2. The Nature of Sin

A. Sin is not eternal.

Manichaeism teaches that two dual eternal and impersonal principles exist side by side in this universe. On is good and the other is evil. This is false as we will see. Willmington p.719

B. Sin is not merely the absence of Good.

Some teach that as darkness is merely the absence of light, then sin. is only an absence of goodness. This is unscriptural , for sin is as real and positive to.the soul of man as cancer and leprosy are to his physical body

A leper's hands

A poor leper

C. Sin is not just a weakness or frailty of the human flesh.

This false view would see sin as a mere frailty of human flesh as hunger, thirst or weariness

Thirsty

D. Sin has no standard of its own.

Sin must derive its measure from that which is positive and good. One may assume.good apart from evil(which was true historically), but evil cannot exist from good. For evil by its very nature opposes and perverts something that is opposite. Every sin, in reality, is a perversion of some good principle.

Elymas the Magicien opposed the Message of the Gospel.

Act 13:6  When they had gone through the whole length of the island [Cyprus] as far as Paphos, they there met with a Jewish magician and false prophet, Bar-Jesus by name,

Act 13:7  who was a friend of the Proconsul Sergius Paulus. The Proconsul was a man of keen intelligence. He sent for Barnabas and Saul, and asked to be told God's Message.

Act 13:8  But Elymas (or 'the Magician,' for such is the meaning of the name) opposed them, and tried to prevent the Proconsul from accepting the faith.

Act 13:9  Then Saul, who is also called Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, fixing his eyes on Elymas,

Act 13:10  said, "You who are full of every kind of craftiness and unscrupulous cunning--you son of the Devil and foe to all that is right--will you never cease to misrepresent the straight paths of the Lord?

Act 13:11  The Lord's hand is now upon you, and you will be blind for a time and unable to see the light of day." Instantly there fell upon him a mist and a darkness, and, as he walked about, he begged people to lead him by the hand.

E. Sin and evil cannot manifest themselves as such, but must, to some extent, be disguised as good.

Illustrations : A rebel feels free to rape and burn in order to “awaken the conscience’ of a careless society about the plight of his  particular minority.

- Hitler’s stated reason for his systematic slaughter of untold numbers of Jews and Eastern europeans was for the “protection and good” of his people, the Germans.

Hitler's Disguises

- A highjacker threatens and terrorises a whole plane load of passengers to “correct” the wrongs of a certain government which may be holding some “innocent” political prisoner.

Hijackers still alive. FBI

Thus even in a sin cursed world, sin does not dare to expose itself in the open, as the vicious and vile wolf that it really is, but is forced to assume in some form the garb of a sheep.

F. Sin not only disguises itself as the good, but must also actually connect itself to the good.

Sin is like a virus. It has no unifying power of itself. It attaches itself to the good like a virus to a healthy cell.

Phage Viruses Russell Kightley

G. A feature of evil not usually considered is that it must often strive against itself.

Examples:

1. A miser is at variance with a spendthrift.

2. A proud stoic will view with contempt a glutton.

3. A promiscuous hetersexual is sickened at the sexual perversions of a homosexual.

But this is not so with the good, where all its elements and attributes complement and do not contradict each other. Love, Grace,truth, wisdom, righteousness, and justice are all closest friends.

Thus, good has only one enemy, the evil, but any given evil has two enemies, the good and the other conflicting evil.

A classic example was seen in World War II when two of the most wicked men on earth hated each other with a passion seldom seen. These two bitter enemies were Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

H. Even though we have used sin and evil interchangeably thus far, the terms are sometimes to be distinguished from each other.

For example, sin is not always the same as evil. We may refer to cyclones, floods and earthquakes as evil, and well they may be. But, we cannot call them sinful.

This fact should be understood,when we are troubled by Isaiah 45:6-7

Isa 45:6  that they may know from the rising of the sun, and to the sunset, that there is none besides Me. I am Jehovah, and there is none else;

Isa 45:7  forming the light and creating darkness; making peace and creating evil. I Jehovah do all these things.

Here the Hebrew word ra is used which can also be translated “ calamity” Thus, while we read of  God creating evil, the Scriptures assure us that He does not create sin.

2Co 5:21  For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Tit 1:1  Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ (according to the faith of God's elect, in the acknowledging of the truth which is according to godliness

Tit 1:2  on hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the eternal times,

Heb 4:15  For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted just as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 6:18  so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us,

Jas 1:13  Let no one being tempted say, I am tempted from God. For God is not tempted by evils, and He tempts no one.

1Pe 2:22  He who did no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth,

1Jn 3:5  And you know that He was revealed that He might take away our sins, and in Him is no sin.