Sin and Suffering Is there a reason for sin and suffering? It is obvious the two are directly related in the Bible. In the Old Testament we see Saul/Paul feeling the wrath of God when he killed innocent people, as a king. Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden of Eden when they took fruit from a tree which God told them not to do. Today though, the relationship between sin and suffering is not so clear. We see poor, starving people in Africa. They suffer terribly, but there is no evidence that they haved sinned to the extent of being starved to death. Sin and suffering have been interpreted in different ways by different aspects of Christianity. Conservative Christians believe the Adam and Eve story to be literal history, and suffering is a direct consequence of their breaking of the covenant that Adam had with God. The Old Testament gives us an overall understanding of sin. Some beliefs include turning away from God and putting yourself before him. Not fufilling God's will or goals or rebellion or disobedience towards God. A classic view of sin is highlighted in Jeremiah (17.9) : 'Sin is that which sets up in place of God. It is an inner attitude of going against what is right, with it's basis in the heart.'; Is sin free will? Or is it something we are born with; something we have inherited from Adam? The Westminister Larger Catectism summarises the Biblical teaching of sin itself. It takes Paul's argument : 'The wages of sin is death'; in Romans.(6.23) Like this ve...
As stated earlier, suffering is defined as a “pain that is caused by injury, illness, loss, etc.” which includes both “physical and mental/emotional pain” (Merriam-Webster). However, the idea of suffering implies much more. Suffering is not only caused by physical factors such as injury or emotional pain. For example, this could be feelings experienced from the loss of a loved one. Additionally, socioeconomic status contributes to the extent that one suffer as well as the tolerance that a person has to this emotional and physical pain stated in the definition. When a person is deprived economically from basic necessities of life, they suffer not because they choose to or because of mistakes that they have made, but due to their inability to raise their social status. They simply cannot acquire the luxuries to live that wealthier class citizens have because they cannot afford it. The definition also fails to mention that suffering does not solely cause “pain”. Suffering possesses the capability to provoke other feelings in humans such as amplified guilt from a mistake made in the past. “Pain” itself is not specific enough to outline the various emotions associated with suffering. Humans are multidimensional creatures that are engulfed with many conflicting feelings in reverberation of a social situation. The idea of suffering is not exclusively negative either. It can bring
Adam's sin, as recounted in the Book of Genesis is sometimes called in Hebrew (translated: the first sin of man, or Adam). The account in Genesis (2-3), implies that Adam and Eve initially in communion with God. God warned Adam not to eat the fruit of "the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" (Genesis 2:15-17). The serpent persuaded Eve, who in turn persuaded Adam, to disobey this...
Suffering is something that causes a lot of people to question the existence of God. If God is good, then how does He let evil happen? A god of love is one that is supposed to save His people from all danger and harm. The reality is that God is a good god, but evil does exist. Suffering exists because of The Fall . Sin was brought into the world, and the consequence for this sin is suffering and ultimately death. This does not make God a bad god, but rather makes us more reliant on Him.
In this essay I am going to briefly tell you what Judaism says about the concept of suffering and then I?m going to attempt explaining the two main explanations!
Sin is an intangible object that was not a plan of God’s. Many conclusions, opinions, and explanations can be formed, about sin, from several pieces of works. “The American Bible,” “Creation,” and Loewe’s article provide information that can be read, analyzed, and develop conclusions as to what things mean. In my opinion, God has high expectations for mankind. I feel that God was disappointed with mankind, when Adam and Eve disobeyed Him. Therefore, He felt that it was necessary to punish mankind. I think God, will restore the conditions on Earth, back to normal over an extended period of time.
We are all sinners. Although one may try hard not to sin, all humans eventually succumb at some time or another to sin. While people may not able to avoid the fate which awaits them, the power of free will allows people to decide how they will respond to sin. While some may respond with guilt and regret, others may react with a sense of redemption and a renewed sense of responsibility.
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
The question of suffering comes up much when talking about, or practicing any religion. Many ask why people suffer, and what causes suffering? The various religions try to answer these questions in their own way. Pico Iyer’s editorial, “The Value of Suffering” addresses the questions of suffering and how it is handled. This article could be compared to the Bhagavad-Gita which also addresses and explains suffering through different stories of the interactions of humans and different Gods. One can specifically look at “The Second Teaching” in the Bhagavad-Gita, which explains the interaction between a man named Arjuna and the god Krishna. In it Arjuna is suffering because he does not want to fight in a war and with people whom he should be worshiping. Krishna says to fight because the souls of the people will forever live on, and because he needs to fulfill his Dharma. With what is known about the Bhagavad-Gita and how Iyer thinks about the subject, Iyer would agree with how the Bhagavad-Gita address suffering.
