| Theological Studies: What Is Sin?
Alvin Shaul TH453, Oord Sin November 17, 2005 What is sin? Does everyone sin? Is so, why; if not, why not? What is sin? From our earliest of years, sin is that which we are not supposed to do. As we grow a little older into adolescence, sin becomes something that we know God would not want us to do. When we reach adulthood, sin becomes our failure to embody Christ�s likeness. Though these simple definitions are more than adequate for most, it has become the task of the systematic theologian to uncover the roots of what sin really is and how it relates to us as individuals. If we are to define what sin is, we must also define what sin is not. First sin is not a thing, able to be felt or seen. �Sin� is not a cultural word. It is not something that a pre-Christian (Maddix) would confess to. Sin is a religious word in religious categories. In the Old Testament writings, sin was a violation of the divine covenant. There were rules laid down by God and agreed upon by His people, and when those rules were not abided by, sin became the result. The New Testament definition of sin can be seen in the Greek word ^amartia", which means �to miss the mark�. The question then arises of what the �mark� is. Most simply, it is the mark of Christ. It is the mark Christ left on humanity. It is a mark of perfection. It is a mark of holiness. Wesley quotes perhaps the most well-known passage in the New Testament when defining sin. �For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God� (Rom. 3:23). To fall short of the glory of God is to sin, according to Wesley. Wesley�s further definition reflects this understanding: �a voluntary transgression of a known law of God�. For Wesley, thus, the laws of God are at least in part what define God�s glory. That is, glory is given to God when His laws are abided by. There are two types of sin: original sin and voluntary sin. We will focus now on the former. It has been said that original sin is �the theologian�s way of trying to account for the fact that nearly everyone has sinned (except for Jesus).� When we begin to speak of sin in terms of who has sinned and who necessarily sins, two major questions arise: (1) can anyone not sin, and (2) because Jesus was fully human, did He sin? Many components must be taken into account when dealing with the latter of these questions. First, does Christ�s fully divineness automatically enable Him not to sin? If not, was it simply the character of Christ, as all-loving which enabled Him not to sin? Or third, is the classical doctrine that Christ never sinned simply false because Christ was fully human, and all humanity is subject to original sin? These questions penetrate the minds of theologians all over the world today. When addressing the first question of whether Christ�s divineness enables Him not sin, the key issue arises in how we are to attempt to �measure up� to a man who had more power than us to not sin. If it was simply Christ�s omnibenevolence that enabled Him not to sin, then it would seem to follow that if we become loving enough, we could in theory never sin. If the third statement is true, then Christ�s likeness is not even really worth living up to, because it was no greater than ours. My conclusion would rest in the second of these theories. I do not believe that it was Christ�s divine power that enabled him not to sin, but simply the fact that he as all-loving, all the time. This love cannot be the same as God the Father�s love because Jesus was subject to having free-will as do all humans. Since Jesus had free-will as we do, he had to choose to love at all times. Jesus was simply the most loving lover, and as such, did not sin. I could also defend the first of these statements by simply stating that I do not have a problem trying to live up the quality of a fully human yet fully divine Jesus. I am in no way trying to become Jesus, I am only reaching toward achieving His likeness. By His likeness I mean that of a non-sinful being. Also in defining sin, we must cover how sin is to be avoided and what power we have been given to overcome sin. In its simplest form, this power is what Wesley termed �prevenient grace�. It is that grace which comes before us which enables us not to sin. Prevenient grace cancels our guilt when we are born. That is not to say that this grace cancels the possibility of sin, but rather it gives us an avenue for retreat. Prevenient grace allows us to respond to sin. According to Wesley, this grace is not primarily given through the power of God, but through the love of God. God loves us so much that he has given us a means of grace by which we can avoid the sinful repercussions of Adam and Eve. This grace is in effect the essence of God. It is uncreated and always existing. It existed through the Spirit of God in the times of the Patriarchs and exists now the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost. This grace is God�s instrument to relation with us. It is His divine presence in our lives. Unlike the Calvinistic belief that God�s grace is irresistible, we as Wesleyans believe that we can resist the power of that grace in our lives by doing things other than what God wants. This grace is also our instrument for relation to God. It makes possible knowledge of God. It is in fact this grace which enables us to discern what is both good and evil in the world. Prevenient grace provides self-determination in our lives. That is, putting into action our beliefs toward what is good and evil. This grace assists us in the positive and good habits of living that we develop. As was said, this grace can be resisted and thus silenced, but it cannot be destroyed. We cannot simply deny the love and grace of God from existing. Perhaps most importantly, this prevenient grace provides for the decline of sin by helping our spiritual growth. One of the most important things to remember when discussing sin is that it is not something to be dwelt on. Grace does not exist to guilt the past, but to prepare the future. Repentance from sin is more than saying �I�m sorry� for the things done, but rather a transformation in lifestyle, reaching toward Christ�s likeness. It is responding to the call of the Holy Spirit on our lives. The second type of sin is voluntary sin. It is sin that is knowingly committed despite the negative connotations. It is most often accompanied by guilt. It is also most often done for some short-term personal gain. In the larger scheme of things, most of this type of sin would be avoided by simply seeking a right relationship with God. In relation to original sin, this voluntary sin is a subgroup. Voluntary sin becomes possible because of original sin. While original sin is both those sins committed by Adam and Eve as well as the power of sin that enters into our lives when we are born, we are not guilty of knowingly transgressing one of God�s laws until we become accountable and mature. It is God�s love and prevenient grace which provides a release from the power of sin in our lives. The sooner we embrace that grace will be the sooner we are able to enjoy the fully and sanctified lifestyle intended for us. |