1. What is sin? Sin is an act of rebellion towards God from a responsible human (Giles). When a human commits a transgression against God, it is breaking the Israelite covenant bond. By committing a transgression against God, humans are violating God’s will, which is revealed through the Word of God (Giles). To continue, the conflict between human and Divine wills is the source of all sin (Giles). Ever since Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 ate from the tree of knowledge, the act of rebelling God has become a sin. The intent of the transgressor does not matter, the emphasis instead is placed on the act of sinning (Giles). For example, God forsakes Abimelech for taking Abraham’s wife Sarah. Even though Abimelech did not know she was married, taking Abraham’s wife was …show more content…
This includes Israelites and non-Israelites (Giles). Because of this, forgiveness is needed. Atonement is achieved through religious sacrifice or intercession (Giles). Sacrifices were symbolic expressions of the independent will and intent of the individual committing the sacrifice (Giles). Prayer is an act of sacrifice. God’s purpose of prayer was to give sinners a way to be forgiven (Giles). Prayer was not seen as the end to forgiveness, but instead a way to express the faith of a worshipper (Giles). The other method of atonement is intercession. The goal of intercession was to repair the broken fellowship between the worshipper and God (Giles). This was done by the intercessor placing himself in the hands of God and becoming one with God’s will (Giles). The act of forgiveness allowed for a new creation of people, eschaton, where the relationship between God and the people was repaired (Giles). This was achieved by God “covering” sin, forgetting sin, and bearing humans’ sins (Giles). In conclusion, sin is an act of rebellion against God. Each act of rebellion is a violation against God’s will and must be forgiven through acts such as sacrifice or
“What is sin?”(1), Dr. Hoenikker asks in the book “Cat’s Cradle.”(2) The Christian Bible describes sin as, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” (3) Sin has become the creator of fear throughout history. The fear that God will punish those who sin but, that fear is a false threat to control people. Sin creates the illusion that the universe is based on morals, when in fact it is completely amoral.
Sin is an offence against religious or moral law. Hester Prynne had a child out of wedlock which upset the whole town and caused controversy. Sin is recurring in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and it forms the characters into the people they become.
This teaching changed the focus of religion from the church leaders and placed it on the people and their beliefs in bible teachings. The Bible stated that repentance of sin to God was one of the most important steps to forgiveness of sin and acceptance by God. The Roman Catholic Church used indulgence as the way to get forgiveness. Following the first two, these that are based on faith in God and the belief repentance of sin directly disagree with the use of indulgences for forgiveness of sin.
One might ask, What exactly are sins and where did they come from? According to Oxford Dictionary, a sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. Sin is what started the fall of humanity that is still manifested in today’s time. Adam was the first of God’s human creation. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:16–17). Sin entered the world when Adam disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. “God gave to man the power of contrary choice. Man of his own will, by no external compulsion or determination, used that power in the commission of sin… ” (Reddit 10). The effects of Adam’s sin are profound and and they affect everyone. A few things that stand out in Reddit’s explanation of it is that “sin is lawless, universal and results in satanic bond”. Sin is lawless because its is breaking God’s divine law. “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (1John 3:4). Sin is universal because, “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one” and the evil one who is Satan. An objection could be that
He didn’t want us to sin, as we were to be perfect in his eyes. But that all went away after Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and this is when sin was introduced into the world (the Fall). Sin is now just a human nature thing in us and now we keep making poor choices as we have the “sin” blood in us and we need to make the right choices daily to keep us sin free.
The result of sin, then, would be considered a blurring of the image of God and a barrier between God and man. In addition, salvation is a process not of justification, but of reestablishing man's communion with God (Ware 155-161).
Based on the title of this movie, Atonement, we know this film sets out to tell the story of redemption. Throughout this movie we see Briony seeking atonement for her actions done as a young girl. The plot centers around a 13-year-old girl, Briony Tallis, who misunderstands several events and wrongly accuses Robbie, her older sister’s lover, of rape. Several reasonable misunderstandings confuse the young girl’s perspective on the romance forming between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie. Briony takes Robbie’s strong liking for her sister to be that of a ‘sex maniac’ which leads to the mistaken identification of a rapist she catches in the act.
