HARMARTIOLOGY
I. Definition of sin - transgression of or lack of conformity to the holy character of God
Unbiblical definitions of sin - Illusion...State of mind...Selfishness...Poor self image
Biblical definitions of sin - Lawlessness (1st John 3:4)...Unrighteousness (1st John 5:17)...Something emanating not from faith (Romans 14:23)...Haughty eyes, proud heart (Proverbs 21:4)...Knows right yet refuses to do it (James 4:17)...Self injury (Proverb 8:36a)
Hebrew words for sin - Hata-missing the mark (Proverb 19:2)...Pasha-transgression...Awon-iniquity (Isaiah 53:6)...Ra-wicked (Malachi 2:17)
Greek words for sin - Hamartia - missing the mark (Romans 3:23)...Adikeo, adikia - unrighteousness...Paraptoma – trespass ,offence (Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:1)...Anomia - lawlessness...Parabasis - transgression...Asebia - ungodliness
Kakos - bad (1st Timothy 6:10)...Poneros - evil
II. Penalty of sin
Death - Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23; James 1:14-15
Death = separation
Three types of death (Matthew 25:6, 27:50)
Physical (Genesis 3:19)
Spiritual (Isaiah 59:1-2; Ephesians 2:1)
Eternal (Revelations 2:11; 20:14)
III. Origin of sin
In the universe...Universe was originally created very good (Job 38:7; Genesis 1:31)...Sin entered after creation week (Genesis 1:31) but before Gen 3 ...Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17 (Genesis 1 / Fall of Satan)
In the human race...Genesis 3; Romans 5:12; 1st Corinthians 15:21; 1st Timothy 2:14...Transmission; imputation?
Transmission of Sin: Origin of the soul
Creationist view
God performs the special act of creating the soul with every conception
Support- “Father of spirits” (Hebrews 12:9)
Weaknesses...God creates the soul indirectly...God is resting from creation (Genesis 2:1-3)...God cannot create sin
Traducian view:
Parents are the primary creative agents in the origin of the soul
Support...God is not responsible for sin...God ceased from creative work (Genesis 2:1-3)
Supporting verses: Genesis 2:7; 5:3; Psalm 51:5; Hebrew 7:9-10; Romans 5:12
What parents pass on to the children...All components of man’s immaterial nature...Bodily characteristics...Propensity to sin (exception = virgin born Jesus Christ)
Imputation:
Pelagian...Because every soul is created innocent only conscious sin could bring guilt upon an individual...Unscriptural (Psalm 51:5; Roman 5:12-14)
Semi-Pelagian...Although people are born with sinful tendencies they are not guilty until they make a conscious decision to sin...Weakness-Romans 5:12, 14
Federal headship...Adam’s sin as our representative is the sole cause of humanity’s ruin and we were not present in any sense when Adam sinned...Weakness - “All sinned” (Rom 5:12)
Seminal...All of us were present in a latent sense when Adam sinned and we all participated in this sin...Strengths-Justice, Rom 5:12 (“all sinned”), Heb 7:9-10
IV. Extent of sin
Total depravity
What total depravity is not: Man is as evil as he can possibly be and indulges every possible sin uMan is incapable of doing good things (Acts 10:1-2)
Every area of man’s being is touched by sin...Intellect (2nd Corinthians 4:4 / Proverbs 3:5...Conscience (1st Timothy 4:2)...Will (Romans 1:28; 3:11)...Heart (Ephesians 4:18)...Total being (Romans 1:18–3:20)
Man is incapable of doing anything to merit favor from God (Isa 64:6)
A heart problem...Genesis 6:5; 8:21, Psalm 51:5, Jeremiah 17:9, Mattew 15:18-19, Mark 7:20-23, Galatians 5:19-21, Revelations 20:7-9, Zechariah 14:17
A universal problem...1st Kings 8:46, Psalm 14:2-3; 53:3; 130:3; 143:2, Proverb 20:9, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:9-19, 23, Galatians 3:22
God’s estimate of the lost...
