Hamartiology: The Doctrine of Sin

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7 ESV). Jesus knew the biggest problem of man was sin. In fact, this was the primary purpose of His incarnation; to defeat sin. What is sin though? Theologians have labeled the study of sin calling it hamartiology (Bird, 2013; “Lecture 6,” 2015). Sin is the very act that breaks man’s relationship with God (Bird, 2013). Many words throughout the Old Testament and New Testament describe the nature of sin: lawlessness (willful violation of God’s law), transgression (crossing over a boundary), rebellion (deliberate rejection), disobedience, perversion (bent or twisted), and missing the mark (Bird, 2013; Grudem, 2004). Sin is the despising of God, an attempt to dethrone God, the worship of self, and “is the evil that emerges in the absence of good” (Bird, 2013, p. 670). Berkhof (1938) mentions how sin is a moral evil and describes it as:

Most of the names that are used in Scripture to designate sin point to its moral character. Chatta’th directs attention to it as an action that misses the mark and consists in a deviation from the right way. ’Avel and ’avon indicate that it is a want of integrity and rectitude, a departure from the appointed path. Pesha’ refers to it as a revolt or a refusal of subjection to rightful authority, a positive transgression of the law, and a breaking of the covenant. And resha’ points to it as a wicked and guilty departure from the law. Furthermore, it is designated as guilt by ’asham, as unfaithfulness and treason, by ma’al, as vanity, by ’aven, and as perversion or distortion of nature (crookedness) by ’avah. The corresponding New Testament words, such as hamartia, adikia, parabasis, paraptoma, anomia, paranomia, and others, point to the same ideas. In view of the use of these words, and of the way in which the Bible usually speaks of sin, there can be no doubt about its ethical character (p. 231)

Moving forward one will discover the origins of sin, the implications and consequences of sin, the notion of sin as a privation of the good, and how that thought is beneficial to understand the idea of sin. Furthermore, one will understand how God is the creator and redeemer and God’s response to the problem of sin.

Origin of Sin

Before addressing how sin entered the world, one must recognize that sin originated in the heavens (Berkhof, 1938; Grudem, 2004; “Lecture 6,” 2015). The Bible does not give the exact timing of this event, but the Bible describes Satan as a murderer and sinner from the beginning (1 John 3:8; John 8:44). Satan’s primary sin that Scripture defines of him is pride (1 Timothy 3:6; Jude 6). It is immediately after God creates the heavens, the Earth, animals, and humankind where we see Satan in the garden of Eden after God pronounced that all of the physical creation was very good (Genesis 1:31). God gave Adam and Eve dominion over all that He had created and commanded them to partner with Him to subdue the Earth and multiply (Genesis 1:28; “The Bible Project,” 2015). God had given Adam and Eve all the trees in the Garden as food but one tree – the tree of knowledge of good and evil was forbidden to eat of and if they did eat of it, God said, “you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17; Grudem, 2004).

Due to the craftiness, deceit, pollution, and misrepresentation of God’s Word, Satan was able to convince Eve to disobey the very Words of God which in turn caused Adam to fall into sin and disobey God (Gill, 1839; Grudem, 2004). It is due to the fall that pain, thorns, suffering, evil, man’s inhumanity, decay, and even death were introduced to humankind (Berkhof, 1938; Diffey, 2015; Genesis 2:17 & Romans 6:23). Immediately after the fall of man, in Genesis chapter four, we are exposed to the first murder of man (Genesis 4:8). “Paul stated that sin and death entered the world through Adam’s sin, and because of this, as well as the sins each person commits, everyone is a transgressor, sinful by nature, and under the just judgment of a holy God” (Berkhof, 1938; Diffey, 2015, para. 9; Romans 5:12-15, 18-21). This concept or doctrine is labeled as peccatum originale or original sin by Theologians, and despite humans being created in the Imago Dei, due to the fall, there are now implications and consequences of sin (Berkhof, 1938; Diffey, 2015; Hodge, 1997). Hodge (1997) accurately labels why it is called original sin: 

(1.) Because it is truly of the nature of sin. (2.) Because it flows from our first parents as the origin of our race. (3.) Because it is the origin of all other sins; and (4.) Because it is in its nature distinguished from actual sins. (Vol. 2, p. 227)

