How does the Bible describe sin ( Hamartiology) - Essay Example

s Hamartiology How does the Bible describe Sin 2 Figure Image courtesy: (NING, N.D Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Hamartiology – An Introduction 3 Sin 4 A.Defining Sin 4 B.Origination of Sin 7 B.1 The Fall of Man 7 Other Aspects of Sin 8 Categorical evaluation of Sins 8 The 7 Deadly Sins 9 Conclusion 10 Works Cited 11 Bibliography 12 “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!” (John, N.D.) Hamartiology – An Introduction Subsisting as a part of systematic theology, Hamartiology is the official ‘Doctrine of Sin’; and tends to explicate the meaning, denotation and consequences of Sin. It explains what Jesus actually meant by Sin and by what events and under what circumstances may a person be labelled a sinner. A major section of Hamartiology deals with the comprehension of ‘original sin’, which states that, us humans being descendents of Adam and Eve are not what God actually crafted as most Christians believe, but humans by nature are sinners starting from the point they are born because of the fall of man which made Adam and Eve sinners. Hamartiology has been a controversial subject amongst experts, some believe in the original sin point of view which was given to us by Apostle Paul, whereas some such as Pelagius argue that humans were either not at all affected or modestly affected by the fall of man, another segment of Hamartiology also discusses that whether humans were or were not affected by the fall of man is irrelevant, but the human race is sinful by nature because of the devil. Except for the concept of original sin, the Hamartiology section in theology also deals with other types of sin, and exactly describes what God actually means when he mentions sin in the great book. Numerous excerpts from the testaments have been taken to express the Bible’s outlook towards sin, which in abstract point towards two meanings; the first being transgression and the second to miss or overlook the mark. Within this essay sin, its origination, and its nature have also been discussed thoroughly. Sin A. Defining Sin Within the bible, numerous words are used which are synonymic to sin, some of the terms are unrighteousness, transgression, against the will of god, defiling god, non-belief in god, and of course trespassing. By and large, the following terms usually directly denote sin: 1. Based on John 1:29, Rom 3:23: To miss the mark set by god. This in literal sense means to overlook the moral codes and standards set by the creator. (The Greek word Hamartia also directly means this very sentence) 2. Tim. 2:14: Transgression. To transgress means to overstep the appropriate limit, in a negative manner. 3. 1 John 1:7: Rejecting the teachings of God or rejecting god itself. (This is an unforgivable sin) 4. Rom 5:18: A deliberate act of wickedness and/or selfishness (not accidental) Taking the aforementioned into account, the following definition has been crafted: ‘Sin is an act of disbelief in God or rejection of his moral standards, failure to stand up to the Lord’s ethical standards, crossing the set boundaries, and/or being a selfish/wicked/bad person.’ Amongst these the prior 2 meanings, transgress and missing the mark are the most common occurrences, and which are also the terms that most Christians fail to understand and thereby adhere to. Basically, whether one is transgressing (surpassing the limitations) or missing the mark, one would primarily need to establish a limitation or a mark to surpass and miss. Therefore, Sin directly means to violate the laws (transgress) set by god and to neglect or ignore the targets (the way of proper/good life) set forth by god. The best portrayal of transgression as a sin is mentioned within 1 John 3:4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) Similarly in 1 John 5:17 it is mentioned that “All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17) Figure 2: Sin B. Origination of Sin The great book tells us that Sin was brought to earth by the Devil or Satan, by using Adam and Eve as pivotal channels, i.e. by Satan through Adam and Eve. This concept is also referred to as the Original Sin which was a result of the fall of man. B.1 The Fall of Man The fall of man is the incident after which Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and sin was originated. As the legend goes, God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden of Eden, and forbid them to eat a fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, to which Satan poses as a serpent and convinces Eve to eat the fruit and out of curiosity and inquisitiveness Eve agrees to eat the fruit thus disobeying god’s direct order and also sharing the fruit with her husband Adam. God got extremely furious and brought about death and suffering upon Adam and Eve and banished them from the garden to Earth where