VI. What Is Sin?

            Sin is the tyrannical authority ruling over every living thing on Earth.  It is responsible for all heartache, suffering and death.  Sin exists for only one reason: Satan’s hatred of GOD.  His hatred is carried out by his defiance of GOD’S laws preserving life and love.  And his rebellion robs from life the peace and joy GOD created life to receive, “In the beginning.”  Therefore, Sin Leads to Violence.

            Satan’s war against life’s tranquility goes back to the first “war in heaven” (Rev.12:7-9) when he waged war against his Creator—attempting to seize the very throne of GOD.  After losing this battle for the supremacy he then brought his rebellion to Earth, seducing Adam and Eve into becoming entangled in his defiance of GOD’S laws that govern life’s perpetuation and its tranquility.  Since then, Satan has led all men to imitate his defiance of GOD to one degree or another.  He instills his arrogant, violent spirit on weak-minded men, prodding them to sin against GOD.  But because sin is like the temporary “fix” of drug addition, it has no lasting power to sustain the feelings of satisfaction.  Man keeps trying to satisfy “the lust of the flesh,” which can never be satisfied (I Jn.2:16; Eccl.4:8).  

            Without GOD’S intervention to hold back man’s destructive inclinations the extinction of the human race would have come a long time ago through war and disease (Mal.3:5,6).  And yet, society is so blind to its suicidal course that sin is now declared a virtue and an acceptable moral judgment even among the ruling religions of Earth, including Christianity who evangelizes the world into universal sin against two of the Ten Commandments (to be reviewed in Lesson XII).  Sin has breeched the Holy Law that alone preserves the safety of life.  And this is the reason our civilization is increasingly facing the threat of extinction as predicted thousands of years ago by “the prophets.”  In purely social terms, sin has led mankind to disregard the utopian standard that GOD commanded to insure our mutual peace and safety.  And through a man’s compliance to its jurisdiction it guaranties the peace and prosperity of everyone associated with that man.  Said GOD by His prophet; “ye shall find rest for your souls.” Jer.6:16.  But the fact that the world is filled with unrest proves that mankind stands defiant against GOD and His Holy Law: the Law given to save; not destroy: to set free; not oppress.  

1. Who is the source of sin?

John 8:44  Ye [religious leaders] are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  ____  _____  ___  ______________  ______  _____  ________________, _____  ________  _____  ____  _____  _________, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

            Sin Leads to Lying.

2. Is mankind naturally good or naturally evil?

Romans 3:10-19,23  As it is written, There is ________ righteous, no, ______  _______: [v.11] There is ________ that understandeth, there is ________ that seeketh after God. [v.12] They are _____ gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is _________ that doeth good, no, ______  ______.  Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law [which includes all mankind]: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God... [v.23] For ______ have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

            All of man’s good deeds that have blessed life have been drawn from men by GOD, as it is written: “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” Ja.1:17.  Therefore, sinful man has no right to claim any virtue in and of his own strength.  Sin Leads to pride.

3. What then is the consequence of sin?

Genesis 2:16,17  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof _______  ________  _________  _____. 

         The “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” was GOD’S one and only investigation to determine how man would use his freewill, whether for life or for death.  GOD gave man the desire to live and to love as life’s strongest attributes.  With these essential strengths united with heaven’s gift of a freewill GOD hoped to settle in man’s heart the wise use of his gifts.  But Satan, disguised as “the serpent” deceived our Premier Mother Eve into eating the forbidden fruit.  And through Adam’s discovery of her death-sentence, his heart sank in his soul.  He had to choose to live without her or die with her.  His love for Eve led him to eat of the forbidden fruit and share her fate.  While his love may seem touching, all that has transpired in this world’s history is a result of that decision.  Since the entire human race was “in Adam” when he sinned, all of his future children would inherit his legacy of a fundamentally self-destructive nature.  Through this same tactic of discouragement Satan has led billions to their ruin. 

Sin Leads to Suicide.

4. How then can the family of humanity be redeemed from

     sin’s condemnation of death?

Romans 5:12-21  Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] 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 [or assigned] when there is no law.  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come [Jesus Christ, “the last Adam” (I Cor.15:45)]. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 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 [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus Christ] 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. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: [v.21] That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign ________________  ______________________ unto eternal life by _________  ___________ our Lord.   