Doctrines are used as a foundation to Christian beliefs. They serve to many churches as fundamentals in the direction their members chose to live their lives. It is important to understand the historical backgrounds of the doctrines that pertain to one’s particular beliefs. I will be discussing this very information for the doctrine of original sin. The doctrine of original sin mostly pertains to the Roman Catholic religion. I will be covering when, where, and why the doctrine was originated. Original sin is the theory that every man is born into sin because our mother and father have sinned. The definition given by the Catholic Encyclopedia is: “(1) the sin that Adam committed; (2) a consequence of this first sin, the hereditary stain with which we are born on account of our origin or descent from Adam.”# Saint Augustine was the fundamental theologian in the formulation of this doctrine, which states that the essentially graceless nature of humanity requires redemption to save it. The purpose of Baptism is to wash away original sin and to restore the individual to an innocent state, although even after baptism a tendency to sin remains as a result of original sin.
A foundational belief in Christianity is the idea that God is perfectly good. God is unable to do anything evil and all his actions are motives are completely pure. This principle, however, leads to many questions concerning the apparent suffering and wrong-doing that is prevalent in the world that this perfect being created. Where did evil come from? Also, how can evil exist when the only eternal entity is the perfect, sinless, ultimately good God? This question with the principle of God's sovereignty leads to even more difficult problems, including human responsibility and free will. These problems are not limited to our setting, as church fathers and Christian philosophers are the ones who proposed some of the solutions people believe today. As Christianity begins to spread and establish itself across Europe in the centuries after Jesus' resurrection, Augustine and Boethius provide answers, although wordy and complex, to this problem of evil and exactly how humans are responsible in the midst of God's sovereignty and Providence.
According to Sharpe (2015), “when truly deep suffering comes into their lives, Christians will often pray to God for healing or rescue” (para. 2). Based on this fundamental belief in the Christian worldview, it is imperative that every human encounter suffering as this brings a person closer in their relationship with God. The Christian worldview holds a belief that God has a purpose for everything that happens in a person’s life, whether it is joy and happiness, pain and suffering, and life and death. This can be seen throughout the Bible such as “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11, New International Version), and in Ecclesiastes 3 “A Time for Everything.” These core Christian beliefs should cause a person to look past the suffering that he or she is facing, and try to see what kind of positives can come from the current suffering that a person is
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.
The doctrine of original sin can be defined as the belief that “all of humanity is born with a built-in urge to do bad things… stemming from Adam and Eve's disobedience to God” (BBC). The traditional story as imprinted in the Christian Bible claims that original sin emerged in retaliation to Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit despite God’s clear commands, “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (New International Version, Genesis 2:4-3:24) This friendship, or covenant, with God was then broken, marking a separation. From a theological standpoint, we are the children of our parents – Adam and Eve – who inherit this submission to sin. Nonetheless, regardless of theological background, original sin is merely a sense of weakness humanity has imbedded to yield to sinful or evil acts. Moreover, this embedded drive in humans to commit evil doings is additionally used to rationalize “the need for police, the collapse of great civilizations, suicide, war, suffering and so on” (CNA).
The Garden of Eden also presents the theme of salvation. When Adam and Eve eat the apple, God placed a flaming sword to prevent them from eating of the tree of life. They began to understand the consequences of sin and what great sorrow it brings. This is the continuous cycle of salvation and sin. Once Adam and Eve understand their concern and morals, Genesis two ends in peace and harmony with God’s creation of man and woman. Adam and Eve were very sorry for their sin of disobeying God. In spite of their sin He still loved them. He promised to send a Redeemer for the salvation of mankind. All is well until Genesis four with Cain and Abel. When Cain noticed that God was pleased with Abel, envy and hatred toward Abel entered. Cain rose up and killed his brother Abel. God had warned him before he killed Abel that if he would do well he would be accepted. So from the end of the story of Garden of Eden, we see salvation, but once Cain kills his brother, sin is present. It is a never-ending circle with sin and salvation in Genesis.
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