Is sin real today?
We need to understand Genesis 3 if we are to understand the gospel. Everything else that follows in the Bible does so as a consequence of the events that took place in the Garden of Eden.
And they were events, not myths. Underlying all the actions of Jesus and all the teaching of the New Testament is the fact of human sin and the doctrine of the fall of man. By the Fall we mean man’s fall from the perfect condition in which he was created to a state of sin.
Our responsibility
Whilst it is clear from Genesis 3 that Satan is behind sin, this does not excuse us, nor does it remove our responsibility for our actions. The words which the Bible later uses to describe human disobedience to God emphasise this.
• Sin means to fall short of the standard God has set.
• Transgression is to trespass outside the boundaries God has set.
• Iniquity means crookedness, not straight, moral distortion, and refers to our nature.
Read Psalm 32:1–2 NKJV, where all three words are used.
The three words tell us that we have gone against the will of God. Our crooked and twisted nature refuses to stay inside God’s boundaries and leaves us well short of God’s standard. It is our sin that causes the problem, and we are answerable for it. It is not environment or upbringing or parents or lack of privileges; it is our fault, and God holds us responsible. There is no escaping that.
God’s wrath
God’s wrath is his anger against those who sin and his determination to punish them. It is divine holiness stirred into action against violations of his holy law. God, who is utterly and completely holy, cannot regard evil and good as the same. He cannot smile benevolently upon both truth and lies. So God’s holiness makes hell as inevitable as his love makes heaven.
God never excuses sin. This is actually proved beyond all doubt by the cross of Jesus. On the cross sin is punished and borne by our substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. No sin is excusable, but, thank God, it is pardonable in Christ. God’s wrath is as real as his love, but it is not like human wrath. It is not vindictive, capricious or irrational. It is a right and necessary reaction against moral evil. It is judicial wrath against guilty sinners: God is only angry when anger is called for.
Sin’s reality today
In Romans 1, Paul exposes the sin of his day, but the words there could well be describing today’s society.
v. 21 There is an almost total rejection of God.
v. 22 Men are wise enough to put men on the moon but foolish enough for all the violence, wars and crime of today.
v. 23 God is openly dishonoured as God and Jesus are made the subject of laughter and scorn.
v. 24 Men and women degrade their bodies with sex, drink and drugs.
vv. 26–27 Rampant homosexuality and lesbianism are as blatant today as they were in Sodom.
v. 28 In nations that were built upon the Christian ethic, the knowledge and law of God are no longer retained, and all sorts of laws are passed to legalize what God forbids.
‘Much that we take for granted in a civilised society is based upon the assumption of human sin. Nearly all legislation has grown up because human beings cannot be trusted to settle their own disputes with justice and without self-interest. A promise is not enough; we need a contract. Doors are not enough; we have to lock and bolt them. The payment of fares is not enough; tickets have to be issued, inspected and collected. Law and order are not enough; we need the police to enforce them. All this is due to man’s sin. We cannot trust each other. We need protection against one another. It is a terrible indictment of human nature (John Stott).
Our responsibility
Whilst it is clear from Genesis 3 that Satan is behind sin, this does not excuse us, nor does it remove our responsibility for our actions. The words which the Bible later uses to describe human disobedience to God emphasise this.
• Sin means to fall short of the standard God has set.
• Transgression is to trespass outside the boundaries God has set.
• Iniquity means crookedness, not straight, moral distortion, and refers to our nature.
Read Psalm 32:1–2 NKJV, where all three words are used.
The three words tell us that we have gone against the will of God. Our crooked and twisted nature refuses to stay inside God’s boundaries and leaves us well short of God’s standard. It is our sin that causes the problem, and we are answerable for it. It is not environment or upbringing or parents or lack of privileges; it is our fault, and God holds us responsible. There is no escaping that.
God’s wrath
God’s wrath is his anger against those who sin and his determination to punish them. It is divine holiness stirred into action against violations of his holy law. God, who is utterly and completely holy, cannot regard evil and good as the same. He cannot smile benevolently upon both truth and lies. So God’s holiness makes hell as inevitable as his love makes heaven.
God never excuses sin. This is actually proved beyond all doubt by the cross of Jesus. On the cross sin is punished and borne by our substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. No sin is excusable, but, thank God, it is pardonable in Christ. God’s wrath is as real as his love, but it is not like human wrath. It is not vindictive, capricious or irrational. It is a right and necessary reaction against moral evil. It is judicial wrath against guilty sinners: God is only angry when anger is called for.
Sin’s reality today
In Romans 1, Paul exposes the sin of his day, but the words there could well be describing today’s society.
v. 21 There is an almost total rejection of God.
v. 22 Men are wise enough to put men on the moon but foolish enough for all the violence, wars and crime of today.
v. 23 God is openly dishonoured as God and Jesus are made the subject of laughter and scorn.
v. 24 Men and women degrade their bodies with sex, drink and drugs.
vv. 26–27 Rampant homosexuality and lesbianism are as blatant today as they were in Sodom.
v. 28 In nations that were built upon the Christian ethic, the knowledge and law of God are no longer retained, and all sorts of laws are passed to legalize what God forbids.
‘Much that we take for granted in a civilised society is based upon the assumption of human sin. Nearly all legislation has grown up because human beings cannot be trusted to settle their own disputes with justice and without self-interest. A promise is not enough; we need a contract. Doors are not enough; we have to lock and bolt them. The payment of fares is not enough; tickets have to be issued, inspected and collected. Law and order are not enough; we need the police to enforce them. All this is due to man’s sin. We cannot trust each other. We need protection against one another. It is a terrible indictment of human nature (John Stott).
