“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”’ Jeremiah 31:33-34 NKJV
 |
| copyright aakintoye |
According to a BBC report sin is a Christian belief, separating humans from God, bringing lasting punishment. God gave humans free will, so it is up to humans to decide for themselves how to behave, in an evil or good way. Christians believe that only God can rectify the problem of humans. To do this, He offered salvation through the sacrifice of Christ.
The report also said that many Christians believe all humans are descended from Adam and Eve, which means that they could disobey God. Original sin occurred when Adam and Eve were tempted and committed the first (original) sin.
I have to say that this secular report got it right. SIN is a topic that many people shy away from, as it becomes a debate about whose definition is right or wrong.
The Webster dictionary defines sin as an action or type of behavior that is believed to break the laws of God. Cambridge states sin as the deliberate and purposeful violation of the will of God and Britannia identifies it as breaking a moral or divine law.
Irrespective of the definition of sin, Jesus teaches that sin starts in the heart. In Matthew 15:8 He said, 'these people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship me. Teaching as doctrine the commandments of men'. In verse 18: those things which proceed out to the mouth come from the heart and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, theft, also witness, blasphemies - these are the things that defile a man.
To get to a biblical definition of sin, we must take examples from the Holy Scriptures - what is revealed through the relationship of God with the Israelites. Also what Yeshua Himself revealed and what was taught by the Apostles in the Epistles. All three must be in perfect alignment.
Implication of sin
The blessings and the curses listed in Deuteronomy 28 are also related to keeping the commandments; “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NLT
Obedience to God brings blessings, the opposite attracts curses. If we have accepted Christ as Lord, we have entered a covenant relationship with God. Worshipping God comes from the heart and it’s revealed by our actions.
Specific examples of sin
Deliberate disobedience to God’s specific commandments.
When Elohim GOD is very explicit about what He hates, there is no shadow of doubt. You cannot try to justify it.
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”” Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV. Adam and Eve disobeyed, this lead to spiritual death (separation from Elohim) and physical death.
Idolatry: worship of and heart for other gods.
Elohim God sent the Israelites into captivity because of one major thing - Idolatry. Elohim revealed it Himself in Ezekiel 39: 23, "The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them."
In the Promised land they began to worship other gods. This of course opened the door to evil practices like child sacrifice, which is an abomination to God. The books of Kings and Chronicles help us to understand more about idolatry. It includes physical worship and sacrifices, and a heart that is not loyal to God. The books of the prophets revealed the extent and depth of idolatry and God’s view of it.
Breaking a covenant with God.
A sin that brought repercussion on the people was breaking a covenant sealed with the name of Elohim God. If you want to understand God’s standard on oaths, the story of the Gibeonites is a fascinating example. They tricked Joshua into making an oath with them during the conquest of the land of Canaan. His oath meant they were protected even by the God of the Israelites. When the five Amorites kings besieged them and they appealed to Joshua, God sent hailstones; and made the sun and moon stood still so that the battle may be won (Joshua 10). Years later when Saul killed some Gibeonites, God punished his own people with famine, because they were still under protection. Saul thought he was doing it in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. A lesson for us is never to make an oath with the name of the Lord and not keep it.
Jesus also taught against it in Matthew 5:34.
Morality and righteous living, the way of the Kingdom of Elohim.
“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17 NKJV. Jesus taught a lot on what we are to do or not do, our heart to the Father and to others, right character and attitude. We get some of these in the book of Matthew, from chapter five. The apostles also expanded on the teaching of Jesus in the books of the New Testament.
To be continued…
#Prayerfortheweek
Almighty Father, thank You for the gift of my salvation and the Holy Spirit. Help to live a holy life. May sin not have power over me as I walk as a new creation in Christ Jesus. I shall sin no more. In the mighty name of Yeshua Christ Jesus. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment