Opening Question:  How would you describe sin?

Sin.

Defining Sin.

Most people today ignore the concept of, and even the term, sin. We claim it be man’s weakness or mild shortcomings.  Some people might go as far to consider some acts evil.  But unless you understand the full gravity of sin you cannot understand or appreciate our Creator’s love and purpose.

Sin can be defined under different terms in the Bible.  Let’s take a look at these characteristics from both the Old and New Testament.

• Rebellion (Isaiah 1:2)
• Erred / Gone astray (Job 19:4)
• Fall short / miss the mark (Romans 3:23)
• Transgression / Crime (Romans 4:15)
• Anything not based on faith (Romans 14:23)
• Doing wrong (James 4:17)
• Lawlessness (1 John 3:4)
• Wrongdoing (1 John 5:17)

 

Did your definition include any of the above terms?  Now that you have gone through these, which ones would you pick out as that feels the most accurate, as it pertains to your life experiences and knowledge. 

 

Origin of Sin.

Sin originated with Satan, or Lucifer, or commonly known as the Devil.  Satan was an angelic being who sought his own power.  His desire to be like or above God led to his eviction out of heaven.  In that action, Satan became an adversary of God. He is not an equal enemy to God; however, he is an angelic being trying to completely disrupt and destroy the creation God made and gain as many supporters as possible.

 ‘How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!  You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”  Isaiah 14:12-14

Just like any enemy on the battlefield, Satan uses deceptive tactics to disrupt, isolate, and render us useless as a sailor and a person.  His primary objective is to take us out of the fight, off the battlefield permanently.  Often, he is more successful in his tactics and can convince man to be on his side and fight with him.

Sin entered our world through Adam and Eve, the first man and woman on Earth.  Let’s read through Genesis Chapter 3, verses 1-19 and see how this disruptive attack played out.

Go ahead and read the passage and then we’ll do our in-depth analysis.

1. Defection or desertion. Adam and Eve changed their allegiance from God (Gen. 3: 4,5). Man no longer followed God’s commands, but desired to follow their own course of action.  They broke the chain-of-command.
2. Doubt. Adam and Eve allowed Satan to create confusion and doubt about God’s motives. (Gen. 3:1) They began to question the Commander’s Intent, which lead to a breakdown in understanding the right thing to do.
3. Pride and independence. They, like Satan, allowed a desire to be equal to God take root within their hearts. This also produced the desire to be completely independent and without any accountability to God. (Gen. 3:5) Most of the time we want to be in charge of own destiny, the situation we are in, and sometimes others around us.  The one thought Satan allowed Adam and Eve’s to hear took root and grew quickly into a mutiny in Eden.
4. Temptation. Once Eve saw the fruit, she noticed how good it looked. When the enemy shows you something bad that looks good, you begin to question its validity of being bad.  (Gen. 3:6) 
5. Disobedience. Adam and Eve ultimately ignored God’s one rule. (Gen. 3:6) A major breakdown in orders occurred and the enemy gained ground and the battlefield quickly changed.
6. Psychological Alienation. They felt “guilty.” The first time this emotion became real. There was an emotional separation they never experienced before. (Gen. 3:7,10)
7. Theological Alienation. They covered themselves and hid from God. (Gen. 3: 7,8)
8. Social Alienation. Adam and Eve’s relationships to each other and to God was impacted.  They began blaming each other, Satan, and God for their actions. (Gen. 3: 12,13) They completely ignored self-responsibility.
9. Ecological Alienation. The earth became cursed by their actions.  We see the evidence of this mentioned earlier.  Thorns and thistles great and the earth had to be worked by hand for food. (Gen. 3, 17, 18).  Beyond that came natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, and floods.  Even animals and humans became destructive, attacking each other.  (Romans 8:18-22)

 

Sin has two different personalities affecting all humans. They are:

1. Inherited sin. The sin which entered the world permanently across all humans and the earth at the instant Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit. (Romans 5:17)
2. Actual sin. The sin which can enter our life because of an act we have committed or our general nature that is no longer fully good because of the inherited sin.
   1. The Ten Commands in Exodus 20:3-17 refers to sin in which we are prone to commit and thus God’s laws were needed and passed down to his people through Moses. What are the sins mentioned in these laws?
      1. Idolatry
      2. Adultery
      3. Covetousness
      4. Cursing
      5. Stealing
      6. Sabbath breaking
      7. Murder
      8. Lying
      9. Disrespect
   2. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

What items in this list did you discover to be odd or unfamiliar?

 

                    C. Romans 12:9-31

 

In what ways can you overcome evil with good?  Do you think this is possible?

 

D. 1 Timothy 1:9-10

 

E. Galatians 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  – Galatians 5:19-21

 

Some of these on this list should sound like they belong.  Are there ones that you feel shouldn’t belong on this list? Why?

 

One important factor we must not overlook is this:  sin cannot be hidden from God. (Numbers 32:23, Hebrews 4:13).  Some Biblical examples of this include Adam (Gen 3), Cain (Gen 4), Ananias and Sapphria (Acts 5). 

 

How does most of the world feel and see sin? 

 

We are all trying to please some higher power, whether it is a physical or spiritual being or our own self.  There is a focus on doing what is “right” and yet we all miss the desired end results using our own power. A perfect analogy is we aim for the bullseye and yet we sometimes completely miss the entire target.  We are not perfect and cannot live a perfect life, which leads to some intended or unintended consequences.

 

What are consequences of sin?

1. Death (Rom 6:23)
2. Guilt (Psalms 51: 3-4, James 1:10)
3. Hell (Matt 25:41)
4. Bondage (Rom 6:17, Gal 5:1)
5. Spiritual Death (Eph 2:1)
6. Lack of hope (Eph 2:12)
7. Corruption (Titus 1:15)
8. Judgment (James 5:12, John 3:18)
9. Separation from God (Isaiah 59:1-2)
10. Everlasting punishment (Matt 25:46)

 

As forementioned, we do not measure up and maintain our life that is always pleasing every minute of every day.  As we look to the Bible for examples of who does, we find that everyone has sinned.

• Romans 5:12
• Isaiah 5:36
• Romans 3:23
• Psalms 51:5

 

The ultimate destiny of man is eternal judgement, permanent separation, and a fiery location called hell.  This seems like a very odd place to stop right now in our study; however, this is a good time to spend some time looking at the world around us through a different lens.  You have now been exposed to a new perspective, like using a radar to see the enemy over-the-horizon, or even bad weather approaching. There are things beyond our normal view that we might be able to see or see differently based on new knowledge or technology.

But, before we end, let’s cover a few more questions.

 

DEBRIEF QUESTIONS:

1. Do you think all men/women are inherently good?
2. How has sin impacted your life (from your own challenges or those around you impacting your life?