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NASB | Romans 6:2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 6:2 Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer? |
Subject: Lanny, What is your definition of sin? |
Bible Note: Attempt at consensus .......................... I suspect we agree more than we disagree here Joe. If we step back from the argument and look at it, it seems to really just be about the definition of the word sin. You seem to be defining "sin" in terms of the attitude of the person. This is a valid perspective most of the time. Jesus often talked of how God looks at the heart when He judges us. From this perspective, it would seem very difficult (if not impossible) to sin accidentally. I am describing "sin" in terms of the actions themselves. This is also a valid perspective most of the time. God has commanded many actions and condemned many other actions in both the Old and New Testaments. Therefore, in general, actions themselves can be classified as either in line with or against the will of God. For instance, prayer to God would be in line with His will, and stealing would be against His will (sin). While both of these perspectives are valid most of the time, they do both have limitations and dangers. The first perspective (that you are supporting) comes dangerously close to relativism at times. When "sin" is defined solely based on a person's attitude (which we can never know completely), it is easy for someone to say, "well that may be wrong for you, but it is not wrong for me". Sometimes this is accurate (ie. meat sacrificed to idols), however, most often this is said by a person trying to rationalize actual sin in their life. The second perspective (that I am supporting) comes dangerously close to legalism at times. When "sin" is defined solely based on a person's actions, it is easy for a person to do the right things with the wrong motivation. Sometimes this is healthy (ie. when we feel like praising God the least is when we need to do it the most). However, if continued for a long period of time, it can lead to pure hypocracy and can rob a person of the joy of true relationship with God. If I had to pick one of these perspectives, I'd choose the second. Better to err on the side caution, and stick to close to the letter of the law, than to err on the side of folly and commit egregious sins. However, the best choice of all is not to pick between these options, but rather to balance them and live by both. That is where we probably agree. I assume that we would both see the value (and danger) in each view independantly, and therefore the wisdom in finding the balance. |