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NASB | Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, |
Bible Question:
I’m pleased with the flow of our discussion so far, Lifer. I started with a rather speculative question on the nature of regenerate man and we’ve moved to the more foundational subject of sin. Thank you for hanging in there, and I thank you for the time you took to give such and extended answer. By God’s grace we’ll continue to make progress. I hope, after we come to one mind on the more foundational issues underlying my first question, we can get back to my first question. Understanding what sin is is important because it is that for which the Lord Jesus came to save his people from. It is that for which the wage of death is paid. It is that which separates us from our God. (I wax eloquent.) And I agree with you that what ever sin is, it is both internal (in our hearts) and external (in our words, gestures and deeds). But what is sin? What makes sin sin? The same could be said of anything. What makes a thing a thing? In order for something to be a thing it has to fit into certain categories or else it ceases to be one thing and becomes another thing. In order for something to be a dog it has to have certain characteristics or else it’s a cat or a cow, or a hairy man on all fours. In your answer you define two things, sin and sins (or sinning), and I agree with much of what you said about both. But they are two different things, and I think it becomes confusing. In your definitions "sins" is not the plural of sin nor "sinning" its verb form. I’ve come to accept a biblical definition that will appreciate, capture and combine your two things into one. It's not one I've developed; it's been around for a long time. What makes sin sin, be it in the heart in the form of unbelief or be it overt, is the Law of God. Sin is any lack of conformity to or transgression of the Law of God. It is lack of conformity to or transgression of the Law of God to not believe in Jesus. It is also lack of conformity to or transgression of the Law of God to murder a man. Even in a most simplistic understanding the law does not deal with overt acts only, because it says do not covet, which is totally a matter of the heart. Understand, Lifer, that this definition doesn't mean you have to throw out everything you wrote. I just wish you to consider that the Law of God is internal as well as external and that it makes unbelief (as fundamental as it is) a sin as well. So we have one definition to cover both unbelief and other wrong thoughts and deeds. God says repent and believe the gospel. To not conform to or transgress this command is sin. This definition can be found in the letter our present discussion has taken us, I John. I John 3: 4 says, "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." (NKJV) You will note, Lifer, that this would be your definition of "sins" not "sin." |
Bible Answer: Hi Lionstrong, Wow, you do wax eloquent. Thanks for the response. I read your response three times and, unfortunately, I'm still not sure what you are getting at. I do agree with the law of God part but sin was around way before the law. Satan rebelled and sinned. Adam and Eve sinned. The people in Noah's day sinned. And we all know that Noah was declared righteous before the law was ever given. But I still do see a differentation between sins that are committed and the sin of unbelief that causes us to commit sin. We can discuss sin singular and sins plural til the cows come home but, in the end, we are probably arguing semantics. 1 John 3:4 is talking about sins of commision. But scripture also says that 'whatever is not of faith is sin.' You may disagree (that is your right) but I still believe that sins come from sin. Jesus took away the sins of the world. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not holding men's sins against them. Why? Because sins caused spiritual death. Sin (unbelief) leads to sinning (whether inward or outward) which results in death. If Christ took away our sins, then why can we still sin? If God wasn't holding our sins against us (because of Christ's death), then why do we still confess them. The unfortunate thing about all this, brother, is that we focus only on what we DO or DON'T DO. We confess sins we feel that we commit (whether it is hatred or murder) and NEVER talk to God about the unbelievng attitude that was the seed of our sinning. God wants us focused on Him, not our sins, not the law. Only as our mind is renewed through God's Word, can we learn to trust what God says, believe Him, and rest in Him. As we do this, relying totally on God to meet our needs, we walk in the Spirit. And, if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. In Christ, Lifer |