Implications of Sin

As one move forwards with sin, the primary implications of sin are this: humanity inherits the guilt of Adam and all human beings are polluted or totally depraved(Berkhof, 1938; Bird, 2013; Gill, 1839;Hodge, 1997). Guilt has been described by Berkhof (1938) as “the state of deserving condemnation or of being liable to punishment for the violation of a law or a moral requirement” (p. 232). Due to the fall of man, all humans stand guilty before a Holy God, even before their birth (Psalm 58:3). Adam and Eve knew this immediately as they tried to cover up their nakedness in guilt (Genesis 3:7). This guilt has been imputed in all of Adam’s descendants who are now deprived of righteousness and are now objects of divine wrath (Berkhof, 1938; Grudem, 2004; “Lecture 6,” 2015). The most prominent proof of this guilt being spread to all of Adam’s descendants is like Adam; every human will die and suffer the consequences just like he did (1 Corinthians 15:22; Romans 6:23). Just as Christ’s righteousness is imputed to every believer upon regeneration, Adams guilt was imputed to all people after the fall (Grudem, 2004).

Not only is humanity affected by the guilt of Adam, but all of creation is now polluted due to Adam’s sin (Romans 8:22-24). Pollution includes the absence of original righteousness and the presence of positive evil which leaves humankind totally depraved (Berkhof, 1938; Hodge, 1997). Total depravity does not mean that humans are incapable of doing good things or that humans are as bad as they can possibly be, rather it means that sin totally permeates humankind’s intellect, will, and hearts (Berkhof, 1938).Human consciences are seared (1 Timothy 4:2), their minds are spiritually dark rejecting the truth (Isaiah 1:5-6; Romans 1:18-21), they are hostile toward God (Romans 8:7), and their hearts are made up of evil continually (Ecclesiastes 9:3; Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19-20). In addition, they do not seek God (Romans 3:11), are slaves to sin (John 8:34; Romans 6:16-20), and are dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1-3). For man to escape this pit of total depravity, God must do something in them first (Ephesians 2:4-7; John 6:44; 12:32).

Consequences of Sin

Aside from the implications of sin, humans also have many consequences for sin. Humanity now suffers from disrupted relationships (Genesis 3:16), they no longer walk with God freely (Genesis 3:8-13), and a massive conflict between man and nature exists (Genesis 3:17-18). Furthermore, estrangement, degeneration, enslavement, a hardness of heart, denial of sin, and self-centeredness are all consequences of sin as well (Bird, 2013). Perhaps the most devastating outcome of them all though is that evil and death entered the world (Bird, 2013; Genesis 2:22-24; Romans 3:23; 5:12). Adam and Eve died, their children died, and all their decedents up to the present have all died. Death is emphasized all throughout Scripture: Ezekiel, Paul, James, and the writer of Hebrews highlight the reality of death that sin brought upon creation (Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Hebrews 9:27; James 1:15; Romans 5:21; 6:23; 7:10).

What about Evil?

Where does that leave evil though? Does the fall make God the author and creator of evil? Many theologians have debated this for centuries. Augustine came up with a theory that if: (1) God is the creator of all things and is absolutely sovereign over all moral agents and their actions, and (2) God is not the author or cause evil, then (3) sin is not an entity but it is merely a defect (Hodge, 1878). Augustine called sin a privation which is labeled as the privatio boni (Berkhof, 1949; Hodge, 1878; Hodge, 1997). “Privation is the absence of that which belonging to the nature of the subject is necessary to its perfection, as sight to a man” (Hodge, 1878, p. 320). Since sin is therefore negative because it originates in the absence of moral qualities, this does not negate the fact that there are still positive forms toward God such as rebellion and hostility (Berkhof, 1938; Berkhof, 1949; Hodge, 1878).

Augustine further states that evil is merely the absence of goodness and was not created by God (Brooks & Neal, 2016). Just like darkness is the absence of light, light was created by God (Genesis 1:3) but darkness was not, it is merely the lack of light that God created. Evil is therefore not a created thing and thus not created by God. So why does God allow it then? The Reformers suggest that God did not create evil, but He willed it and ordained it all for His Glory. One can see examples of this all throughout the Bible. The story of Job is a man who has to suffer horrible evil, but God allows it in Jobs life and works it together for good. Jesus also gives another example of a blind man. In John 9:1–3 it says, “As he [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, it was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” With all the evil that Pharaoh did to Israel God said of him, “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, for this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Romans 9:17). The most horrific evil of all human history which was Jesus’s crucifixion was used by God from the foundation of the world to provide a way of atonement for humanity (Revelation 13:8). All of this news about evil and sin is horrible news, but thank God this is not the end of the story.