Sin can be defined in many ways, but it creates a separation from God. There is a war that occurs inside people. That war is between one’s flesh and the Holy Spirit. Satan was the originator of sin because pride caused him to sin against God. Adam and Eve were the doors that allowed sin to enter the world. Sin causes death and without a savior, it is impossible to cleanse oneself. Once sin is conceived, it takes an atonement to wipe away one’s sin. Jesus became the atonement for all believers and He gives everyone a chance to have a relationship with God. As Christians, one must be aware of sin because it can affect a person’s destiny and cause delays with God’s blessing.
According to dictionary.com sin is defined as “any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.” In each literary work, each of the protagonists committed a sin or injustice, whether to a god(s) or to society. As mentioned above Okonkwo committed a sin to the earth goddess of the Igbo by murdering the elder clansman. Odysseus committed sin to the Greek God Poseidon by stabbing Poseidon 's Cyclops son in the eye, causing Poseidon to destroy Odysseus’ ship. Dante committed sin upon his respective society by going against the Catholic Church and public opinion forcing him to become an exile. However, being exiled through religious and societal beliefs led these protagonists along a spiritual journey in which each achieved spiritual enlightenment from. According to bibliotecapleyades.net, religion is defined as:
Sin has been defined as many things by many groups throughout the ages. In the Old Testament it was defined as a failure to hit a mark or an attitude of rebellion. In the New Testament it is defined as failing to conform to a standard or as a condition. However, we must decide for ourselves what it means in our own lives. The Holy Spirit will guide us in our definition. Without being taught right and wrong we still are able to decipher between the two.
But it is the corruption . . . offspring of Adam, whereby man is . . . original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.” The Bible informs us that we are servants or slaves to whom we obey. “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” ( Rom. 6:16 NRSV ) Sin can be described as a cosmic power responsible for the enslavement of its prey. This scenario is analogous to the enslavement of subjected peoples by force of the armies who had become their conquerors. We too, are in danger of finding ourselves in bondage to an adverse, and alien influence known as sin. Rendered unable to choose freely we are resigned to surrender in obedience to sin because it now exerts power over us. In the account of Abel and Cain offering sacrifices to God we have an example of just how elusive sin can
Forgiveness is the act of releasing an offender of any wrong or hurt they may have caused you whether they deserve it or not. It is a decision to let go of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group of people. When we choose to forgive, we’re wiping the slate clean, cancelling a debt, or as I love to say, “Letting it go.” In the Bible, the Greek word for forgiveness literally means to “let it go.” This concept, “forgiveness,” is easier said than done. Majority of people find it very difficult to let go of offenses and hurts caused by others. I really do believe that most people desire to let it go, but we lack the knowledge of how to do it. As believers, we are instructed by God maintain an attitude of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is a practice I have repeated Forgiveness is freedom. There is a key that opens the door to healing, happiness and peace, that key is forgiveness. Forgiveness starts with you and it is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Forgiveness of both self and others is the most powerful tool we have, and it is readily attainable to all of us. Take a step towards creating a kinder humanity by forgiving someone in your life.
It’s so interesting to me that the hardest thing to say or admit can have such an incredible affect on a relationship. It’s another one of those de-structive things that people pick up without realizing the consequences. Because many of us didn’t hear someone–usually our parents– say they were sorry, or admit that they were wrong, we didn’t learn or understand how important an apology is. We didn’t learn the importance of an apology because we were taught to fear or be ashamed of being wrong; when we should have been taught that there is nothing to be ashamed of when you’re wrong or don’t know something. When you’re wrong, or you don’t know something and you can admit it, it is an opportunity to learn and grow. That is nothing to fear or be ashamed of, but for some reason we perpetuate the myth of seeing an apology as weakness.
Has someone that is a close relative or friend ever been taken away and never to return? The only way you can see or speak with them is by looking at a tomb stone. This is one of the most painful experiences any human being will go through. Most people do not even realize the forgiving and not coping with the pain is a key step in healing and letting go. But if one fails to do so they will be bitter, angry and cold heart for the rest of their life.