The Nature of Sin Q and A.
Q. For what am I condemned ?
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23
Q. What is this sin which will bring upon me this penalty of death ?
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4
"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it
is sin." James 4:17
Q. But don't we die because of Adam's guilt ?
" Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that ALL have sinned:
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is
no law." Romans 5:12,13
" The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the
iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son:
the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of
the wicked shall be upon him." Eze 18:20
Q. But doesn't Romans 5 say that we all die because of Adam's guilt ?
" For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which
receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in
life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came
upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free
gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be
made righteous." Romans 5:17-19
NOTE : These verses say that in the same way that comdemnation came upon
all men, salvation also comes upon them. Salvation comes upon men when they
CHOOSE to accept God's saving grace. Like wise condemnation comes upon all men
when they CHOOSE to reject God's grace. Adam and Christ are only the means by
which those options are made available to us.
Just like SIN and DEATH entered into the world through Adam Salvation and
LIFE enters in the same way through Christ!!! So that IF you say that we are
all guilty irrespective of our choice because of Adam's sin then you must also
say that we are all saved irrespective of our choice because of Christ's
righteousness. This is known as universalism and is NOT ON!!! The wicked will
NOT BE SAVED irrespective of their choices but only as they chose
righteousness. Likewise condemnation only falls on those who choose to sin!!
Q. Okay so, God says I am condemned for my CHOOSING sin and that the
condemnation results in death. But Jesus says :
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never
see death. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil.
Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying,
he shall never taste of death. " John 8:51-51
"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest
thou this?" John 11:26
Q. Why then is it that everyone dies ? Are you referring to a different
death ?
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such
the second death hath no power." Rev 20:6
Q. Ok so you say that the wages of sin refer to the second death. What then
do you call the first death ?
"These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend
Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his
disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his
death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep."
John 11:11-13
Q. Which death then did Jesus die on calvary ?
"An he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his DEATHS.
" Isaiah 53:9. {the word death is actually plural in the Hebrew }
Q. Ok so you say that sin only comes about because of my choice. What then
happens if I do not know, can I claim ignorance ? Is my sin proportionate to my
knowledge ?
"If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now
they have no cloke for their sin."John 15:22
"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all
men every where to repent:"Acts 17:30
"If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they
had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my
Father."John 15:24
"Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but
now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth." John 9:41
"Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty
works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be
more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And
thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell:
for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be
more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. At
that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes. "Matt 11:21-25 [willful ignorance however
is not excused ]
"I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold
Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there. And of Zion it
shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself
shall establish her. The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that
this man was born there. Selah." Ps 87:4-6 [God will take our
backgrounds into acount ]
Q. How then will I be judged ?
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged
every man according to their works." Rev 20:12-13
"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecc 12:14
Q. So If I am judged by what I CHOOSE to do, does my birth have anything to
do with it ?
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his
kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and
it was so." Gen 1:24
"Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one" Job 14:4
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh but that which is born of
the spirit is life" (sorry can't remember the reference)
Q. What then do I inheret?
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can
know it?" Jer 17:9
"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:
for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find
not." Rom 7:18
"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this
death?" Rom 7:23-24
Q. So when I inherit this flesh which the lusts thereof are enmity against
God do I also inherit guilt?
"What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel,
saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set
on edge? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to
use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the
father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall
die." Eze 18:2-4
"Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be
put to death for their fathers, everyone shall be put to death for his own
sin." Deut. 24:16,
Q. Is this lust of the flesh sin in itself? is temptation sin?
"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and
enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when
it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 1:14-15 {So that unless
the lust bears fruit we are not guilty}
Q. Considering that we are not then guilty because of our evil, sinful
natures, can we be righteous of our own selves?
"I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
for I delight in the Law of God after the inward man. But I see another law in
my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is in my members. Rom 7:21-23
"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may
ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." Jer 13:23
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us." 1 John 1:8
Q. But I thought that we are ALL born separated from God.
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,"Jeremiah 1:5 [NOT all are
born separated from God]
Q. Who else has not been born separated from God.
"But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope
when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou
art my God from my mother's belly. " Ps 22:9-10
"By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me
out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. " Ps
71:6
"Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD
hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made
mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the
shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver
hath he hid me;" Isaiah 49:1,2
"For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink
neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost,
even from his mother's womb." Luke 1:15
Q. What then separates us from God ?
"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your
sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear." Isa 59:2
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4
Q. Do I sin because I am a sinner, or am I a sinner because I sin ?
Adam was not a sinner and yet he sinned. He became a sinner after he sinned.
So that we see NO other teaching in the scriptures apart from that of SIN AS
CHOICE.
We die because it is the result of our sin but not the penalty,
the penalty of sin was removed (2nd death)
Jesus' forgiveness removes the penalty not the result of sin
this is why He must also remove sin from our lives.
Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some that told him of the
Galilaeans, whose blood
Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans
were sinners above all
the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they
were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish.
John 9:1-3 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was
born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be
made manifest in him.
John 5:24-25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
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