Lesson 5: Sin

(1) The student will be able to explain:

• The origin of sin.

• Biblical terms for sin.

• The definition and description of inherited depravity.

• The biblical concept of willful sin.

• A statement of Christian beliefs about sin.

(2) The student will understand conversion better by having a clear definition of willful sin.

► Read Genesis 3 together. What does this passage tell us about sin?

► Why do we need to understand sin?

We must understand sin:

1. To understand the condition of the world. The Bible tells us that sin is the cause of human suffering. It was by sin that death came into the world. (Read Romans 5:12.) Because of the curse of sin, there is sickness, aging, and pain. Sinful acts such as lying, stealing, murder, adultery, drunkenness, and oppression have filled the world with suffering. Actions of sin come from sin in the heart, such as hate, lust, covetousness, pride, and selfishness.

2. To understand grace and salvation. God gives grace to save us from sin (Matthew 1:21; Romans 5:20-21).

3. To understand holiness. Sinfulness is the opposite of holiness. It is opposed to devotion to God. For a person to be holy as God expects (1 Peter 1:15-16), he must be separated from sin.

God’s creation was perfect, and everything he made was without defect. When God finished creation, he saw that it was very good (Genesis 1:31). Therefore, we know that sin was not God’s fault.

Adam and Eve were in relationship with God. They desired to please God and had the ability to do everything that is right. Satan came to tempt Eve to disobey God. By this we know that sin already existed in the universe. Satan had already fallen into sin. But sin had not yet entered humanity or the part of creation that was under human authority.

Adam and Eve had free will. Sin was possible because they were able to make a real choice. They chose to break God’s law, and that was the beginning of human sin.

The first act of sin separated humanity from God. Sin also corrupted the nature of humanity. (Read Psalm 51:5.) All children born afterward would have a corrupted nature and would commit acts of sin. (Read Romans 5:12, 14, 18-19.)

Sin brought a curse on all creation (Genesis 3:16-19). Life was changed because of sin. Pain, aging, and death began. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:22.) Work and survival became difficult. Human relationships were filled with conflict. As years passed and people multiplied, the results of sin multiplied beyond what Adam and Eve could have imagined.

Most languages have different synonyms for sin. Hebrew and Greek, the original languages of scripture, also have many different words that describe or define sin, which are explained below. When taken together, these words present a comprehensive picture of sin.

• [1]Sin as rejection of authority—revolt and rebellion (Psalm 51:1). Jacob used this Hebrew word when he angrily demanded Laban to tell him what crime he had committed against him (Genesis 31:36). The word also describes the action of the king of Moab against King Jehoram (2 Kings 3:7).

• Sin as perversion or distortion—that which is bent or twisted (Psalm 51:2a). Satan cannot create anything, so all sin is a perversion of a good thing God has created.

• Sin as missing the mark or coming short of a goal. The Hebrew word for sin used in Psalm 51:2b has this meaning. The same word is used in a non-ethical sense in Judges 20:16, which describes 700 left-handed warriors who could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. Sin is missing the mark of God’s truth, holiness, or righteousness.

• A Greek word in the New Testament has a similar meaning. That word can be used for sins of the entire world (Matthew 1:21) or the sins of a specific person such as the sins of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet (Luke 7:48-50) or an individual sin such as the sin of murdering Stephen (Acts 7:60). Sin deviates from God’s will.

• Sin as bad, the opposite of good (Psalm 51:4). The same Hebrew word is used to describe the seven scrawny cows in Pharaoh’s dream (Genesis 41:19) and figs that could not be eaten in Jeremiah 24:2.

• Sin as failure or unwillingness to hear, resulting in active disobedience (Romans 5:19). An example of this behavior is given in Acts 7:57, where those who were stoning Stephen covered their ears. The best summary of this Greek word is disobedience.

• Sin as breaking some specific law—doing the opposite of what God demands (1 John 3:4). The Greek word is made up of two words that together mean “no law” or “lawlessness.”

