I WHAT IS SIN?
NO ONE can read the Bible very much without realizing that a great deal of attention is given to the subject of sin, its cause and cure. We often think of sin in connection with crime and murder. But sin in the Bible refers to anything short of God’s perfection. In Romans 3:23, we read, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. The “glory of God” includes the thought of absolute perfection. Sin is therefore falling short of the mark. All men are guilty of this.
Sin is also spoken of in the Bible in the following ways.
1. Breaking the law of God. Romans 5:13
2. Rebellion against God, or lawlessness. 1 John 3:4 (Revised Version).
3. Moral impurity. Psalm 32:5.
Evil thoughts are sinful, as well as evil deeds. Matthew 5:28.
II THE ORIGIN OF SIN
The first recorded instance of sin took place in heaven. The angel Lucifer became ambitious to be equal with God. Isaiah 14:12-14. For this sin of pride, he was cast out of heaven, and became the one whom the Bible elsewhere describes as the devil or Satan.
The first instance of sin on earth is described in the Third Chapter of Genesis. It took place in the Garden of Eden. God forbade Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. They thus became sinners.
III THE RESULTS OF SIN
1. As soon as the parents of the human race sinned, they became conscious of the fact that they were naked, and they tried to hide from God. Genesis 3:10.
2. The penalty of sin is death. Adam became spiritually dead the moment he sinned. By this we mean that he became separated from God, and banished from God’s presence. He also became subject to physical death. Although he did not die immediately, his body was doomed to die eventually.
3. Adams’ sinful nature was passed on to the human race. Every child born of sinful parents is a sinner by birth. Thus Adam’s oldest son, Cain, was a murderer. Because all men are born sinners, they are all dead spiritually, and are all doomed to die someday. (Read Romans 5:12-18 carefully at this point).
IV THE PENALTY OF SIN
“The wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23. God has pronounced the penalty of sin as being death. We have already seen that this means spiritual death and physical death. This penalty must be paid. God must punish sin.
As long as a man lives in his sins, he is dead spiritually and is facing physical death. If he is still in his sins when he dies, he is subject to eternal death. This means that he will be forever banished from God and will suffer for his sins in the lake of fire. This is the second death spoken of in Revelation 20:14.
V THE REMEDY FOR SIN
God has provided a remedy so that men do not need to suffer everlasting punishment for their sins. He sent His Son into the world to provide a way of escape for man. The Lord Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. He did not inherit Adam’s sinful nature. He was the only sinless man who ever lived. On the Cross of Calvary He willingly suffered the penalty of sin, and satisfied all God’s holy demands. Since the penalty of sin has been met, God can now give eternal life to every sinner and receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. (This will be more fully explained in the lessons on the New Birth and Salvation).
When a person trusts in Christ, he is saved from the penalty and power of sin. This does not mean that he no longer commits sin. But it does mean that all his sins, past, present and future, have been forgiven, that he will never be judged for them, and that he has power to live for God instead of for the pleasures of sin.
What Christians Believe
Chapter 4: Sin
Copyright, 1949, 1951, by Emmaus Bible School
Chicago, Illinois
NO ONE can read the Bible very much without realizing that a great deal of attention is given to the subject of sin, its cause and cure. We often think of sin in connection with crime and murder. But sin in the Bible refers to anything short of God’s perfection. In Romans 3:23, we read, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. The “glory of God” includes the thought of absolute perfection. Sin is therefore falling short of the mark. All men are guilty of this.
Sin is also spoken of in the Bible in the following ways.1. Breaking the law of God. Romans 5:13
2. Rebellion against God, or lawlessness. 1 John 3:4 (Revised Version).
3. Moral impurity. Psalm 32:5.
Evil thoughts are sinful, as well as evil deeds. Matthew 5:28.
II THE ORIGIN OF SIN
The first recorded instance of sin took place in heaven. The angel Lucifer became ambitious to be equal with God. Isaiah 14:12-14. For this sin of pride, he was cast out of heaven, and became the one whom the Bible elsewhere describes as the devil or Satan.
