Topic: The Nature of Sin
Reading: Romans 5:12-14
Introduction and Overview
In these few verses we gain an insight into sin, and the nature of sin. Amongst other things, sin is an enemy, and to defeat an enemy, we must understand that enemy.
Sin is identified elsewhere in the letters of John as lawlessness. But it is more than that, although all of the aspects of sin are covered in the law too. But we will see in these words that sin was about long before the law came into existence.
Sin has been around since the beginning, and the very first sin is a good example of the nature of sin in all its many forms. But there are also many things that people call sin today, that are not. And many fall into self-condemnation over things that are not sin at all.
So, let us look at this subject and understand the nature of sin so that we gain a better means of defeating this enemy.
Key points from reading:
- Sin came into the world through the actions of Adam and Eve.
- Sin existed before the law but it is not counted where there is no law
- The nature of sin revealed.
Discussion:
- Scripture: Romans 5:12
- We die because we sin. And we sin because we inherited the nature of sin from our forefather, Adam.
- This is the effect of sin, and especially the sin of Adam and Eve who first sinned and bought death upon all of mankind. Their actions when they took the fruit that was forbidden was the first sin. Through that sin, all of mankind was bound under the power of death.
- Ever since Adam and Eve, sin has reigned supreme and all of mankind suffers the penalty of death because of their sin. And they knew what they were doing, for God had told them that if they took of the forbidden fruit, they would die.
- Scripture: Romans 5:13
- It was the actions of one man that brought sin into the world. But every person dies even though the sins they commit are not like the sin of Adam.
- We are shown elsewhere that “Sin is lawlessness.” (Read 1 John 3:4) But here in Romans 5:13 we find that sin existed prior to the law. The law makes sin more powerful because when someone sins under the law, they are both convicted of the sin itself, PLUS they are convicted of being a lawbreaker, having broken God’s law.
- But we also see here that where there is no law, sin is not counted. In essence if sin is lawlessness, as stated in 1 John 3:4, then there can be no lawlessness where there is no law. That is, you cannot break a law that does not exist. And the law would not come into force until several thousands of years later after Adam left the Garden of Eden.
- This is an important point for us today. We will learn later in Romans 7, as well as other studies, that Jesus came to set us free from sin, and to set us free from the laws of Moses. It is the law that convicts people as sinners, but where there is no law, there is no conviction of sin. Sin still may exist even for those who are not under the law, but by removing the law, which God has done for us in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, we are no longer counted as sinners. As this verse says, where there is no law sin os not counted.
- Scripture: Romans 5:14
- Just because there was no law, however, death still reigned over all mankind between Adam and Moses. And in like manner, even though we are set free from sin today in Jesus Christ, we too will still die in the flesh because of the power of sin in the flesh.
- The nature of sin is that it is a rejection of the authority of God. This was the sin of Adam and Eve, and it is the nature of sin today. Adam and Eve chose to listen to Satan who lied about the fact that they would die if they took and ate the forbidden fruit. And they believed the lie and so they sinned because they rejected God’s word and were led by temptation of the devil and their human passions, desires and lusts, and so sinned.
- The law contains the authority of God and the requirements of what is right and wrong. So, when a person commits an act of lawlessness, they reject the law, and by doing so they reject the authority and word of God, just as Adam and Eve did. This is the nature of sin and it is this that kills people today. It is this rejection of the will of God that caused death to reign even before there was a law given to Moses.
- But now in Christ Jesus we have a way of escape. Sin is of the flesh and the law deals with the matters of the flesh. Our bodies die because they are fleshly. But in Jesus Christ, our spirits can live on and will live on because in Christ we can overcome sin in the flesh and be alive in the Spirit. The scripture says it like this:
But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10) - It is because we inherited the nature of Adam in our flesh that our bodies grow old and eventually die. But in Christ we inherit righteousness by faith and our spirits will live on. The nature of sin is the rejection of God, and it leads to death. But the nature of righteousness is obedience to God and Jesus Christ, and it leads to life. So, although the nature of sin is death, in Jesus Christ we are given the opportunity to escape sin and escape the law that defines sin to find righteousness and life.
- This verse talks about Adam as being, “…a type of the one who was to come.” Adam was like Jesus in that both of them were created without sin. Jesus was born of Mary in the flesh, but was conceived of the Spirit of God and so the sin factor was not carried down to Him because His forefather was God, not Adam. But unlike Adam, Jesus did not sin throughout His life, and thus being fully righteous and clean of sin, He became the perfect sacrifice for sin so that we could receive His sacrifice as a full and complete removal of sin and the law as we come to God.
- What sin is and what it is not
- The nature of sin is the rejection of the will and the word of God. Sin is also lawlessness as we noted above. But there are many things that people today call sin, that are not, and we need to make that distinction. There are those who condemn themselves over things that are not sin, and when we understand these things, it relieves us of self-condemnation.
- There are people who condemn themselves as sinners because they get angry, or jealous, or lose their temper, or feel the passions of lust and greed. Make no mistake, these things are not good for us, but they are not sin. The emotions, desires, and passions of the flesh are not sin. You do not break God’s law and are not convicted as a sinner because you get angry. Think about Jesus who is anger overthrew the tables of the merchants and money-changers in the Temple, and drove out their stock with a whip of cords. He was angry, but He did not sin. And the scripture says also:
26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27) - So, it is not a sin to be angry, unless your anger leads you to sin. There is a process at play here that is explained in the letter of James:
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; 14 but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death. (James 1:13-15) - In a nutshell the process James speaks of here is: Temptation->Desire->Sin->Death
- There will always be temptations in this world, and desire is driven by the passions of the flesh. The aim of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be able to gain victory over the flesh so that we are not led by our desires when we are tempted, and thus fall into sin. If we can control desire we can break the vicious circle of sin and death within us. But this is not something we can do alone as humans. This is where we need the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus to overcome and remove both sin and the law, and to then receive the Holy Spirit who transforms us and gives us the power to overcome desire and the passions of human nature that lead to sin.
- Desire, such as anger, jealousy, and so on is not sin. But left unchecked and lured by temptation, they can and often do lead to sin. But in Christ we gain victory over the flesh and can reject temptations when desires arise to lead us astray.
Key Takeaways:
- We die because of sin and the nature of sin is the rejection of the will and the way of God, especially as it is defined in His law given to Moses.
- But where there is no law, sin is not counted against us, and in Jesus Christ, the law is taken away so that we do not have it condemning us.
- Understanding what sin is and what it is not is important so that we do not fall into condemnation over things that may not be good for us, but are not sin. And we need to understand these things to gain victory over the flesh, which is achieved by the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the working of the Holy Spirit in us.
Prayer Points
- Pray for understanding of these things. Especially that you may learn the difference between passions and actual sin.
- Pray for the faith and free gift of righteousness given by God to those who have faith so that you can understand fully the power of Christ’s death and resurrection.
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to come into you and work in you to transform you by giving you power over the passions of the flesh.