• Sin as deliberately turning aside or going beyond that which is known and required by God (Exodus 32:7-8). In this passage, the people started turning aside from God while Moses was up on Mount Sinai.

• Sins that are unintentional (Leviticus 4:2). This kind of sin is discussed in both the Old and New Testaments. The Greek word used in Hebrews 9:7 comes from a verb that means “to be ignorant,” or “not to understand,” and therefore means “to sin through ignorance.” This verse describes the atonement the High Priest made for the unintentional sins of the people.

From these words we see that sin is a problem with many aspects. Some words describe sin in its most general sense. Others portray sin that results from a failure to hear God’s Word, sins of failure to live up to a standard, deliberate premeditated sins, or sins of ignorance or even accidental sins. Whatever the case, it is a blessed thought to remember that Jesus died on the cross to save people from their sin (Matthew 1:21).

► What is willful sin?

Willful sin is purposeful violation of the known will of God. (Read 1 John 3:4; James 4:17.) It is when individuals choose to do or continue to do what they know is wrong or to not do what is right. It is deliberate wrongdoing.

In 1 John 3:5-6 John the Apostle writes,

You know that [Jesus] appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

The sin spoken of here is a continual practice of deliberate sin. An expanded translation of this would be something like this: Anyone who is continually abiding in Jesus is not continually or habitually sinning, and anyone who is continually or habitually sinning has not seen him or known him.

If one interprets this to be sin in its most general sense (including sins from ignorance and unintentional sins), this statement does not make sense. Christians still have failures that are not willful. However, if one understands sin (in this passage) to mean “a willful rejection of God’s law,” then the passage makes perfectly good sense.

► How would you describe the sinful nature that people are born with?

Inherited depravity is the corruption of man’s moral nature that inclines him toward sin from birth. It is sometimes called original sin. It is the sinful nature with which we are born because of Adam’s sin.

All people have this tendency toward wickedness from birth. (Read Psalm 58:3.) A person’s nature is already distorted by a sinful tendency when he is born. A person begins to commit sin as soon as he begins making choices. The sinful tendency is not something he learns from his environment.

David said that he was brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin. (Read Psalm 51:5.) He did not mean that his mother had done something wrong. He meant that when a baby is being formed in the womb, his nature is already corrupted by sin.

Because of the corrupted nature, the image of God in people is damaged. Every person is born with a will that is self-centered and bent toward sin (Romans 3:10-12). Our wills are not free to choose right unless God gives us the desire and strength. (Read Romans 6:16-17.)

Inherited depravity motivates inward sins such as pride, envy, hatred, and unforgiveness. It also motivates actions of sin.

People naturally have an attitude of rebellion toward God’s authority and are angry at his law. Sinners will be judged not only for their acts of sin but also for their attitude of rebellion against God. (Read Jude 1:15.)

The person with a sinful nature is naturally self-centered. He wants to assert his own will rather than submit to the authority of God and others. He wants to satisfy his own desires rather than please God. He has confidence in himself and does not want to depend on God. His own success is more important to him than the glory of God.

People do not accurately discern right from wrong, because their minds are darkened. (Read Ephesians 4:17-18.) By nature, they follow the direction of the rebellious world, the control of Satan, and their own sinful desires; and they bring themselves under the wrath of God. (Read Ephesians 2:2-3.) Their natural tendency is toward sin every moment (Genesis 6:5).

Without the difference that God’s grace makes, people would not be able to do anything good; nor would they even desire to do good. They would be unable to repent or to seek God. (Read John 6:44.) They are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Theologians describe this condition as “total depravity.”

It is important to know how God’s grace responds to inherited depravity. First, the power of God comes with the gospel message, giving the person who is lost the desire and ability to respond to the gospel. (Read Romans 1:16.) Then, when a person is saved, he is delivered from the control of sin (Romans 6:11-14). However, the influence of inherited depravity continues in a new Christian.

The influence of inherited depravity in a Christian shows in several ways.

