Post by James Blankenship on Apr 7, 2012 14:36:06 GMT -5
What exactly IS "SIN"?
Simply put: it is disobedience to God.
Many people will ask-like what kind of disobedience?
Before I answer, let's discuss something.
Many atheists/non-believers, have the most bizarre ideas of what sin is.
To them, knowing & CHOOSING to follow Christ, is following a set of rules.
But to us who personally KNOW Christ Jesus, by having Him living in us by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is anything but.
First & foremost-THERE ARE NO "DEGREES OF SIN IN GOD'S EYES"
This is a fundamental BIBLICAL BELIEF.
Now many atheists/non-believers, will point out the following verse to try to contradict this:
John 19:10-12 (New International Version)
10 Do you refuse to speak to me? Pilate said. Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?
11 Jesus answered, You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.
Greater sin.
Yes, in MANS eye's perhaps-but not God's.
It is God's very NATURE to be perfect. Jesus even stated so right here:
Matthew 5:48 (New International Version)
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Because God is perfect, nothing that is IMperfect can stand in His presence.
Nothing.
Sin is so completely contradictory to God's presence, it CANNOT exist in His presence.
We see all through the Bible, (both Old & New Testaments), what IS or is NOT a sin.
We also see that, (in God's eyes), that all sin is INDEED equal, & I can prove that, right here:
Revelation 21:8 (New International Version)
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
Cowardliness is as bad as unbelief, which is as bad as murder, which is bad as vileness,
dictionary.reference.com/browse/vileness?s=t
(vileness
[vahyl] Origin
vile
[vahyl] Show IPA
adjective, viler, vilest.
1.
wretchedly bad: a vile humor.
2.
highly offensive, unpleasant, or objectionable: vile slander.
3.
repulsive or disgusting, as to the senses or feelings: a vile odor.
4.
morally debased, depraved, or despicable: vile deeds.
5.
foul; filthy: vile language.
which is as bad as sexual immorality, which is as bad as idolatry, which is as bad as magic, which is bad as lying, ........ect.
Do you see this?
In God's eyes, lying is as bad as murder!
In God's eyes, there are NO DIFFERENCES in sin.
This CLEARLY contradicts the catholic belief of "mortal" & venial" sins.
ANY sin is bad, & will NOT be allowed in God's presence.
ANY SIN!
And I found this particularly interesting-that this verse:
1 John 1:10 (New American Standard Bible)
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him, (God) a liar and His word is not in us.
The Bible talks a great deal about sin.
Look at this:
Ezekiel 18:4 (New International Version)
4 For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child, both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
And this:
Romans 6:23 (New International Version)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I could give you more verses that state the exact same thing, but these 2 verses sum up the consequences of what sin does to a person.
Then there are those atheists/non-believers, who will say "how can "christians" have any fun?
I would ask them to define "fun".
Those of us who have come into that personal relationship with Christ Jesus happen to have plenty of "fun", & there is nowhere in Scripture that says that we cannot have "fun".
But if fun they talk about is cursing God, getting drunk, (I'm not saying that it is wrong to have a drink or two, but giving into "booze" to to get drunk, is NOT my idea of "fun"), harming others, (either verbally or physically), breaking the law, ect-that is not what Christ did, & it is NOT what we who belong to Christ, by our relationship with Him, should do ether.
God's Word, the Bible DOES give us guidelines as to what God wants from us, but when we are living by the leading of the Holy Spirit inside of us, we, we grow to realize what God like & doesn't like, & we CHOOSE to follow those, because it is our desire to become more like God, as seen here:
It's NOT about me,
It's all for God.
It's NOT about how I look,
It's how God looks AT me.
It's NOT about my pride,
It's about God's humbleness.
It's NOT about MY failures,
It's about God's successes.
It's NOT about my past,
It's about God's future FOR us.
It's NOT about what I want to hear,
It's what God WANTS me to hear.
It's NOT about how I hurt,
It's about how God heals.
It's NOT about how far away I feel from God,
It's about how CLOSE God is to me.
It's NOT about my sins,
It's about God's forgiveness.
It's NOT about what I want,
It's about what God wants.
It's NOT about my understanding,
It's about what God's leading.
It's NOT about my desires,
It's about what God desires FOR me.
It's NOT about my needs,
It's about what God KNOWS I need.
It's NOT about my hate,
It's about God's love.
It's NOT about my fear,
It's about God's courage.
It's NOT about my ignorance,
It's about God's knowledge.
It's NOT about my selfishness,
It's about God's selflessness.
It's NOT about my weaknesses,
It's about God's strength.
It's NOT about my works,
It's about God working THROUGH me.
It's NOT about my now,
It's about God's eternity!
Those who come into that personal relationship with Christ Jesus, by accepting the forgiveness that was granted through the shedding of His blood, & the death & resurrection of Christ Jesus are NOT made sinless-rather, all those past sins are forgiven, (regardless of what they were),, & we can come right into the presence of the Father, (who since we made the decision FOR Christ), does not look at us as sinners, but rather looks at us through the Blood of Christ, which MADE us perfect in His sight.