they were forced to live a mortal life and face guilt, death, and suffering until god judges them again after their demise. (Gen 3:6) (Gen 3:17-19) Along with this god also cursed Satan (Gen 3:14-15) and forced him to live the life of a reptile like creature in the midst of dust. Hamartiology teaches us that since the fall of the man, every descendent of Adam and Eve are sinners and will be forced to live the life as mortals until the Judgement day arrives, or alternatively, all those who have been saved and blessed by the almighty lord and those who believe in him and have been freed of sins and guilt by the lord will be permitted to enter the gates of heaven again after their demise. Other Aspects of Sin Within numerous versions, other misdeeds, taboo, and faux pas have been referred to as sins, these include but are not limited to; murder, theft, ‘unrighteousness’ (1 John 5:17), uncleanliness (Psa 51:2), selfishness (Prov 24:9), disrespect (John 2:9), swearing in the name of god or towards god (1 John 1:7), not conducting duties set forth by god (James 4:17), suicide (Rom 5:12), imprudence (Prov 24:9), et cetera have also been referred to as Sins or sinful acts. (Byrne, 2006, pp. 10-19) (Dyrness, 1979, pp. 105-107) Categorical evaluation of Sins Sins are further classified into the following categories according to the Bible: 1. Mortal Sins: Mortal Sins fall under the category of grave sins, mostly related to defiling the 10 commandments, but these sins may be forgiven by the lord if the sinner confesses and affirms not repeating of confessed act. (1 John 5:16-17) 2. Eternal Sins: The lord will never forgive an eternal sinner for his crimes (Mark 3:28-30) (Matthew 12:31-32) (Luke 12:8-10). The chief eternal sin is disrespecting the Holy Spirit. All of the aforementioned scriptures state the same, like for example “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (from Matthew 12:32) 3. Ancestral Sin/Original Sin: As discussed above, can be treated with baptism. 4. Actual Sin: Sin committed through will and not by accident. 5. Venial Sin: When the crime is not too serious and may be easily forgiven. (1 John 5:16-17) The 7 Deadly Sins The following factors are famous as the 7 deadly sins according to the great book (Schimmel, 1997): 1. Pride 2. Envy 3. Gluttony 4. Lust 5. Anger 6. Greed 7. Sloth These deadly sins are the boundaries and ethical standards set up by the lord, any human being that commits or contains such traits within its nature will be condemned to the Lord’s just punishment. Conclusion ‘Sin is an act of disbelief in God or rejection of his moral standards, failure to stand up to the Lord’s ethical standards, crossing the set boundaries, and/or being a selfish/wicked/bad person.’ This definition crafted by the scholar based on the study of sin for this essay encompasses all the vital elements of the word sin and also describes how a person may become a sinner. Within the research it has also been discovered that some sins come with a higher price and supplementary consequences as compared to other sins, for example, the punishment for committing an eternal sin would be much higher than wither a mortal or actual sin, also the punishment for an eternal sin would be unforgivable. Based on the above factors, boundaries, 7 deadly sins, and the types of sins; the church decides whether a particular incident or task is sinful or otherwise. Like for example, the church labels abortion as a sin based on the fact that murder is a mortal sin and willful murder of an unborn child is an actual sin, and therefore by getting an abortion a woman is committing a mortal and an actual sin, who will thereby be condemned to hell. Similarly the church labels atheists as sinners for not believing in the scripture of the Holy Spirit, thereby disobeying his direct order and are therefore committing an eternal sin which is unforgivable. As far as the battle of original sin is concerned, scholars are still confused and debating over whether human beings are born sinners or whether the devil makes them sinners by making them transgress and miss the mark. Works Cited Berkhof, L. (1996). Systematic Theology. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Byrne, H. W. (2006). Sin, Salvation and Redemption. Xulon Press. Dyrness, W. A. (1979). Themes in Old Testament theology. InterVarsity Press. NING. (N.D.). api.ning. Retrieved December 28, 2009, from http://api.ning.com/files/ewtan*gbYlGJQ1eWSriDJDEH-GkQ3GU3gDVQ56V08YrbcZSz4KAqbVpVxo-1SjnewYjj9pYLM2TNNzH52B5DIYFg6-YeAjXl/3Dgraphics_Christian_cross_014081_.jpg Schimmel, S. (1997). The seven deadly sins: Jewish, Christian, and classical reflections on human psychology. Oxford University Press. Strong, A. H. (2009). Systematic Theology. BiblioBazaar, LLC. The BIBLE (N.D.) Bibliography The BIBLE (N.D.) Strong, A. H. (2009). Systematic Theology. BiblioBazaar, LLC. Read More