The Doctrine of Sin

Last weekend Robbie taught the 9th sermon on the "Glorious Doctrine" series on the doctrine of sin. If you want to watch the video sermon, you can watch it by clicking here. The sermon focused on explaining the true meaning and implication of sin for all humanity. I didn't expect to hear too many things that were new and was just hoping that the truth would continue to transform and sanctify my heart and my affections for the Lord. I was wrong about the content, there was a lot of great content and important doctrine with which I've been wrestling and seeking to understand more clearly. 

THE WORD RENEWING MY MIND 

1. THE DOCTRINE OF SIN - LAWLESSNESS

"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness" - 1 John 3:4

The first point in understanding the doctrine of sin, is what sin is. John defines it as lawlessness - anything contrary to the law. This law is the perfect, moral decree, as outlined by God, which defines righteous living. We learned this working definition of sin:

SIN - anything (whether in act, attitude, or nature) that does not express or conform to the holy character of God as expressed in his moral law.  

Because sin ultimately misrepresents the holy and perfect character of God as our creator, all sin ultimately is committed against God. A wrongful thought (even one that nobody else ever finds out about), a hateful comment, and an evil deed are all sins that are ultimately personal attacks on God. God as the creator and sustainer of the universe is also the law giver of the universe. As such, any rebellion to this law is a direct rebellion against the law giver Himself. 

2. THE UNDERSTANDING OF SIN - THREE ASPECTS

Robbie spent most of the time explaining and expositing the three aspects of sin outlined in the Bible: Inherited Sin, Sinful Nature, and Sins of Commission & Omission

a) INHERITED SIN / ORIGINAL GUILT - Rom 5:12-14 

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned" - Rom 5:12

  The doctrine of Inherited Sin (also referred to as Original or Inherited Guilt) refers to the guilt of sin inherited from Adam by all human beings. Romans teaches that through the sin of Adam sin came into the world, death came through sin, and at that moment, spread to all men because all sinned. Adam acted as a "Federal Head" and the guilt and consequence of sin (death - Rom 6:23) was imputed to all humanity at that time. The easiest way for me to understand this is that Adam's soul died in that moment, and although he himself remained alive, his soul had been separated from God. In procreation, Adam and Even passed on this "dead soul" to their offspring, as such we are all born with this inherited sin (Ps 51:5)

b) SINFUL NATURE - Rom 7:15-20

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do" - Gal 5:16-17

The "nature" part of our sin has to do with the effects of our inherited sin in our day-to-day lives. The sin we inherited from Adam manifests itself in us by the tendency to sin. Our "default" mode is not to do good, but to do evil. Our sinful nature renders us completely unable to do any spiritual good towards God. The sinful nature in us is sometimes referred to as "the desires of the flesh" - these evil tendencies are linked and tied to our physical bodies. Our "flesh" has urges, desires, tendencies - these are often thoughts or desires that seek to invoke a behaviour out of us and make a decision to walk in sin.

c) COMMITTED & OMITTED SINS - 1 John 1:8-9

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " - 1 John 1:8-9 

The most well understood part of the doctrine of sin is this third aspect. Any evil deed, thought, or attitude we have is a sin of commission, where we commit an act that is contradictory to the character of God that He created us with and dishonours and offends Him. This third aspect also includes any good that is left undone - the sins that are committed by failing to do something right. We are commanded to love God with all our mind, soul, and strength. Failing to do this perfectly at all times is an example of failing to do what we are required to do.

3. THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN - DEVASTATING - Rom 3:9-13 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Rom 3:23

There is no greater disaster than falling short of the glory of God. Because we fall short, because we don't measure up to God's standards due to the continuous and relentless evil in us, we are cursed and deserving of the most devastating punishment. Our sin, this attack on the character and perfection of God as the ruler of the universe, rightfully condemns us and renders us culpable and guilty, deserving death.

THE WORD TRANSFORMING MY HEART

The biggest take away for my heart in this sermon, is the light that this doctrine shines on my dark and unhealthy heart. This doctrine reveals what is behind all the evil that exists in the entire world and all the evil that I am responsible for. Our actions and our decisions are only the fruit and the result of an inherently tainted and dark nature. I believe that if you could put all of my thoughts, my desires, my words, my attitudes, my decisions, and my priorities on a screen for all the world to see, there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that I am not inherently a good person, but rather a very imperfect and downright sinful person. This, according to the Bible, is the reality of all of our hearts and is the reason our souls are in such desperate need of new life and of a Saviour. Jesus Christ is the one that has given me new life and made me a new creation, my sinful nature no longer has free reign in me but now wars with the Spirit of God within me. I am saved, I have been freed from the futility of my natural being, and can rejoice in the hope of the promised eternal life.

