BY DR. JOHN SULLIVAN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-TREASURER
FLORIDA BAPTIST CONVENTION

DOCTRINE OF SIN

The doctrine of sin is a religious and a theology category. Sin is spoken of within a relative context. We cannot explain or define sin, it is irrational and illogical. There is no rationale for sin. There is no reason to commit sin.

Most people try to keep some balance between “sin” and “sins” in plural. But there is a danger in doing so. Dealing only with “sin” forces us to fall into idealism and drift into an idea of sin. Dealing only with “sins,” requires us to fall into Pharaseeism and become religious pruners trimming the branches of sin from our life rather than the disease at the heart of the tree.

Sin is not an abstract; just as pain is not an abstract. We must deal with people who hurt and people who sin. A doctor doesn’t wage war on pain in abstract. He identifies the source of the problem to help hurting persons.

Perhaps you have heard this illustration. When in a war-torn country one does not stand in the street and speculate about who made the bombs or how much they cost. One realizes the danger and seeks to do something about it. That is what Jesus sought to do with sin.

In the next few weeks, I will discuss the nature of sin, the consequence of sin and the original sin. This week we will examine first the component part of sin.

Temptation

Reality of Temptation: Temptation comes from “without,” from Satan himself. Satan is a personal supernatural being whose purpose is the destruction of man. He is more than man but less than God. If there were no temptation from “without,” man would not have sinned in the beginning.

Temptation Itself is Not Sin: Man wants to get as near sin as possible without getting burned. Temptation is not taken seriously enough. When tempted, we usually come away saying, “I wish I could have sinned or I’m proud I didn’t.” Lead us into temptation is not the proper way the Lord taught us to pray. Flee from temptation is the practical attitude.

Temptation from God’s Standpoint is Allowed for Testing: From Satan’s standpoint temptation is given to destroy. James 1:13 is clear, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” Job is the classical illustration of this emphasis. Satan intended to inundate with confusion, God allowed it to prove the worth of his servant.

His temptations were his instructions in theology. A person cannot have a Christian theology unless he has waged war with Satan and won the victory. “Any theology not learned from temptation is mere paper.” (Luther)

We never really learn anything from sin. The devil tries to convince us that sin will help us gain stature but sin makes us less a person. The only thing teachable is that God’s grace will provide strength for us. We come away saying, “This is where I failed. I will do better next time.” Sin always has a surprise ending.

Temptation Can Be Overcome: Our generation is caught up in a philosophical determinism that believes a person cannot change. This is false. While most people plead defenselessness in overcoming temptation, this leads one to conclude that man is permanently deformed. This is an error. New Testament preachers believe that all men can be changed. (Read I Corinthians 10:13; James 1:14.)

Freedom

Sin and freedom are correlated teams. One cannot discuss the reality of sin without talking about man’s freedom (Romans 3:23). Not too long ago freedom was emphasized giving man a sense of overconfident optimism. A call back to the reality of sin and depravity needs to be issued.

The universal truth is that everyone in this world except Christ has sinned. No where does Paul say a man is forced or bound to sin. We have a relative freedom. We do not have an absolute freedom but a relative freedom is given under God’s sovereignty for which we are responsible. “We are free to choose sin,” said the theologian Augustine. This is what everyone does with his freedom. A man can so bind himself by sin that he tends to lose the relative freedom he has (John 8:32-34).

Only God has absolute freedom. A man can also become a slave to Christ and become so like him that some sins are virtually impossible for him to commit.

Awareness

Though hidden sins may exist, sin is basically a turning away from the light (Psalm 19:12). You man sin without a full awareness of the lighted way, even then there is something not quite right (John 15:22). Jesus contends that sin is basically a sin against light. He brought this fragment of light, now you are accountable (Matthew 10:15; Romans 7:9).

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