Inasmuch as "sin" is one of the doctrines mentioned in the Christianity Today article that contributes to the doctrinal diversity within Adventism, it is here I would like for us to focus our attention.
In the first chapter of Romans, Paul boldly declares: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16, 17). This stands in sharp contrast to those "who hold the truth in unrighteousness" (verse 18) and are therefore "without excuse" (verse 20). In verses 21 and 22 he gives four reasons they are "without excuse." "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations." As a result of this "their foolish heart was darkened" and "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:21, 22).
Because of their inexcusable actions, God "gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts" (verse 24). "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections" (verse 26). "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient" (verse 28).
In verses 29-31 Paul lists 22 different things, all of which can be classified under one word -- sin. But exactly what is sin? How does the Bible define it and what is so bad about it? First of all, we find it is something we all need to be saved from. Speaking of Mary and her Child to be, Gabriel declared: "she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
What is it about sin that makes it so bad that we need to be saved from it? (Please notice that sin is not something that we can be saved in, but rather something we must be saved "from.") Isaiah clearly tells us what is so serious about sin. "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2). Sin separates from God and the natural result of that separation is death "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). God informs us in His word that the decision to sin or not to sin, to live or to die, is a free choice given to each of us. "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
We are repulsed by the horrible perversion of predestination and once saved always saved. Teachings that pervert the gospel and deceive people into believing that God would remove from mankind the freedom of choice. But is it possible that God's Remnant has accepted some aspect of this horrible heresy?
Consider closely the words of inspiration. "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Romans 6:16-18). Notice that we must choose one or the other and we cannot become "servants of righteousness" until we choose to be "made free from sin." We cannot "serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). But again, what is this sin we must be set free from?
There is much confusion on this subject. Many have a very limited and often perverted concept of what sin is. There are at least five false concepts that are circulating within the Christian community today.
- "Sin is not an action, it is a broken relationship."
- "It is possible for a converted Christian to continue in 'known,' 'habitual,' 'cherished,' 'persistent' sin and still be saved."
- "Committing sin does not break our relationship, neither does it remove Christ's righteousness."
- "Sin is not what we do, but what we are." "We are born into this world condemned because of sin."
- "We must continue committing sin until Jesus returns."
These are deadly errors, horrible heresies. For example: if sin is not an action, but a broken relationship, then Jesus would have been guilty of sin, for He either experienced a broken relationship or staged a mighty convincing show when He cried out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Jesus did indeed experience a separation from the Father, yet he never sinned. It is most important to distinguish that sin is what causes the broken relationship; it is not the relationship itself and never does the Bible define sin as such. The word of God emphatically asserts that "sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4).
Why are so many so anxious to abandon the Biblical definition for sin and replace it with a man-made one? It takes but a little knowledge of what is transpiring in Adventism to figure this out. As Seventh-day Adventists we declare to the world that we are called upon, by God Himself, to keep all of His law, including the fourth commandment, and that through the power of the Holy Spirit we are enabled to do this. This message is in direct opposition to the evangelical world, who claim that we cannot keep the law of God nor do we need to.
Now, notice our dilemma when we declare to the world that we must and can keep God's law, but we cannot stop sinning, which is defined as "the transgression of the law." How is this wonderful inconsistency possible? If we continue to teach that we are to keep the law of God, we must also teach that we must not continue in sin, and if we refuse to teach victory over sin, then we should also teach that it is impossible to keep God's law. The only other possible option is to change the definition of sin.
We have placed ourselves in this dilemma, in part, due to a prevalent belief that we are born guilty and stand before God condemned before any action on our part. This perversion of the gospel comes to us directly from Roman Catholicism's devilish doctrine of original sin. Since a great portion of the Christian world have come to accept the historic Catholic doctrine, in one form or another, it is here that we shall now focus our attention. It is time we ask ourselves what we believe concerning this important subject, and why we believe it -- and compare these positions with the word of God.
Simply defined, original sin means that we stand condemned and guilty before God solely because we are born into the human family and that we are guilty by nature before any choice of good or evil on our part. This is one of the reasons the Catholic Church practices infant baptism. Is this biblical? If not, can this teaching of original sin (in any form) be accepted within the Christian Church? And if it is, then a newborn baby should be baptized immediately for the remission of sin, lest it die in its sin and be forever damned. Do you see the horrendous error of such a teaching? The questions that cry out for answers are: Where do we stand? On truth or error? With Catholicism and Evangelicalism? On tradition and denominational dogma, or on the Word of God?
