The Root of Sin
Even amongst some traditionally evangelical Churches, the topic of sin has become increasingly unpopular in recent decades. Liberal Churches have virtually thrown the concept of sin out altogether as it has negative influences which may offend people. For example, in the past few decades we have seen the issue of homosexuality redefined. The term 'sexual orientation' has replaced the word 'sin', indeed, to speak of homosexuality as sin is considered to be a form of 'hate speech', or at the very least, religious bigotry. In my opinion, to the same extent the doctrine of sin is diluted, the gospel will also be watered down to be a powerless, feel good human invention which considers those who stand on Biblical truth as bullies.
If we do not understand the seriousness of sin, and especially the root or principle of sin which is grounded in the elevation of self, we will naturally end up with Churches full of people who have a form of religion, but no real relationship with our holy Creator who can never compromise or submit to the human ego. Too many pastors and Church leaders compromise with the issue of sin for fear of emptying pews and the collection plate, and fewer still ever preach that surrender to the will of God is a prerequisite for being born again.
New Testament Scripture is full of expressions which declare the death and denial of ‘self’. We are told we must ‘deny self, take up our cross and follow Christ’ Mark 8:34-38, words from Jesus regarding salvation. We are told that the regenerate have ‘died with Christ’ (Colossians 3:3), that the self has been ‘crucified with Christ’ (Romans 6:6), that we must be ‘born again’, but if there is no death to self, there is no need for a new birth. Sadly, for many, Jesus’ words are rejected as a works-based salvation’ and the other verses are just analogies rather than testimonies of an existential experience of regeneration.
My position is this: If there has been no surrender of our self-rule to the rule of Jesus Christ, then the person is still living in rebellion to God and is still an enemy of God. Consider Jesus’ warning.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day. ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
Please note the following:
1. Jesus has just finished telling us the gate is wide and road broad that leads to eternal destruction and many are on it, but the gate that leads to eternal life is small and the path narrow and few there are that find it.
2. He then speaks of false prophets in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ferocious wolves. They are recognized by their fruit. These are the ones who lead the many astray.
3. The ‘many’ refers to those who were walking the wide road and deceived by false prophets. They call Christ Lord and remind Him of their using His name for various activities, but He tells them, ‘I never knew you, away from me’. The verdict is issued on the Lord’s provision that they did not live in the Father’s will. The use of the word ‘Lord’ four times is Jesus’ accusation that they called Him Lord but were never surrendered to Him as Lord.
In this video/article we will explore the topic of sin and especially the root principle of sin, that which must be surrendered and destroyed before we can be called ‘new creations’ in which the ‘old has passed away’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The topic of sin is discussed in detail in chapter 10 of my Practical Systematic Theology: Reclaiming the Doctrine of the Early Church.
I. How does the Bible define sin and is sin a willful choice?
The Old Testament uses two words primarily to describe sin: Chata’ means to deliberately miss the mark, to aim in the wrong direction. This word is used approximately 600 times in the OT. Also pesha’ and marah meaning to rebel against God. The New Testament words harmatia, and adikia convey similar thoughts. They also convey the ideas of deliberately falling short (harmatia), being not on the level (adikia), and going off the road (parabasis).
The word anomia conveys 'lawlessness', indeed, in 1 John 3:4 the apostle says that 'harmatia is anomia', a deliberate transgression of the law. There are many other words used throughout Scripture to describe making a mistake, doing something accidentally, or even being lead astray unknowingly. However, sin in Scripture is not a misfortunate accident which came upon humankind, but a conscience turning away from God and demand to rule our own lives.
II. The self-ruling principle.
Understanding the root of sin is conveyed in the word anomia. The idea of 'lawlessness' (Anomia; 1 John 3:4) is the desire to be self-governed (autonomous) rather than governed by God. This word conveys the motivation behind the act of sinning; a desire to demand to be a law unto ourselves, independent of God, indeed, John tells us that all sin (harmatia) is lawlessness.
Anomia can be described as a 'self-ruling principle', the root of habitual sin. The root sin of rebellion against God leads to all of the acts of sin, the demand of the creature to live contrary to its Creator's will, to declare its independence and live according to its own desires and judgments regarding morality, holiness, justice, etc.