Yes, we WILL sin from time to time, throughout our mortal existence, because we have been FORGIVEN-NOT made perfect, as many atheists/non-believers believe.
When we DO sin, we have this promise from Scripture:
1 John 1:9 (New International Version)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
He has promised us that He WILL forgive those sins.
Finally, there are those atheists/non-believers who think that if a person can come to Christ, be forgiven, & then just sin all they want, because they know that they can come to Christ, confess their sins, & they will be forgiven.
And this belief is completely UNscriptural, as seen here:
classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%206:1-14&version=NIV
I don't think I need to explain this passage. It is straightforward.
ANY sin is against God, & for those of us who belong to Him by our acceptance of the forgiveness through Christ, will NOT be judged by Him.
If we die, NOT having confessed every sin, that does NOT mean that we do not belong to God, but we will have to be purified BEFORE we can enter God's presence.
But to those who HAVE died in sin, by choosing to REJECT that forgiveness, that Christ offered, here is their fate:
Revelation 20:11-15 (New International Version)
The Judgment of the Dead
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Now, there are 2 questions that atheists/non-believers will ask here:
1. How will we be able to be in torment, if we have no bodies?
The answer is right here:
"13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
Do you see what happens here?
Every person who was against God, or who turned away from God in the Old Testament, & everyone who chose to refuse that free gift of forgiveness of Christ, or chose to follow a false belief, will be physically raised from the dead, judged, & be PHYSICALLY thrown into the Lake of Fire. Since they will be in their physical bodies, the torment, whatever it may be, (the Bible doesn't say-but you can believe it will NOT be pleasant), for all eternity.
The other question is, well, what about those who aren't mentally capable of choosing Christ, or those who were followers of other religions, or never heard of Christ? Isn't this unfair of God? How can a loving God allow something like this?
All we need to know is that God always acts according to His nature, for He cannot do otherwise.
One of God's many qualities, is that He is righteous. He looks at every person the same. He is completely IMPARTIAL, because He is perfect & free from any imperfections.
Here is all we need to know in regard to these last set of questions.
God is righteous, so whatever decision He made about these people is also righteous.
It is not my concern or problem.
It is not YOUR concern or problem.
It is God's!
Those who HAVE heard the Gospel of Christ should be more concerned about themselves, since they WILL be held accountable.
James
Simply put: it is disobedience to God.
Many people will ask-like what kind of disobedience?
Before I answer, let's discuss something.
Many atheists/non-believers, have the most bizarre ideas of what sin is.
To them, knowing & CHOOSING to follow Christ, is following a set of rules.
But to us who personally KNOW Christ Jesus, by having Him living in us by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is anything but.
First & foremost-THERE ARE NO "DEGREES OF SIN IN GOD'S EYES"
This is a fundamental BIBLICAL BELIEF.
Now many atheists/non-believers, will point out the following verse to try to contradict this:
John 19:10-12 (New International Version)
10 Do you refuse to speak to me? Pilate said. Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?
11 Jesus answered, You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.
Greater sin.
Yes, in MANS eye's perhaps-but not God's.
It is God's very NATURE to be perfect. Jesus even stated so right here:
Matthew 5:48 (New International Version)
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Because God is perfect, nothing that is IMperfect can stand in His presence.
Nothing.
Sin is so completely contradictory to God's presence, it CANNOT exist in His presence.
We see all through the Bible, (both Old & New Testaments), what IS or is NOT a sin.
We also see that, (in God's eyes), that all sin is INDEED equal, & I can prove that, right here:
Revelation 21:8 (New International Version)
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
Cowardliness is as bad as unbelief, which is as bad as murder, which is bad as vileness,
dictionary.reference.com/browse/vileness?s=t
(vileness
[vahyl] Origin
vile
[vahyl] Show IPA
adjective, viler, vilest.
1.
wretchedly bad: a vile humor.
2.
highly offensive, unpleasant, or objectionable: vile slander.
3.
repulsive or disgusting, as to the senses or feelings: a vile odor.
4.
morally debased, depraved, or despicable: vile deeds.
5.
foul; filthy: vile language.
which is as bad as sexual immorality, which is as bad as idolatry, which is as bad as magic, which is bad as lying, ........ect.
Do you see this?
In God's eyes, lying is as bad as murder!
In God's eyes, there are NO DIFFERENCES in sin.
This CLEARLY contradicts the catholic belief of "mortal" & venial" sins.
ANY sin is bad, & will NOT be allowed in God's presence.
ANY SIN!
And I found this particularly interesting-that this verse:
1 John 1:10 (New American Standard Bible)
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him, (God) a liar and His word is not in us.
The Bible talks a great deal about sin.
