rebellion

An act or a failure instigated by a person in passion, a thought or desire is also sin.

Jesus related these things.

Hatred = murder Lust of another person = adultery

Coveting = theft

What are the consequences of sin?

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death…

We are self-centered or oriented due to sin. Think of our life and sin in this way. There is a rock at the top of a hill. It is perfectly fine as long as nothing influences it. If you dig under it, undermine it, it may move. If you push it hard enough it will begin to move. If you are on the other side fast enough, you may be able to stop it.

What happens if you let that rock begin to gain momentum?

Sin is like that. Once it begins the downhill movement, you may not be able to stop it. Our habits are like momentum, once the start moving they are extremely difficult to stop.

How about restoring that rock to its original place.

How hard is it to move a rock from the bottom to the top of a hill?

Once we develop habits they are like a rock rolling down a hill. Almost impossible to stop and even more difficult to move back to where they started.

That is sin in a simple explanation.

What is the human mortality rate? 100%

Christianity says: “death is a result of sin.” Romans 6:23

The cure for sin is Jesus!

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Christian view of sin is the only realistic one. It shows the dignity of mankind and the ruin of humans in self-chosen rebellion.

Self-chosen rebellion

We need the cure, Jesus, Our ultimate desire is for peace, health, and joy. There is only one place that will be found. It is found in the presence of Jesus and in Heaven, our home.