God, Sin, And Consequences

Sample Answer

Introduction

‘Why do I have to suffer the consequences of sin when I was not the one who ate the forbidden fruit?’ This is an age-old question that many have and others still ask. It may seem unfair that one man’s (and woman’s) fault has had a domino effect over the centuries and will continue to do so for the remainder of humankind’s time here on earth. However, by understanding the nature of God, His plan for man, and the redemptive strategy, He put in place, the answer to the question above becomes clear. Analyzing sin and its consequences to the human race as well as God’s remedy to the problem, is detrimental.

Explain how sin entered the world and analyze the implications and consequences of sin for the human condition, focusing on how this issue appears in the history, literature, and theology of the Old Testament. Identify New Testament teachings that align with Old Testament history, literature, and theology.

In the beginning, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2), and God the Father spoke, creating life and nature. Man and woman were also created in the image of God, and unlike the other creations, God Himself molded man from clay and woman from man’s rib. These accounts are reported in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2. Jesus Christ was also involved in the creation of life as well as in the creation of man. John 1:1-5 states that the Word which was with God from the very beginning, created everything and that anything that was made was only through Him. This Word became flesh and came to dwell in the earth that He created. Hence, it is clear that the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ) were one from the very beginning and were responsible for creating everything seen and unseen. The Holy Spirit was on the earth while the Father and the Son were in heaven.

In Genesis 3:8, the Bible records that Adam and Eve heard the Lord walking; they could not see Him but could hear his steps and voice; He had no physical form, which could only mean He was a Spirit. This indicates that the Holy Spirit was already on earth and was communing with the man and his wife. From this, it can be concluded that the Holy Spirit was already communing with man before the entry of sin. Thus, it was sin that caused Him to break this communion.

When the serpent (who is the devil and a fallen angel) told Eve that she could eat the fruit of knowledge and become like God, it marked the beginning of the end of God communing with man. God had forbidden Adam from eating off the tree of knowledge, and knowing this; the serpent approached Eve instead. The Bible records that Adam and not Eve were given the instructions (Eve had not been created by then) (Gen 2:16-18). Eve got the information, presumably from Adam; therefore, she was more vulnerable to manipulation from the serpent. The serpent knew that Eve relied on a second-level report of information or hearsay, which made it easy for him to plant doubt in her mind. When the serpent asked her, “Did God say…”, those were words to make her question whether it was God who said it or whether her husband was making up the whole story. She had no evidence to back the claim, so introducing new information that was a lie was easy. The serpent then told her that she and her husband would not die; instead, they would be like God, an idea that appealed to her. However, this was a twisted truth, for man was already like God as he had been created in His image. After eating the forbidden fruit, the two realized that they were naked and hid away from the Lord (Anderson, 2002).

In the New Testament, Paul teaches how sin separates man from having communion with God. He states in Romans 1:18; 28-32 that man in his adamant position of continued sin, God gave up on him to do as he wanted, thus making man a subject of God’s wrath and a recipient of eternal death as a reward. For every person that does not accept their fallen state of sinfulness and refuses to return to the mercy and grace of God, then the only result is death and more specifically, condemnation to hell (Revelations 20: 11-15)

Explain the classical theological notion of sin as a privation of the good, and show how this view is beneficial to understanding the biblical idea of sin.

The fact that Adam and Eve first noticed their nakedness is symbolic of man’s inadequacy outside of God. They two had disobeyed God, and that had brought them shame. This disobedience was met with punishment upon Adam, Eve, and the serpent, as stated in Genesis 3: 14-19. Man was cut off from God because of sin. When sin was introduced on earth, it began to proliferate, as was seen in the murder of Abel by his brother Cain (Gen 4:8-16), which also attracted punishment on him. It is also shown in; the corruption of the earth that made God destroy it in flood and saving Noah and his family (Genesis 6:11-13; 7:1); and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and saving of Lot (Genesis 19:24).

Additionally, throughout the Old Testament, every time the Israelites turned away from worshipping God and doing evil in His sight, He would punish them by making their enemies defeat them in battle and even capture them as slaves. Examples of these incidences are recorded in the Books of Judges 3:7; 2 Kings: 17-19; Jeremiah: 39; among others. It is clear from these and other examples throughout the Old Testament recordings that God was displeased with sin. He patiently waited for man to turn away from sin, but when that did not happen, He would punish individuals and entire nations.

As stated earlier, in the New Testament, the wages of sin have been categorically stated as death. The Book of Revelations talks about the visions that John, the disciple of Jesus, had of heaven and hell. Those who choose redemption through accepting Jesus as Christ would enter heaven, while those who rejected it would be sent to an eternal lake of fire.

Explain how God is Creator and Redeemer as documented in the most significant passages of the Old and New Testament.

God created the heavens and the earth as well as man and all that walks upon the earth and grows in it (Genesis 1 and 2). The Father and Son collaborated in the creation of the world (John 1:1-5). The atonement for sin in the Old Testament was done through the sacrifices of animals. Moses was given the ordinances pertaining to the sacrifices to be made for the different sins committed by the Israelites (Leviticus chapters 4, 5, and 6). However, some sins were unforgivable and were judged with a death sentence against the perpetrator. Life was paid with life (Deuteronomy 17:8-13), while disobedience and shame brought on one’s parents were also rewarded with death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Other sins punishable by death were a false witness (Deuteronomy 19:15-21), adultery, bestiality, and cursing of one’s parents (Leviticus 20:9, 10, 11, 15). So while man continued to sin, there was room to ask for forgiveness through sacrificial offerings and purifying oneself through cleansing rituals which would make one acceptable before God. The blood sacrifice of a slaughtered pure animal was acceptable for the forgiveness of sin.