Lost (Luke 19:10)
Perishing (John 3:16)
Condemned (John 3:18)
Lovers of darkness/evil (John 3:18-20)
Under divine wrath (John 3:36)
Without spiritual life (John 3:36)
Of their father the devil (John 8:44)
Dead (Ephesians 2:1)
Demonically energized (Ephesians 2:2)
Depraved (Ephesians 2:3a)
Doomed (Ephesians 2:3b)
Held captive (Colossians 1:13)
Unable to receive truth (1st Corinthians 2:14; 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4)
Under the control of Satan’s world system (1st John 5:19)
Filled with unrighteousness (Romans 1:29-32)
Unable to seek God (Romans 3:10-18)
Conceived in iniquity (Psalm 51:5)
Desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9)
Man's Estimate of himself...
Man is blind to the severity of his sinful condition
Man believes that he can justify himself though his own self-righteousness (Luke 18:10-14; Genesis 3:7, 21; Philippians 3:2-9)
Consequently, the natural man views the gospel as an offense (Galatians 5:11)
V. The Believer’s two natures
Prior to conversion-slaves to the old nature (John 8:34-36)
After conversion...New nature starts...Old nature continues
New nature (2nd Peter 1:4)
Regeneration (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:5; 1st Peter 1:23)
Children of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 4:5-7)
Partakers of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension (Romans 6:11 – 13; Ephesians 1:20; 2:6)
Capable of yielding to God (Romans 6:11-13)
Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
Continuation of Old Nature
Continuing presence of the old nature (Romans 6:12-13 and 13:14; Galatians 5:13, 16-17; 1st John 1:8-10)
Although the believer no longer is obligated to the sin nature, he still has an ability to pander to it
The sin nature can never be eradicated in this life (Philippians 3:10-14, 21)
The believer experiences consequences associated with yielding to the old nature (unrelated to justification)
Yielding to the Old Nature: Consequences For the Believer
Conviction (2nd Peter 2:7-8; Psalm 32:1-5)
Divine discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11)
Premature death (Acts 5:1-11; 1st Corinthians 11:30; 1 Job 5:16; Revelations 2:23)
Loss of reward (1st Corinthians 3:15; 9:27; 2 John 8; Revelations 3:11)
Loss of fellowship (1st John 1:6)
Excommunication (1st Corinthians 5:4-5; Matthew 18:15-17)
Temporal consequences (Galatians 6:7-8)
Unanswered prayer (Psalm 66:18; 1st Peter 3:7)
Loss of testimony (Genesis 19:14)
Unbiblical definitions of sin - Illusion...State of mind...Selfishness...Poor self image
Biblical definitions of sin - Lawlessness (1st John 3:4)...Unrighteousness (1st John 5:17)...Something emanating not from faith (Romans 14:23)...Haughty eyes, proud heart (Proverbs 21:4)...Knows right yet refuses to do it (James 4:17)...Self injury (Proverb 8:36a)
Hebrew words for sin - Hata-missing the mark (Proverb 19:2)...Pasha-transgression...Awon-iniquity (Isaiah 53:6)...Ra-wicked (Malachi 2:17)
Greek words for sin - Hamartia - missing the mark (Romans 3:23)...Adikeo, adikia - unrighteousness...Paraptoma – trespass ,offence (Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:1)...Anomia - lawlessness...Parabasis - transgression...Asebia - ungodliness
Kakos - bad (1st Timothy 6:10)...Poneros - evil
II. Penalty of sin
Death - Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23; James 1:14-15
Death = separation
Three types of death (Matthew 25:6, 27:50)
Physical (Genesis 3:19)
Spiritual (Isaiah 59:1-2; Ephesians 2:1)
Eternal (Revelations 2:11; 20:14)
III. Origin of sin
In the universe...Universe was originally created very good (Job 38:7; Genesis 1:31)...Sin entered after creation week (Genesis 1:31) but before Gen 3 ...Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17 (Genesis 1 / Fall of Satan)
In the human race...Genesis 3; Romans 5:12; 1st Corinthians 15:21; 1st Timothy 2:14...Transmission; imputation?