Another aspect of the teaching of guilt by birth or nature is that when Adam sinned, he lost the ability not to sin. Therefore, he had, of necessity, to continue to sin for the rest of his life, and we, as his descendants, are only able to sin with no hope of overcoming. This, too, has become prevalent in the Remnant Church.
Now consider, if sin is by choice, then we are responsible for the choices we make, but if sin is by nature and it is inevitable that we must continue in sin regardless of our choices, then the inevitability, of necessity, rules out all responsibility. Therefore, the question that must first be answered is: "What is sin?" Is it the way we are or the way we choose? Does it occur when we are born or when we consent to wrong? If guilt comes from inheritance, then where does responsibility fit in? We shall now see that sin is always an action or lack of action.
The Bible defines sin as our willful choice to exercise our fallen nature in opposition to God's will. "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" (Hebrews 10:26). "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). Jesus shed further light on this when He said, "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin." "If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin" (John 15:22, 24). "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth" (John 9:41).
Ellen White put it in the clearest language possible when she quoted the angel. "Said the angel: 'If light come, and that light is set aside or rejected, then comes condemnation and the frown of God; but before the light comes, there is no sin, for there is no light for them to reject.'"[1]
Notice that sin is not something inherited. Guilt is not by nature, but is the result of knowing right and choosing wrong. It is willful rebellion against God. Keep in mind, we shall not be held accountable for the light that has not reached our perception, but for that which we have resisted and refused. "None will be condemned for not heeding light and knowledge that they never had."[2]
The book of Acts contains a passage that has puzzled many of God's people over the years. "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now He commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). If we would, however, consider this passage in the light of what God's messenger has told us, we would find the meaning is very clear.
"Light makes manifest and reproves the errors that were concealed in darkness; and as light comes, the life and character of men must change correspondingly, to be in harmony with it. Sins that were once sins of ignorance, because of the blindness of the mind, can no more be indulged in without incurring guilt."[3]
One other aspect of sin that should be touched upon is whether there is guilt in bad thoughts or desires. The "New Theology" (which in reality is nothing more than basic evangelical theology, and that in turn is simply Augustinian Catholicism) teaches that there is guilt in the desire even when resisted by the will. One of the foremost proponents of this teaching within Adventism has clearly stated, "There is guilt in evil desires even when resisted by the will." Is this true? Is temptation sin? The word of God says "every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:14, 15). Here we see a development from desire to actual sin, thus sin is the result of yielding to desire. Temptation begins in the heart, but God supplies the power to overcome the temptation. He knows the heart. He not only knows what is coming, but has provided an escape. It is in the heart where the battles are won and lost.
"There are thoughts and feelings suggested and aroused by Satan that annoy even the best of men; but if they are not cherished, if they are repulsed as hateful, the soul is not contaminated with guilt."[4]
If we believe that temptation is sin, we would, of necessity, have to believe that Jesus sinned for He was tempted. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
Thus, it is not the birth, the nature, or the resisted thought that condemns us before the universe, but rather it is our willful disobedience to the known will of God that makes us guilty of sin. It is when we choose self over God that we become guilty. So, as we can see, when we speak of sin it is important that we understand what it is we are talking about. Is it the result of sin or the guilt of sin?
When placed under the magnificent magnification of God's word, we find that sin, in its fullest sense, carries with it two separate consequences. First, the curse of sin, which leads to the first death, and second, the penalty of sin, which is the second death. The first is the result of sin; the latter is because of the guilt of sin.
It is primarily because of a lack of understanding of this principle that many people feel God's statement in Exodus 20:5 that He will visit "the iniquity of the fathers upon the children" is contradictory to His declaration in Ezekiel 18:20 that "the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father." However, when we realize that when God is speaking of sin in Ezekiel, He is referring to the guilt of sin, which brings with it the penalty ("The soul that sinneth it shall die" verse 20), whereas in Exodus, He is speaking of the result of sin with it sensuing consequences.
The Lord has given us a very clear understanding of this distinction between consequences and guilt in the book Patriarchs and Prophets.
"It is inevitable that children should suffer from the consequences of parental wrong doing, but they are not punished for the parents' guilt, except as they participate in their sins. ... Wrong tendencies, perverted appetites, and debased morals, as well as physical disease and degeneracy, are transmitted as a legacy from father to son, to the third and fourth generation."[5]
Thus, by birth, we all share the results, the consequences, of our parents' sins (with various physical, mental, and emotional conditions, i.e. prone to diabetes, cancer, alcoholism, HIV positive, addicted to drugs, etc.), but we do not share in their guilt until we have chosen to participate in their sin. In like manner we all suffer the consequences of Adam's sin: the wrong tendencies, the debased morals, the physical diseases and degeneracy, and eventually the first death. But we do not suffer the penalty for Adam's sin. Our condemnation comes through our willful choice to follow in Adam's footsteps.