         As already stated, when Adam sinned he condemned his entire family to the same fate as himself.  At that moment, man’s salvation became dependent on the “Everlasting Father” of man, Jesus, our “near kinsman” (Ruth 3:9).  Only the Father of Adam had the legal right to redeem the family of Adam (Lu.3:38; Jn.1:3); by becoming as one of His children; live the sinless life that we could not; bear our condemnation from sin’s inheritance to the grave; and then conquer the jurisdiction of death that its power over the family of Adam would be broken; and thus, place all mankind “in Christ” as “the last Adam.”  The “Everlasting Father” of man became “the Son of man” to redeem “the children of men” (Isa.9:6; Matt.12:8; Ps.36:7).

         How can this be?  Let us review again the jurisdiction of death’s dominion.  GOD ordained death for one purpose: to contain every sin that threatens the security of life as it is written, “the soul that sinneth, it shall die,” for “the wages of sin is death” (Eze.18:4; Rom.6:23).  Death has no jurisdiction outside of its power to contain sin.  But Christ never sinned!  He is the only man who ever lived in this world who never united His will with sin: by thought or deed.  He was tempted as we are but He never entered the temptation (Lu.22:40).  Therefore, the grave had no legal right to hold Him!  It had to set Him free!  And this now includes you and me!  Paul summed it up: “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” I Cor.15:22  Through this victory, Jesus then promises to live in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit (Lu.11:13), and through His companionship, we, together live out an endearing respect to GOD’S Holy Law where we are safe in one another’s care.

5. Where does sin exist?

Romans 7:22,23  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in _____  _____________,  warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to ______  ______  ____  ______ which is ____  _____  ________________.

Ephesians 4:17,18  This I say therefore, and testify in the LORD, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in _____  ____________  _____  ________  ________, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of GOD through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts.

            In our great dilemma GOD, through His Holy Word, has addressed each aspect of sin’s jurisdiction over us and provided our deliverance, both physically and spiritually.  Therefore, as we reviewed before, let us see again how the victory of Jesus Christ is threefold in man’s salvation:

  1. We have been saved from the condemnation of sin, which is death.

  2. We are being saved from the power of sin, which is our selfish

       nature.

  3. We will be saved from the presence of sin, via the temptations of

       “the devil and his angels” (Matt.25:41).

6. Is GOD’S strength available to overcome sin in our lives?

Philippians 2:13  For ____  ____  ______  ________  ___________  ____  ______ both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Psalms 65:4  Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and ____________  ____  ______________  ______  ______, that he may dwell in Thy courts.

John 15:3-5  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. [v.4] Abide in me [Christ], and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; _____  ________  ______  ____, except ye abide in me. [v.5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for ____________  _____  ____  _____  ____  ____________.

Luke 18:27  And He [Christ] said, The things which are ________________  _______  ______ are possible with GOD.

I John 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for ______  ____  ______  _____________________  ____  ______  ______.

Ezekiel 18:4  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: _____  _______  _______  ______________  ____  ________  ______.

James 2:8-12  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons [showing unjust favoritism to one over another], ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. [v.10] For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet ___________  ____  ______  __________, ____  ____  __________  ____  ______.  For He that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. [v.12] So ___________ ye, and so ____, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 

         The opposite of holiness is sin, just as the opposite of life is death.  Sin opposes everything GOD intended for the life He created: to live in peace & joy forever.  Sin even opposes the entire foundation of GOD’S own existence, which is the desire to love and be loved.

8. Will GOD'S established laws of Creation ever change?

Psalm 111:7,8  The works of His hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast _____  _______  _____  _______, and are done in truth and uprightness."

Psalm 119:160  Thy Word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments _______________  _____  _______.

9. Are the temptations to sin the same as sinning?

James 1:12-15  ___________  ____  ______  ______  _______  ______________  ___________________: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 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.

Matthew 26:41  Watch and pray, _______  ____  _________  _____ into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

I Timothy 6:9  But they that will be rich ______  _______  ____________________ and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

         Temptation is not sin!  Christ did not sin when he was tempted of the devil during His forty-day fast in the wilderness.  Even when He was tempted through the time of His crucifixion the LORD never once united His will with the fiercest of Satan’s temptations.  

10. Will sin’s dominion ever end?

Revelation 21:1-5  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. [v.4] And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for _____  ___________  __________  ______  __________  _______.  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.  

Nahum 1:7-9  The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. But with an overrunning flood He will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue His enemies. [v.9] What do ye imagine against the LORD? He will make an utter end: ________________  _______  _____  _______  ____  ______  __________  ________.