Vol. 3, Issue 4

Autumn 2009

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Sin

from Commentary on Hosea
by John Calvin

Given Over to Sin
by Paul Lytle

The Doctrine of Sin

The Profound Mystery
by Paul Lytle

The Gospel According to Proverbs, Chapter 3
by Paul Lytle

Names, Part III
by Paul Lytle

Primum Mobile is a quarterly web magazine. This issue and all its contents are © Copyright 2004-2009 by the editors. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

The Doctrine of Sin

What is Sin?

Lawlessness

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. -1 John 3:4

Wrongdoing

All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. -1 John 5:17

Lack of faith

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. -Romans 14:23

Defilement

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. -2 Corinthians 7:1

Abomination

Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!’ -Jeremiah 44:4

Sin Manifests Itself As . . .

. . . thoughts

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. –1 John 3:15

But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. –Matthew 5:28

. . . words

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. –James 3:8

. . . or deeds

Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not. –Jeremiah 11:8

. . . sins of commission, meaning we do things we should not.

For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. –Colossians 3:25

. . . sins of omission, meaning we do not do the things we should do.

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. –James 4:17

All Are Guilty

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. –Romans 3:23

Ten Descriptions of our Condition

(from John Piper, “Preaching Regeneration Undiminished”)

1. We are dead in trespasses and sins.

   And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. –Ephesians 2:1-2

2. We are by nature children of wrath.

   among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. –Ephesians 2:1-3

3. We love darkness and hate the light.

   And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. –John 3:19-20

4. Our hearts are hard like stone.

   And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. –Ezekiel 36:26

5. We are unable to submit to God or please God.

   For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. –Romans 8:7-8

6. We are unable to accept the gospel.

   They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. –Ephesians 4:18

7. We are unable to come to Christ or embrace him as Lord.

   “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. . . .” And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” –John 6:44, 65

8. We are slaves to sin.

   But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed. –Romans 6:17

9. We are slaves of Satan.

   And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. –Ephesians 2:1-2

10. No good thing dwells within us.

    For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. –Romans 7:18

Original Sin

It is not that we just sometimes “slip,” but that we are sinners. Sin infects every part of our life and being.

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. –Genesis 6:5

And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” –Mark 7:20-23

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? –Jeremiah 17:9

[A]s it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” –Romans 3:10-13

This sinful nature is imputed to us from our father Adam.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. –Romans 5:12

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. –1 Corinthians 15:22

God's Reaction to Our Sin

The penalty of sin is death.

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. –Hebrews 9:22

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 6:23

God will judge people by their works.

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. –Hebrews 10:26-27

Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. –Romans 1:32

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. –Luke 13:3

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. –John 3:14-15

In our sorry condition, we are incapable of earning eternal life. But in love, Jesus came to earth in the form of a man, lived a perfect life without sin, and died on a Cross. In that death, He paid the price that was meant for us. He endured the punishment that should have been ours. In this way, He paid the price for our sin. To those He has called, He offers eternal life. This life is not earned, but given by grace.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved –Ephesians 2:4-5