The sins that were punishable by death had a common theme: against another person, against oneself, and against one’s parents. It may be conceived that God as a Father required that He be honored and revered by His creation (children) (Rohrbaugh, 1995), and just as He is a parent, so too earthly parents were to be honored by their children. He referred to Israel on several occasions as His children, and because He was a Father to them when Israel rebelled against Him, He hurt as a parent would. The sentencing of man to death for dishonoring earthly parents was a reflection of God’s nature of not entertaining dishonor to Himself by His children.

The other sins punishable by death were against oneself (bestiality and adultery) and against others (false witness and adultery). God created man in His image and breathed His Spirit in man; hence, man has a God nature living in Him (Heschel, 1976). When man sins against oneself or others, they are sinning against the nature of God in them, and because God cannot stand sin, He punishes it with death; through the termination of the vessel (body) that carries His Spirit and bears His image.

The New Testament discusses man’s sinful nature, and it is the cause of God severing a close relationship with man. In the Gospels, which give an account of Jesus’ teachings, what comes out clearly is that the Pharisees created a rift between them and the rest of the human population based on the Law of Moses. They believed that by following the Levitical laws, they were free of sin and that they only, were accepted by God due to their strict observation of the laws. However, Jesus Christ came with radical teachings that not only exposed the Pharisees as sinners (Mathew 23:13-15) but all people’s the earth. In short, Jesus categorized the Pharisees and non-Jews (Gentiles) as sinners (John 8:7) in need of redemption (John 15:22). This nullified the redemption brought about by the Levitical laws. Instead, Jesus Christ and Paul implied that the laws of Moses only showed how much in need of redemption man was and that nothing that man could do would save them from condemnation (Romans 3:23).

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the co-creator of the world, came to earth as a sacrificial offering for the atonement of sin. Man had no power to save himself and restore his communion with God. The Levitical laws had created a rift between those who followed them and those who had given up on them hence, accepted themselves as sinners with no hope. Only God could pay the ultimate price for sin and delete the penalty of death from man (Romans 6:23). When God, in the human flesh as Jesus, died on the cross for man’s sins, he took up the punishment of death weighted on man for every sin man had and would commit. Jesus Christ came as the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-50) who would be restored back to God the Father through a death sacrifice. And just as the first Adam separated man from God, the last Adam would bring man back to God. What made the sacrifice complete and the punishment of death null and void was the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Death as the ultimate price for sin had no hold of Him, for He bore the righteousness of the Father (Romans 6:9-11). It was not possible for righteousness to exist in hell, so one had to give in. In this case, righteousness prevailed over darkness, and the Messiah arose from the grave, conquering sin (1 Corinthians 15:54-58).

Hence, whoever accepts the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and of the Father, such a person attains forgiveness of sin and is restored back to the Father (Gill, 1989). Their names are written in the Book of Life and are guaranteed to enter heaven for eternal life. Further, such a person is filled once again with the Holy Spirit, and communion with God is returned as it was with Adam and Eve before the entry of sin. Unlike at the beginning when the Spirit of God was hovering over the earth, with the sacrifice of Jesus and acceptance of salvation, the Spirit of God now dwells in individuals (Romans 8:2-11).

Describe God’s response to human sin and identify how several of his attributes inform how he deals with sin.

As stated earlier, the forgiveness of sin and subsequent salvation from eternal death comes from one’s acceptance of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. When one does so, their sins are not counted against them, and such a person is expected to live a life pleasing to God. However, because the flesh is prone to sin, yet the Spirit repels sin when such a person sins, God already has forgiven them. The grace extended by God covers the sin of such a person, yet that should not be an excuse to continue sinning (Romans 6:14-18).

God cannot tolerate sin, and that is why He allowed the sacrifice of Jesus as a perfect atonement. His nature has not changed, and the Bible states that rebellion against Him results in His wrath upon the perpetrator. He still indicates that sin against self and others is a recipe for His wrath for those who continue to live in it (Colossians 3:5-6). One can only attain redemption through acceptance of Jesus Christ as the sole redeemer.

Conclusion

God is Holy, and none can approach Him unless such a person is holy as well. The sacrifice made on the cross makes all those that accept the work of redemption righteous in the eyes of God and can gain the title of heir and sonship (daughters). God has never tolerated sin and will never do so. Man cannot meet God’s standards of holiness unless it is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the end, those that accept and have their names written in the Book of Life will enter heaven, while those who do not will be condemned to hell.

References

Anderson, G. A. (2002). The genesis of perfection: Adam and Eve in Jewish and Christian imagination. Westminster John Knox Press.

Gill, S., & Wordsworth, W. (1989). A life. Clarendon Press.

Heschel, A. J. (1976). God in search of man: A philosophy of Judaism. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Rohrbaugh, R. L. (1995). LEGITIMATING SONSHIP-A TEST OF HONOUR. Modelling early Christianity: Social-scientific studies of the New Testament in its context, 183.

The Bible (KJV)

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