Is there any Good News?

The good news of the Bible is called the Gospel. The story of the entire Bible starts off with God being the creator and ends with Him being the redeemer. God created the heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1:1). Repeatedly in Scripture, God is proclaimed as the ultimate creator (Genesis 1:1, Psalm 33:6, Isaiah 64:8, & Acts 17:24). Due to the fall though, God would proclaim the earliest Gospel message to humanity called the Protoevangelium that speaks of one who will crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:14-15). As Scripture unfolds, we see that it is Jesus who would fulfill the prophesized prophet, king, Son of Man, priest, Messiah, savior, and redeemer characteristics (1 Samuel 2:35-36; Daniel 7:13-14; Deuteronomy 18:15; Ephesians 1:7; Galatians 4:4-5; Isaiah 42:1; 47:4; Psalm 72). This entire plan was laid out before the foundations of the world and is called the Covenant of Redemption (Berkhof, 1938). Berkhof (1938) defines the covenant “as the agreement between the Father, giving the Son as Head and Redeemer of the elect, and the Son, voluntarily taking the place of those whom the Father had given Him” (p. 271).

Since God is the creator and redeemer, He alone has the authority to do away with sin. One day, the Bible speaks of a time where there will be no more pain, crying, mourning, and even death (Revelation 21:4). Due to Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, Christ is now ruling and reigning and has been given all authority in Heaven (Philippians 2). Jesus will one day restore this world that is full of corruption and decay and bring judgment to the Earth and make all things new (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 21:5). One of the final things Christ will do on this Earth will be to defeat death itself and eradicate it forever into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). Jesus thereby reverses the effects of sin, eliminates evil from the world, and redeems all that the Father sent Him to redeem. It is the most beautiful story ever written which gives all the praise and glory to God. God is the ultimate hero of total depravity causing regeneration in the hearts of people giving them an ability to believe in this Gospel message. Those who do not believe will be cast into the lake of fire, separated from God for all eternity.

Conclusion

Sin is perhaps the most devasting thing in this world. It has origins in heaven and made its way down to Earth into humankind. The implications and consequences of sin are catastrophic and can cause a person to think that God is the author and creator of sin. God is not the creator of sin but rather the ultimate conqueror of sin. One day, God’s Son, Jesus will put an end to sin and death and will create all things new. God is the creator, the redeemer and the savior of all those who believe. To Him be all the praise, honor, and glory! Amen.       

References

Berkhof, L. (1938). Systematic theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co.

Berkhof, L. (1949). The history of Christian doctrines. Grand Rapids, MI: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Bird, M. F. (2013). Evangelical theology: A Biblical and systematic introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Brooks, P., & Neal, D. A. (2016). Theodicy. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The lexham Bible dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Diffey, D. (2015). Departure from wisdom. In A. DiVincenzo (Ed.), The beginning of wisdom: An introduction to Christian thought and life. Retrieved from http://lc.gcumedia.com/cwv101/the-beginning-of-wisdom-an-introduction-to-christian-thought-and-life/v2.1/#/chapter/4

Gill, J. (1839). A complete body of doctrinal and practical divinity: Or a system of evangelical truths, deduced from the sacred Scriptures(New Edition, Vol. I & II). London: Tegg & Company.

Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: An introduction to Biblical doctrine. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

Hodge, A. A. (1878). Outlines of theology: Rewritten and enlarged. New York: Hodder & Stoughton.

Hodge, C. (1997). Systematic theology. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Lecture 6. (2015). HTH-201: Christian Theology I. Phoenix, AZ: Grand Canyon University.

[The Bible Project]. (2015). Covenants[Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ferLIsvlmI

St. Augustine. (1947). St. Augustine: Faith, Hope and Charity. (J. Quasten & J. C. Plumpe, Eds., L. A. Arand, Trans.) (Vol. 3). New York; Mahwah, NJ: The Newman Press.