This sin is first witnessed in the fall of Lucifer as recorded in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. The Isaiah text tells us that Lucifer said in his heart that he would raise his throne above the stars of God and make himself like the Most High God (Isaiah 14:13-14). John refers to the devil and this incident in chapter three of his first letter where he discusses the issue of the root of sin. Three times John tells us that those who are born again cannot continue in sin. John is not saying that Christians never commit sins which he deals with in chapter 1:8ff, but that a born again Christian cannot live in continual rebellion against God as the root of sin has been destroyed. Please watch my video entitled ‘Cannot Continue in Sin’ which explains this passage in depth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKi-w6Nl9Ns&t=1s
Lucifer’s original sin was in demanding to raise his throne and make himself like God. This is the essence of self-rule, a form of self-enthronement. He entered Eden and tempted Eve with the same sin which brought about his fall, telling her, ‘you will be like God’. The sin of Adam and Eve was not in desiring to be like God, but in choosing to make themselves like God their way, in their time, rather than God’s way and in His time. Their actions brought physical death to all mankind.
This desire for independence is in every human being and is discussed in my video ‘The Desire for Autonomy’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cKCIs53iz4
This desire is grounded both in our being made in God’s image as sentient creatures with free will, and in our basic biological instincts as animals with bodies which demand our attention, and also drive us to compete with our own gender. The end result is that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We become self-centered from a very early age. Our desire for knowledge is insatiable, and desire to impatiently experience everything we see around us leads us into conflict with our parents.
As we grow towards puberty the instinct to compete against our own gender intensifies. Girls become obsessed with how they look, boys are equally competitive and some become bullies exerting themselves over their peers. And all of these base instincts go into overdrive when hormones kick in at puberty, and we unconsciously feel driven to prepare ourselves to leave the nest and be independent of parents.
The end result is that all of us become slaves to the sin-principle of self-rule and, therefore, slaves to lawlessness. Every sin we commit is tied to the principle of independence, the demand of the creature to rule our own lives as we see fit. Paul, speaking of the unregenerate person, summarizes this process in this way.
‘As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest we were by nature deserving of wrath. (Ephesians 2:1-3)’
Please note the following.
1. Paul’s use of the term ‘dead in transgressions and sins’ (v1) may be contrasted with His use of ‘made alive in Christ and seated us together with Him in the heavenly realms’ (v5). Notice that he connects our being dead through following the ways of the world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air. The way of the world is rebellion against God. The ruler of the kingdom of the air is, of course, Satan, the one who said, ‘I will raise my throne and I will make myself like the Most High God’, the first creature of rebellion. Those of us who have ended the rebellion now sit with Christ in the very place Satan tried to take for himself, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.
2. Paul points to the flesh, ‘sarx’, the body of flesh with all of its cravings, desires and thoughts. These are strong words in the original language indicating the over-powering animal instincts connected to the desire to rule our own lives and have our own worldly standards of morality, justice, etc. This is self in the center, self on the throne, the very thing which makes a creature an enemy of God (Colossians 2:21).
III. Dethroning self - Enthroning Christ.
No person can make themselves born again or a new creation. That is the role and work of the Holy Spirit. Many churches have turned salvation into a kind of formula based on summary verses such as John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-10. In practice, they ask a person if they have ever sinned, told a lie, thought of a person with lust, or coveted, and the person admits that they have. They then tell this person that if they just believe that Jesus died for their sins they are now born again. Some insist that a person says a sinner’s prayer, where they say, ‘I know I am a sinner, I ask forgiveness and invite Jesus into my heart’.
The problem with creating formulas from summary verses is that all of the teachings of Christ which He delivered for three years, which are summarized in John 3:16 and Romans 10, are basically disregarded. There are over 2 billion people in the world who claim to be ‘christians’, and yet Jesus said ‘few there are that find it’. Either Jesus got it wrong, or our definition of ‘christian’ is not the same as His.
And here we come head to head with the fundamental issue. Jesus never said ‘just say a sinner’s prayer and you’re good to go’, He never said ‘just believe and live any way you like’, He only spoke of one category, that is, ‘disciples’. Those who believe that God has to fill someone with His divine nature because they followed some man-made formula, are basically rejecting everything Jesus taught and producing churches full of unregenerate people who belong to ‘christian’ social clubs.