THE WORD FORMING MY BEHAVIOUR

My behaviour and my decisions can reflect one of two realities – they can reflect the presence of the tendency within me to rebel against God, or they can reflect the miracle of new birth through the Holy Spirit of God. Whereas before I was a Christian I couldn’t help but act in accordance to the sin within me, now with the Spirit in me I have the promise that it is the Spirit that will bear fruit in my life (Gal 5:22) in the form of good works for which I was prepared for (Eph 2:10). My job is to allow the Spirit to lead every area of my life and to submit to the Lord.

CLICK TO WATCH THE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON THIS SERMON

The Doctrine of Mankind

Robbie taught last week on the doctrine of mankind, the 8th sermon on the "Glorious Doctrine" series. If you want to watch the video sermon, you can watch it by clicking here. This sermon focused on bringing an awareness and a holy reminder to our minds of who we are so that our hearts would be better informed and more accurately lead to worship our Creator, for the glory of God.

THE WORD RENEWING MY MIND

1. THE STARTING POINT - As Creator God is Worthy of My Worship

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” – Rev 4:11

God my Creator is worthy of my worship. "The doctrine of mankind must begin with the source of mankind - not to mention the source of all creation". This is indeed the starting point in understanding the doctrine of man – the deepest, purest, and truest understanding of who we are as human beings. Everything that it means to be human, every purpose for humanity, and every source of identity as a human race is found in the fact that we are creatures – we are not just beings, we are intentionally and purposefully created by God.

2. THE FOCAL POINT - I've Been Made in the Image of God

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” - Gen 1:27

Human beings are the pinnacle of God's creation. Men and women have been created in the likeness of God and they are more "like" God than anything else in all creation. We were created to represent the character and nature of God. Our worth is not autonomous, our worth is not separated from God. We have no value apart from our Creator. Sin, even though it distorts God's image in us, it does not remove God's image from us. God created and continues to create every human being in his own image. We bear God’s image in 5 different ways:

Spiritually:

We are spiritual beings – we have a soul. No other created thing biological creature has a soul that will live eternally whether in heaven or in hell. We have the ability to interact in the spiritual realm - we can understand and see the spiritual things in this world, we can pray, we can worship.

Morally:

We are moral beings – we have consciences that weigh down on us when making decisions. We were created to make moral decisions and with a sense of “right” and “wrong” that is not inherent to any other creatures.

Mentally:

We have a mind that is unparalleled in all creation – we are the most intelligent creatures in the universe (maybe not the smartest all the time…) but the things our mind is capable of are not seen anywhere else in the universe. The hundreds of languages, all the arts, the sciences, the mathematics… Our minds are created in the image of the Lord

Relationally:

We are relational creatures, in the image of God. God has always existed in the perfect and holy community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He has created with a need, dependence, and desire for relationships. We can have a deep relationship with God, unlike any other creature.

Physically: (this one I found a little tricky to understand)

This does not in any way imply that God is a physical being. We are created in the image of God, and that means physically too. While God does not have any physical attributes to Himself, He created us with physical bodies unlike anything else in all creation. These physical bodies were perfectly designed to reflect the glory of God and to reflect His “image”. Our fingers and thumbs allow us to work the ground like no other creature, our brains allow us a level of understanding and communication necessary to communicate and understand the truths of God. 
 

3. THE TURNING POINT - I Have Been Created for God's Glory

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Col 3:17

Fundamental to understanding the doctrine of mankind is understanding the purpose of mankind. The purpose of mankind is to live seeking to give God the glory and honour He is due. God created us with the purpose of being honoured, that is the reason we were created and exist. When man seeks glory, we are seeking something that is not ours and we rob God of the glory that is His. When God seeks glory for Himself, he does not rob anyone of anything they deserve, and therefore He can be justly, and perfectly good to demand all His creation for honour, reverence, and worship.

THE WORD TRANSFORMING MY HEART 

These truths have lead my heart to rejoice and worship God for the intentional way in which I have been created. I have also been reminded that God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in Him. My daily pursuit of living in a way that accurately and purely reflects the character and the nature is really a pursuit of living joyfully. I am pursuing the highest level of satisfaction by pursuing this! There is nothing more fulfilling as a human being created in the image of God than to live our purpose out. 

THE WORD FORMING MY BEHAVIOUR

These affections for my Creator will advise and determine my day to day life. I will seek to love others, with the mind that all people bear the image of God and have an infinite value because of that. I will seek to "think God's thoughts" and walk in His ways. If I am to be a mirror to reflect who He is, my decisions, thoughts, and attitudes should all reflect His character and what has been revealed about Him. Lastly, I will long for continued growth in the likeness of Jesus Christ. Sin has distorted God's image in me, but through daily battle with the sin nature within me, sanctification will daily transform me to conform more and more to the image of Christ. I do all this with the hope that one day in glory, my glorified "me" will perfectly reflect the glory of my God in heaven, forever.

CLICK TO WATCH THE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON THIS SERMON