"No man can be forced to transgress. His own consent must first be gained; the soul must first purpose the sinful act before passion can dominate over reason or iniquity can triumph over conscience. Temptation, however strong, is never an excuse for sin."[6]
As we have seen, sin is not something we are; it is something we do. We are not forced to do it; we choose to do it. Therefore, there is no excuse for it. It is a terrible thing to choose to sin, for each time we do, we crucify the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame. It was our sins that sent Him to the cross and when you behold Him in His matchless love bearing your sins, when you behold Him exercising His compassion and love for you, and fully realize it was for you that the innocent, holy, undefiled Lamb of God stood as one guilty to endure your punishment that you who are sinful and deserving of punishment might stand innocent, clothed with the garments of Christ's righteousness, your heart will be melted by His incomparable love, and you will accept Him as your sin-pardoning Savior. It is only then that you will choose not to sin and indulge in anything that brought such suffering and pain to the blessed Son of God.
God does not want some or even most of our choices; He wants all of them, the entire heart. Therefore, we must continually learn to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and willing to submit our wills to Him. The Lord is soon to come; make no delay. Come to Jesus every day and tell Him you want strength, you want heavenly wisdom to understand what is sin and how to forsake it.
"Satan and his confederate angels point to those who profess to be children of God, but who by their disposition and actions show that they are after the similitude of the apostate, and taunt Christ and the heavenly angels. How long shall we thus crucify the Son of God afresh, so that God is ashamed to call us His sons and daughters?"[7]
I would like to close this chapter with these inspired and insightful sentiments on the subject of sin. "We are not to continue in sin that grace may abound; we are to cease from transgression. The love of Christ manifested in the infinite sacrifice which he has made on Calvary, is without a parallel. It is sincere, devoted, measureless, and meets the emergency of the sinner's case, awakening in the heart of those who receive it, respect and reverence for the holy law of God. In the light reflected from Calvary, the law is seen to be holy, just, and good. It cost the life of the Son of God to pay the debt of transgression which the sinner had incurred. It is when the sinner has a realization of the offensive character of sin, a realization to some extent of what it cost the Son of God to redeem him, to give him another trial and probation, that his heart is filled with love and gratitude, and an earnest faith awakens that works by love and purifies the soul. This faith and love will be seen in the soul of him who is truly converted to God; and he who experiences the love of God, will ever feel humiliation and repentance for past transgression. If Christ had to make so great a sacrifice, if he had to endure such sufferings because of my sin, shall I not bow in humility, and regret that I have inflicted such grief upon his divine soul? Shall I not fear lest I shall crucify the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame? The soul who appreciates the precious gift of salvation will ever behold Christ dying upon the cross, and the language of that soul will be the language of unselfish sorrow that he has ever committed sin to so wound the Son of God. I shall always grieve that I have sinned, and have cost the Man of Calvary so great anguish. I look upon him whom I have pierced, and I mourn that I have transgressed the law of God. When we have a proper appreciation of the sacrifice that has been made in our behalf, we shall not plead for the privilege of continuing in transgression. We shall put away sin, and our hard hearts will melt under the amazing love of Christ for our souls."[8]
Crown or Crucify
I stood alone at the bar of God,
In the hush of the twilight dim,
And faced the question that pierced my heart:
"What will you do with Him?"
"Crowned or crucified -- which shall it be?"
No other choice was offered to me.
I looked on the face so marred with tears
That were shed in His agony.
The look in His kind eyes broke my heart, --
Twas full of love for me.
"The crown or the cross," it seemed to say;
"For or against Me -- choose thou today."
He held out His loving hands to me,
While He pleadingly said, "Obey.
Make Me thy choice, for I love thee so;"
And I could not say Him nay.
Crowned, not crucified, -- this must it be;
No other way was open to me.
I knelt in tears at the feet of Christ,
In the hush of the twilight dim,
And all that I was, or hoped, or thought,
Surrendered unto Him.
Crowned, not crucified, - my heart shall know
No king but Christ, who loveth me so.
--Florence E. Johnson
Notes:
- White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, p. 116.
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, p. 1145.
- White, Gospel Workers, p. 62.
- Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, March 27, 1888.
- White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 306.
- White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 177.
- White, This Day With God, p. 98.
- Signs of the Times, October 28, 1889.