1. The new Christian will sometimes struggle with his own will during temptation.

2. The new Christian will feel wrong motives that he must resist.

3. The new Christian will have wrong reactions and attitudes that happen before he realizes them.

The new Christian must be encouraged so that he does not give up his faith because he feels that he still has sinful tendencies. He should continue to seek the power and transformation that is accomplished by God’s Spirit.

A pastor must have patience with new Christians. He must realize that they will not be consistent Christians in all that they say and do. They may not immediately see their problem.

Sometimes a person unintentionally violates God’s Word by accident or in ignorance. In Leviticus 4:2-3, we see that in this situation, a person needed to make a sacrifice as soon as he realized he had done something wrong. Because the death of Christ takes the place of all of the Old Testament sacrifices, we know that Christians are redeemed from unintentional violations.

[1]Unintentional violations are inevitable as long as our understanding is limited. They do not break our relationship with God because they do not conflict with our love for God. God said that complete love for him fulfills what he requires of us. (Read Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 13:8-10.) We are not accountable for what we do not know. (Read James 4:17.)

As we walk in the light (live according to the truth we know), we are cleansed from all sin. (Read 1 John 1:7.) We do not need to fear that unknown violations will break our relationship with God, because we are trusting in Christ’s atonement.

Leviticus shows that when we realize we have unintentionally done something wrong we should repent, ask God’s forgiveness, and correct our lives to be what God wants.

As we study God’s Word, follow the Holy Spirit, fellowship with other believers, and grow in maturity, we should be changing the behaviors that unintentionally violate God’s will.

► Why should we want to know and do God’s will better?

Reasons we should want to understand God’s will better and follow it completely:

1. We do not want to do anything that displeases God.

2. There are bad consequences for wrongdoing, even if it is unintentional.

3. We need to be good examples as Christians.

4. If we try to avoid God’s will we are guilty of intentional sin.

As we grow in our understanding of God's will, we occasionally recognize wrongdoing in our lives. If we recognize that something we are doing is wrong, but choose to do it anyway, it is no longer merely an error from ignorance. If we refuse to change, that wrongdoing becomes a willful sin.

Sometimes theologians do not make distinctions between categories of sin. They may say that everything that is less than perfection is sin, or they may say that only a willful action is sin. If we understand the categories of sin, we can better understand what God wants to do for us by his grace.

• Willful sin should be overcome when a person is born again. John declares that the person who is born again does not habitually sin (1 John 3:4-9). Willful sin is not consistent with faith in Christ. Deliberate rebellion is not part of the habit of a normal believer.

• Sanctification is God’s work of dealing with the sins of the human nature, so that believers are made completely holy (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Their whole spirits, souls, and bodies become blameless. Sanctification conquers the sins of the human nature.

• Sins of ignorance are not purposeful disobedience, and do not come from the sinful nature, but from a fallen body and mind. There is no possibility of being completely delivered from this type of sin during earthly life. At the resurrection, the glorified saint will be totally and permanently free from all types of sin.

► Read the statement of beliefs together at least two times.

Human sin originated from the free decision of the first-created people to disobey God. All people except Jesus have inherited the depravity of Adam and are also guilty of actions of sin. Human errors may violate God’s law but do not break our relationship with God. Every sinner will be eternally condemned if he does not find God’s forgiveness before the final judgment.

(1) Passage Assignment: Each student will be assigned one of the passages listed below. Before the next class session, you should read the passage and write a paragraph about what it says about the subject of this lesson.

• Romans 1:21-32

• Romans 3:10-20

• Galatians 5:16-21

• Ephesians 5:1-8

• Titus 1:10-16

• James 4:1-4

• 2 Peter 2:9-17

(2) Test: You will begin the next class with a test over Lesson 5. Study the test questions carefully in preparation.

(3) Teaching Assignment: Remember to schedule and report your out-of-class teaching times.

(1) List three reasons we must understand sin.

(2) How do we know that sin was not God’s fault?

(3) Give a one-sentence definition of each of the following: willful sin, inherited depra­vity, and unintentional violations.

(4) Why should we want to understand and do God’s will better?