Transmission of Sin: Origin of the soul
Creationist view
God performs the special act of creating the soul with every conception
Support- “Father of spirits” (Hebrews 12:9)
Weaknesses...God creates the soul indirectly...God is resting from creation (Genesis 2:1-3)...God cannot create sin
Traducian view:
Parents are the primary creative agents in the origin of the soul
Support...God is not responsible for sin...God ceased from creative work (Genesis 2:1-3)
Supporting verses: Genesis 2:7; 5:3; Psalm 51:5; Hebrew 7:9-10; Romans 5:12
What parents pass on to the children...All components of man’s immaterial nature...Bodily characteristics...Propensity to sin (exception = virgin born Jesus Christ)
Imputation:
Pelagian...Because every soul is created innocent only conscious sin could bring guilt upon an individual...Unscriptural (Psalm 51:5; Roman 5:12-14)
Semi-Pelagian...Although people are born with sinful tendencies they are not guilty until they make a conscious decision to sin...Weakness-Romans 5:12, 14
Federal headship...Adam’s sin as our representative is the sole cause of humanity’s ruin and we were not present in any sense when Adam sinned...Weakness - “All sinned” (Rom 5:12)
Seminal...All of us were present in a latent sense when Adam sinned and we all participated in this sin...Strengths-Justice, Rom 5:12 (“all sinned”), Heb 7:9-10
IV. Extent of sin
Total depravity
What total depravity is not: Man is as evil as he can possibly be and indulges every possible sin uMan is incapable of doing good things (Acts 10:1-2)
Every area of man’s being is touched by sin...Intellect (2nd Corinthians 4:4 / Proverbs 3:5...Conscience (1st Timothy 4:2)...Will (Romans 1:28; 3:11)...Heart (Ephesians 4:18)...Total being (Romans 1:18–3:20)
Man is incapable of doing anything to merit favor from God (Isa 64:6)
A heart problem...Genesis 6:5; 8:21, Psalm 51:5, Jeremiah 17:9, Mattew 15:18-19, Mark 7:20-23, Galatians 5:19-21, Revelations 20:7-9, Zechariah 14:17
A universal problem...1st Kings 8:46, Psalm 14:2-3; 53:3; 130:3; 143:2, Proverb 20:9, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:9-19, 23, Galatians 3:22
God’s estimate of the lost...
Lost (Luke 19:10)
Perishing (John 3:16)
Condemned (John 3:18)
Lovers of darkness/evil (John 3:18-20)
Under divine wrath (John 3:36)
Without spiritual life (John 3:36)
Of their father the devil (John 8:44)
Dead (Ephesians 2:1)
Demonically energized (Ephesians 2:2)
Depraved (Ephesians 2:3a)
Doomed (Ephesians 2:3b)
Held captive (Colossians 1:13)
Unable to receive truth (1st Corinthians 2:14; 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4)
Under the control of Satan’s world system (1st John 5:19)
Filled with unrighteousness (Romans 1:29-32)
Unable to seek God (Romans 3:10-18)
Conceived in iniquity (Psalm 51:5)
Desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9)
Man's Estimate of himself...
Man is blind to the severity of his sinful condition
Man believes that he can justify himself though his own self-righteousness (Luke 18:10-14; Genesis 3:7, 21; Philippians 3:2-9)
Consequently, the natural man views the gospel as an offense (Galatians 5:11)
V. The Believer’s two natures
Prior to conversion-slaves to the old nature (John 8:34-36)
After conversion...New nature starts...Old nature continues
New nature (2nd Peter 1:4)
Regeneration (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:5; 1st Peter 1:23)
Children of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 4:5-7)
Partakers of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension (Romans 6:11 – 13; Ephesians 1:20; 2:6)
Capable of yielding to God (Romans 6:11-13)
Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
Continuation of Old Nature
Continuing presence of the old nature (Romans 6:12-13 and 13:14; Galatians 5:13, 16-17; 1st John 1:8-10)
Although the believer no longer is obligated to the sin nature, he still has an ability to pander to it
The sin nature can never be eradicated in this life (Philippians 3:10-14, 21)
The believer experiences consequences associated with yielding to the old nature (unrelated to justification)
Yielding to the Old Nature: Consequences For the Believer
Conviction (2nd Peter 2:7-8; Psalm 32:1-5)
Divine discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11)
Premature death (Acts 5:1-11; 1st Corinthians 11:30; 1 Job 5:16; Revelations 2:23)
Loss of reward (1st Corinthians 3:15; 9:27; 2 John 8; Revelations 3:11)
Loss of fellowship (1st John 1:6)
Excommunication (1st Corinthians 5:4-5; Matthew 18:15-17)
Temporal consequences (Galatians 6:7-8)
Unanswered prayer (Psalm 66:18; 1st Peter 3:7)
Loss of testimony (Genesis 19:14)