Thematic

Shauntae Parker
Religion 201
Professor Morehouse
May 20, 2012

Thematic Essay: Sin Sin is defined as being rebellious against God (Deuteronomy 9:7 KJV) and defiance of the Law of God (1 John 3:4 KJV). There many instances of sin and changes in the meaning of sin within The Old and New Testament. Sin can be perceived in many different ways, an act punishable by death, a trait that has been inherited by Adam and ultimately, a way to repent from our sins, just to name a few.

First, throughout the Bible sin has been portrayed as an act punishable by death. In Romans 6:23, it clearly states “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Adultery, murder and stealing are just a few things that are considered to be sins. Breaking God’s law is considered an offense to Him and makes us subject to judgment and separation from God. An example of this comes in The Old Testament from Isaiah 59:2(KJV) stating that “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear”, basically saying He will wash His hands of us if we continue to disobey his law. Later, in The New Testament, Jesus is sent to die for our sins, even though He himself was not a sinner. This was obviously a huge sacrifice for God, as He gave up His son for us. In 1 Peter 2:24, it says “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…” meaning He took all of our sins upon himself and died on the cross so that he could “bring us to God” (Peter 3:18 KJV). Genesis 6:5 shows us how sin was beginning to get too outrageous for God and it was breaking his heart to see all the disobedience and acts of sin throughout the land. This is when He brings Noah, an avid follower of God’s, to build an arc because He was about to bring on a huge flood. He wanted to use Noah as a storyteller of His wrath and seriousness about obeying His law. This example ties into sin being “punishable by death” because everyone except Noah, the animals God choose to save and Noah’s family, were killed by the flood for their sins.

Second, sin is shown to be a trait that we all possess due to Adam and his sins. In The Old Testament, Genesis 1:31 God refers to all things He had created as “good”, including Adam. Adam becomes a sinner in Chapter 3 of Genesis when Eve and him listen to the serpent and eat from the tree of knowledge against God’s wishes and instructions not to and caused both of them to be exiled from the paradise God had created for them. Sin is then passed down to Cain, Adam and Eve’s first born son. He murders his younger brother, Abel and becomes the first murderer in Bible, in Genesis 4:8. He is exiled, just like his parents, to “the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” (Genesis 4:16), and builds a city called Enoch after his son. Another instance of inherited sin is Psalm 51:5, King David states, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” In The New Testament, Romans 5:12 refers to the one responsible for the beginning of sin, “...as by one man sin entered into the world” but also shows that we are capable of being different than Adam and obey God’s law to avoid judgment.

Last, sin can be seen in a different way in reference to repentance. By literal definition, repentance is regret for a past verbal or physical action. By biblical definition, it is simply to return or return to God as stated in Deut. 4:30. So many chapters in the Old and New Testament present evidence that we are able to repent from our sins. Isaiah 44:22 tells us “Return unto me, for I have redeemed you” while Ezekiel 33:11 says “Say unto them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.’ ” This is one of the most powerful scriptures in reference to repentance because it is showing that despite our sins, He will forgive us if we let go of the wicked (or sinful) things go. Due to our inherited sin, it is difficult for us to do the right thing all the time. But since Jesus died for our sins, so we could obtain forgiveness as long as we are truly repentant, as stated in Colossians 1:13-14. There are quite a few examples throughout The New Testament showing the importance of repentance. Luke 13:3 states “…except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” which tells us that nothing good will come if we don’t repent and in Acts 2:38 when Peter tells everyone to “repent and be baptized…” , “and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”.

In conclusion, The Old and New Testament provide a lot of information on how we were established and became the individuals we are today. The corruption of man by sin was far too high so instead of man having to change to what God wanted us to be, it is God who accepts our sinful nature. The acceptance is not saying it’s fine to sin but now that it is a test of faith in God and obedience to Him. Sin has played a major role in this journey of self-discovery amongst us all. Sin showed many different faces in the Bible including an act punishable by death, a trait inherited by Adam and a way to repent from it. At the end of the day, we are not perfect but we can strive to be a fraction of the vision God has for us and to do better in everything in life based on these lessons.

Works Cited

1) “REPENTANCE.” The New Encyclopedia of Judaism. New York: New York University Press, 2002. Credo Reference. Web. 19 May 2012 <xreferplus.comezproxy.saintleo.edu> 2) “What is sin?” by Matt Slick. Web. 19 May 2012 <carm.org/what-is-sin/questions/about-doctrine> 3) Ryrie, Charles. Basic Theology. Moody Publishers. 1999. Print. <gotquestions.org/definition-sin.html> 4) Edersheim, Alfred. “Seth and his Descendants- The Race of Cain.” Hendrickson Pub; Updated Edition. <biblestudytools.com/history/edersheim-old-testament/volume-1/chapter-3.html> 5) Easton, Matthew G.. “Cain”. Web. 19 May 2012. <christiananswers.net/dictionary/cain.htm

Cited: 1) “REPENTANCE.” The New Encyclopedia of Judaism. New York: New York University Press, 2002. Credo Reference. Web. 19 May 2012 &lt;xreferplus.comezproxy.saintleo.edu&gt; 2) “What is sin?” by Matt Slick. Web. 19 May 2012 &lt;carm.org/what-is-sin/questions/about-doctrine&gt; 3) Ryrie, Charles. Basic Theology. Moody Publishers. 1999. Print. &lt;gotquestions.org/definition-sin.html&gt; 4) Edersheim, Alfred. “Seth and his Descendants- The Race of Cain.” Hendrickson Pub; Updated Edition. &lt;biblestudytools.com/history/edersheim-old-testament/volume-1/chapter-3.html&gt; 5) Easton, Matthew G.. “Cain”. Web. 19 May 2012. &lt;christiananswers.net/dictionary/cain.htm