Western churches have programs to get people to become members, try to please everyone with comfortable surroundings, big screen displays, stages for worship teams, and preach feel-good sermons. Words like sin, repentance, confession, hell, obedience, persecution and discipleship are not what such people want to hear, and there’s a big budget to pay the professional pastors, musicians etc, so they don’t preach anything which may offend attendees or they’ll go down the road to a different ‘church’. Such ‘churches’ are operated on a business model and have nothing in common with New Testament christianity.
If we do not teach everything Christ said as foundational for new birth, do not expect people to receive new birth…it really is that simple! God will not compromise! Jesus gave many analogies and parables which had the same message. We must seek salvation with all our hearts and it will cost us everything (Matthew 13:44-45), He must be first in our lives (Luke 14:25-27, Matthew 10:37-39, and He said that we must take up our cross and follow Him, if we are to be His disciples (Mark 8, Matthew 10:38). The fundamental message is about the denial of self and the death of self, for self-rule is the enemy of God.
If we do not preach the horrendous and eternal consequences of sin people will not understand their hopeless slavery to sin, and if they do not understand their hopeless slavery to sin, they will never truly repent and cry out for the Lord to destroy that slavery and make them a new creation.
There is a huge difference between the person who asks forgiveness believing this is an obligatory expectation to keep them out of hell, and the person who, through the Spirit’s conviction, sees their sin as God sees it. One is focused on a fire escape, the other will be focused on the love of Christ who took their punishment in His death. As He said, ‘he who is forgiven much, loves much’ (Luke 7:47), meaning, the depth to which we recognize our sin, is the depth to which we will love the Lord.
Only the Holy Spirit can reveal our sin as God sees it, and the Holy Spirit convicts through preaching, teaching and invitation. True conviction brings a hatred for sin, a self-loathing and fervent desire to be free from sin. It also brings a clear and central focus on the cross of Christ as the individual identifies with the horrific death of the Lord in their place. Those who have experienced deep conviction are ready to surrender their lives to Christ in immeasurable gratitude and humility, wanting Him as first love. Such people are filled with the divine nature, and sadly, often feel like strangers in modern western churches.
In summary.
In Luke 7:36-50 we read the story of when Jesus was in the home of Simon the Pharisee when a sinful woman, probably Mary Magdalene, came and wept on His feet and dried them with her hair. Simon was disgusted that Jesus would let such a woman touch Him and Jesus told a parable. In the parable one person owed 50 denari and the other 500 and the money lender forgave the debts of both. Jesus asked Simon which of the two would love him more and Simon replied, the one with the greater debt. Jesus said that Simon had judged correctly.
When this story is told, most imagine that Jesus was referring to Mary as the one with the greater debt because Simon was more righteous in terms of acts of sin. Yet when I compare Jesus’ conflicts with the Pharisees and His heart toward obvious sinners, I conclude that the self-righteous have the greater debt as they so often have hearts of stone and refuse to really see themselves as sinners. They compare themselves with others, and cannot imagine that the terrible punishment and death Jesus endured could have been for them, that was for the fornicators, liars and adulterers, the drunks and cheats, and they kept themselves pure, at least in the flesh.
The self-righteous person fails to realize that God actively opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. Is standing in self-righteous judgment over others a lesser sin than the sin of the one they are judging? The answer to that question lies in whether or not the self-righteous will ever allow the Holy Spirit to convict them, a point Jesus makes in His story of the two men who went to pray in Luke 18:9-14. The Pharisee compared himself with the other man, a tax collector, and thought God should be patting him on the back. The tax collector beat his breast in conviction. Jesus said that only one man left the temple justified before God.
Living a righteous life is commendable, but if it becomes a self-righteous attitude it is deplorable. We are all sinners, all have rebelled in one way or other, and the Lord desires that we recognize the depth of our sin so that we might love Him with the same depth of gratitude. I would suggest that if you have difficulty in having a deep love for Christ, it is because you have the same difficulty seeing yourself as a sinner. The root principle of sin in a self-righteous person stands in indignation and claims, ‘how dare you compare me with them’. Only the conviction of the Spirit can break through such an attitude. When Jesus said ‘he who is forgiven much loves much’, he meant, ‘he who has seen his sin as God sees it, loves Christ for delivering him from that sin’. If you struggle with loving Christ, then ask Him to reveal the root of sin in your heart.
I pray this video/article has been informative for you. I also hope that when you contemplate the death of Christ you identify with His death personally. That is the key to loving the Lord and loving Him is the very reason any of us exist in the first place.
Steve Copland