Look at this:
Ezekiel 18:4 (New International Version)
4 For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child, both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
And this:
Romans 6:23 (New International Version)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I could give you more verses that state the exact same thing, but these 2 verses sum up the consequences of what sin does to a person.
Then there are those atheists/non-believers, who will say "how can "christians" have any fun?
I would ask them to define "fun".
Those of us who have come into that personal relationship with Christ Jesus happen to have plenty of "fun", & there is nowhere in Scripture that says that we cannot have "fun".
But if fun they talk about is cursing God, getting drunk, (I'm not saying that it is wrong to have a drink or two, but giving into "booze" to to get drunk, is NOT my idea of "fun"), harming others, (either verbally or physically), breaking the law, ect-that is not what Christ did, & it is NOT what we who belong to Christ, by our relationship with Him, should do ether.
God's Word, the Bible DOES give us guidelines as to what God wants from us, but when we are living by the leading of the Holy Spirit inside of us, we, we grow to realize what God like & doesn't like, & we CHOOSE to follow those, because it is our desire to become more like God, as seen here:
It's NOT about me,
It's all for God.
It's NOT about how I look,
It's how God looks AT me.
It's NOT about my pride,
It's about God's humbleness.
It's NOT about MY failures,
It's about God's successes.
It's NOT about my past,
It's about God's future FOR us.
It's NOT about what I want to hear,
It's what God WANTS me to hear.
It's NOT about how I hurt,
It's about how God heals.
It's NOT about how far away I feel from God,
It's about how CLOSE God is to me.
It's NOT about my sins,
It's about God's forgiveness.
It's NOT about what I want,
It's about what God wants.
It's NOT about my understanding,
It's about what God's leading.
It's NOT about my desires,
It's about what God desires FOR me.
It's NOT about my needs,
It's about what God KNOWS I need.
It's NOT about my hate,
It's about God's love.
It's NOT about my fear,
It's about God's courage.
It's NOT about my ignorance,
It's about God's knowledge.
It's NOT about my selfishness,
It's about God's selflessness.
It's NOT about my weaknesses,
It's about God's strength.
It's NOT about my works,
It's about God working THROUGH me.
It's NOT about my now,
It's about God's eternity!
Those who come into that personal relationship with Christ Jesus, by accepting the forgiveness that was granted through the shedding of His blood, & the death & resurrection of Christ Jesus are NOT made sinless-rather, all those past sins are forgiven, (regardless of what they were),, & we can come right into the presence of the Father, (who since we made the decision FOR Christ), does not look at us as sinners, but rather looks at us through the Blood of Christ, which MADE us perfect in His sight.
Yes, we WILL sin from time to time, throughout our mortal existence, because we have been FORGIVEN-NOT made perfect, as many atheists/non-believers believe.
When we DO sin, we have this promise from Scripture:
1 John 1:9 (New International Version)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
He has promised us that He WILL forgive those sins.
Finally, there are those atheists/non-believers who think that if a person can come to Christ, be forgiven, & then just sin all they want, because they know that they can come to Christ, confess their sins, & they will be forgiven.
And this belief is completely UNscriptural, as seen here:
classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%206:1-14&version=NIV
I don't think I need to explain this passage. It is straightforward.
ANY sin is against God, & for those of us who belong to Him by our acceptance of the forgiveness through Christ, will NOT be judged by Him.
If we die, NOT having confessed every sin, that does NOT mean that we do not belong to God, but we will have to be purified BEFORE we can enter God's presence.
But to those who HAVE died in sin, by choosing to REJECT that forgiveness, that Christ offered, here is their fate:
Revelation 20:11-15 (New International Version)
The Judgment of the Dead
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Now, there are 2 questions that atheists/non-believers will ask here:
1. How will we be able to be in torment, if we have no bodies?
The answer is right here:
"13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
Do you see what happens here?
Every person who was against God, or who turned away from God in the Old Testament, & everyone who chose to refuse that free gift of forgiveness of Christ, or chose to follow a false belief, will be physically raised from the dead, judged, & be PHYSICALLY thrown into the Lake of Fire. Since they will be in their physical bodies, the torment, whatever it may be, (the Bible doesn't say-but you can believe it will NOT be pleasant), for all eternity.
The other question is, well, what about those who aren't mentally capable of choosing Christ, or those who were followers of other religions, or never heard of Christ? Isn't this unfair of God? How can a loving God allow something like this?
All we need to know is that God always acts according to His nature, for He cannot do otherwise.
One of God's many qualities, is that He is righteous. He looks at every person the same. He is completely IMPARTIAL, because He is perfect & free from any imperfections.
Here is all we need to know in regard to these last set of questions.
God is righteous, so whatever decision He made about these people is also righteous.
It is not my concern or problem.
It is not YOUR concern or problem.
It is God's!
Those who HAVE heard the Gospel of Christ should be more concerned about themselves, since they WILL be held accountable.
James
