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THEOLOGY > Sin


SIN     (Hamartiology)

SIN IS THE REJECTION OF THE TRUTH

Sin is anything that is contrary to God. With this characterization sin is defined in terms of His holy essence and His perfect will. With any other reference point sin will not be understood, nor its remedy correctly stated; without a Theistic perspective the very concept of sin will dissipate. As with all other topics, sin must be discussed in terms of Biblical Theism if it is to be comprehended properly and presented accurately. Sin is the human predicament, and fundamentally sin is the violation of God’s nature and sovereignty; the study of sin must be predicated on the study of God.

God is the God of Truth, and in all facets of His Revelation to man He communicates Truth. Man’s responsibility is to receive the Truth, believe it, and live by it—sin, therefore, is the rejection of the Truth. With this point of view sin is also interpreted from a Theistic perspective, with sin being the rejection of who God is and what God has said.

Any rejection of the Truth is illogical; there is no justification for questioning and denying the claims of Truth on the mind and conduct. There is no good reason for sinning. It is the turning from God to self, revealing in the process that sin is essentially idolatry—it replaces the Creator with creation. Sin itself is illogical and cannot be rationalized under any system of thought. For man to choose error and death rather than Truth and life defies comprehension. Only the Divine Revelation makes sense of the nonsense of sin.

In the believer’s conception of sin and the definition given to it reside the implications for the rest of the believer’s theological formulations. The remedy for man’s plight, for instance, and the motivation for missions find their foundations in this doctrine; that is, the state of man determines the type of salvation required by man, as well as the message that is to be affirmed by the Church to man.

Unless the sinner grasps the gravity of his condition, one of alienation, guilt, and condemnation, which deserves wrath, he will not find the Cross attractive—salvation is for sinners, sinners who are taken with their need for the Savior.

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