The first instance of sin on earth is described in the Third Chapter of Genesis. It took place in the Garden of Eden. God forbade Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. They thus became sinners.
III THE RESULTS OF SIN
1. As soon as the parents of the human race sinned, they became conscious of the fact that they were naked, and they tried to hide from God. Genesis 3:10.
2. The penalty of sin is death. Adam became spiritually dead the moment he sinned. By this we mean that he became separated from God, and banished from God’s presence. He also became subject to physical death. Although he did not die immediately, his body was doomed to die eventually.
3. Adams’ sinful nature was passed on to the human race. Every child born of sinful parents is a sinner by birth. Thus Adam’s oldest son, Cain, was a murderer. Because all men are born sinners, they are all dead spiritually, and are all doomed to die someday. (Read Romans 5:12-18 carefully at this point).
IV THE PENALTY OF SIN
“The wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23. God has pronounced the penalty of sin as being death. We have already seen that this means spiritual death and physical death. This penalty must be paid. God must punish sin.
As long as a man lives in his sins, he is dead spiritually and is facing physical death. If he is still in his sins when he dies, he is subject to eternal death. This means that he will be forever banished from God and will suffer for his sins in the lake of fire. This is the second death spoken of in Revelation 20:14.
V THE REMEDY FOR SIN
God has provided a remedy so that men do not need to suffer everlasting punishment for their sins. He sent His Son into the world to provide a way of escape for man. The Lord Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. He did not inherit Adam’s sinful nature. He was the only sinless man who ever lived. On the Cross of Calvary He willingly suffered the penalty of sin, and satisfied all God’s holy demands. Since the penalty of sin has been met, God can now give eternal life to every sinner and receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. (This will be more fully explained in the lessons on the New Birth and Salvation).
When a person trusts in Christ, he is saved from the penalty and power of sin. This does not mean that he no longer commits sin. But it does mean that all his sins, past, present and future, have been forgiven, that he will never be judged for them, and that he has power to live for God instead of for the pleasures of sin.
What Christians Believe
Chapter 4: Sin
Copyright, 1949, 1951, by Emmaus Bible School
Chicago, Illinois
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2 comments:
There's a huge problem with this message--it's not "good" news! You're saying, in direct contrast to everything Jesus actually said about God the Father, that God intends to torture billions of people, for all eternity! Talk about an infinite number of wrongs, not making a right!
Thankfully, there is no Hell. There can't and won't be according to what Jesus really said.
I've actually written an entire book on this topic--Hell? No! Why You Can Be Certain There's No Such Place As Hell, (for anyone interested, you can get a free ecopy of Did Jesus Believe in Hell?, one of the most compelling chapters in my book at www.thereisnohell.com), but if I may, let me share just one of the many points I make in it to explain why.
If one is willing to look, there's substantial evidence contained in the gospels to show that Jesus opposed the idea of Hell. For example, in Luke 9:51-56, is a story about his great disappointment with his disciples when they actually suggested imploring God to rain FIRE on a village just because they had rejected him. His response: "You don't know what spirit is inspiring this kind of talk!" Presumably, it was NOT the Holy Spirit. He went on, trying to explain how he had come to save, heal and relieve suffering, not be the CAUSE of it.
So it only stands to reason that this same Jesus, who was appalled at the very idea of burning a few people, for a few horrific minutes until they were dead, could never, ever burn BILLIONS of people for an ETERNITY!
I'm sorry Rick, but I do not believe you. If you really are a true bible reader you can't deny that there is hell. The bible tells us that there is hell. We are meant to be in hell because we've been set apart from God. But thanks to His Son and our Lord Jesus Christ, we can be saved from the fires of hell because He bought us by His own blood and only through Him we can be saved.
I don't want to argue with you in this matter because I genuinely believe that there is hell and that will be our destination if we will not give up our lives to Jesus.
If you really want to know and to be sure that hell is real, the bible will tell you. And maybe next week I'll post about the doctrine of hell.
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