091104: Sin

What is Sin?

The Fall of Man (Genesis 3:14-19): Original Sin

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Tree (Daniel 4:28): The Madness of Nebuchadnezzar

David Numbers the Fighting Men (1 Chronicles 21): The Census of David

Similarities between the stories

- Something bad was done, followed by God’s punishment.

- The subjects all share a form of pride and were in the end humbled.

- In the case of Adam and Eve, the curse is continuously inherited today, but Christ redeemed us all. It was not written in its story that Adam and Eve repented (whereas the subjects of the above two stories repented and received forgiveness).

What the stories say about Sin

- Sin is not just an abstract idea; there is a cause and an effect, i.e. Sin brings forth curses and judgments.

- Sin is an act, something that someone does. Who ever commits the sin has ownership of the sin. Sin is personal.

- The curses and judgments brought forth by the Sin can spread to others.

So… what IS Sin?

- Sin leads to death (Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.”)

- Sin = separation from God (start doing his/her own thing, walking away from God), as exemplified by the 3 stories above

- Sin results in curses and judgments. Once a sin is committed, a judgment will be cast. Even after repentance, the judgment will be carried through. Curses, on the other hand, can be stopped after repentance.

Are all sins forgivable?

- No. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin. (Matthew 12:31-32, “And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”)

- Why just the Holy Spirit? We have yet to find a scripture that explains this, but our current thought is, the Holy spirit is nothing but good; it represents guidance, love, cleansing, etc. To express intense irreverence against a purely good thing is just unforgivable.

What is so bad about Sin that only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away?

- We do not think the judgment resulting from the Original Sin has been set, though God has indeed cursed Adam and Eve (Genesis 3).

- The curse of the Original Sin is death and separation from God (see also above).

- We have yet to find in the Bible that suggests Adam and Eve have repented for their sins. In fact, they showed very little repentance in Genesis 3:12-13 when they readily laid blame on others but themselves. This may explain why we, their descendents, continue to suffer their curses.

- Repenting for our sins puts a stop to our curses (Repent = return to God). However, repentance cannot undo the sin (and thus judgment cannot be undone either). The sin STICKS.

- “For the wages of sin is death!” Something has to die because of the sin. And so, Jesus Christ died for us all. Blood was at the start of the covenant with God. Blood spilled was what broke that covenant. And so, the blood of Jesus Christ is what can bring us back to God. It is the only thing that can completely wash away all sins and make people CLEAN again and thus be allowed in the presence of God, because Jesus was perfect. Jesus never sinned.