Understanding why we do wrong things is just as important as turning away from them.
It is my contention that the Bible reveals that humans have been created as mortal beings reflecting the image of the eternal God. This image is one of free will ruling benevolently over God’s Creation. However, because man has free will, yet is mortal and limited, humans are subject to ignorance, covetous desires, and pride which result in disobedience to God. This disobedience is sin.
This disobedience severs man’s relationship with God resulting in a condition which God calls “death.” This death or separation from God can only be overcome by a new “birth.” The results of this new birth allow man to have a re-established relationship with God. Through this relationship, man can gain mastery over the ignorance, covetous desires and pride of this mortal condition. This allows humans to function as God intended: in God’s image, having free will, and ruling benevolently as God intended over God’s Creation.
While the Bible does not describe an inherent sin nature, it does indicate we have a wayward propensity toward sin that, for each of us, at some point creates a severed relationship with our Creator, who then considers us as dead because of our sinful actions. As we are made aware of this, we must then die to ourselves to become re-born, and then the relationship is re-established.
We are no longer obligated to always follow the propensity toward sin in by metaphorically eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad; it can now be redirected toward the tree of life in obedience to our Creator. We have been freed to serve God in righteousness and truth, according to his Word.
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Remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. You can also search the catalog of hundreds of articles over at www.coreofthebible.org.
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Core of the Bible podcast #111: Humans and sin
Welcome to the Core of the Bible weekly podcast. My name is Steve and I am your host as we review the core bible principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. These principles focus on the Kingdom, integrity, vigilance, holiness, trust, forgiveness and compassion.
But in recent weeks I've begun exploring some of the bigger doctrines in the Bible, and how those core principles apply to the larger biblical worldview. Over the past few episodes, we have been exploring the nature and character of God. For us to begin to grasp our place within the Bible narrative, we need to look at what this God expects of those whom he has created. To do so, we will have to grapple with a concept known in the Bible as sin, and what our responsibility is in dealing with sin.
It is my contention that the Bible reveals that humans have been created as mortal beings reflecting the image of the eternal God. This image is one of free will ruling benevolently over God’s Creation. However, because man has free will, yet is mortal and limited, humans are subject to ignorance, covetous desires, and pride which result in disobedience to God. This disobedience is sin.
This disobedience severs man’s relationship with God resulting in a condition which God calls “death.” This death or separation from God can only be overcome by a new “birth.” The results of this new birth allow man to have a re-established relationship with God. Through this relationship, man can gain mastery over the ignorance, covetous desires and pride of this mortal condition. This allows humans to function as God intended: in God’s image, having free will, and ruling benevolently as God intended over God’s Creation.
In order for humans to have genuine rule, it was necessary for God to provide man the freedom to choose between right and wrong. This, of course, would allow man to sometimes (or usually) make the wrong choices. In the Bible, good choices are typically called “righteousness,” that is, doing what is right. Bad choices are typically categorized as “unrighteousness” or “sin.” All choices, good or bad, always have consequences.
What is sin?
Several Bible passages help us understand what sin actually is.
1 John 3:4: “Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
1 John 5:17: “All unrighteousness is sin…”
Genesis 4:7 …if you do not do well [that which is pleasing to God], sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
We can see from these passages that, in its simplest definition sin is essentially the act of disobeying God’s revealed will about what he considers to be right conduct.
At the very beginning of the Bible, a story about the human condition is related to us with Adam and Eve. God had specifically instructed them to not eat from the tree of knowing good and bad, or they would “surely die.” When they sinned by disobeying God, they were removed from the Garden which also contained the tree of life. Once they were removed from God’s presence and and no longer had access to the tree of life in the garden, their bodies began to physically die. They could no longer partake of the tree of life, and the ultimate consequence of their mortality (physical death) became inevitable.
But in a more important sense, the story teaches us that the very moment they disobeyed God’s command, Adam and Eve died another type of death that was instantaneous, a spiritual death that they became instantly conscious of. Their relationship with God was severed, and they were suddenly aware of this as “their eyes were opened,” so they hid themselves from God.
Genesis 3:8 They heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
We know this severed relationship with God is a type of death because God’s warning to Adam was “…in the day that you eat from it [the tree of knowing good and bad] you will surely die.” The literal Hebrew wording here says, “…in the day that you eat from it you will die the death.” Since neither Adam nor Eve physically died that day but lived on for many hundreds of years, it was the severed-relationship kind of death that occurred that day, separating them from their unrestricted access to God’s presence. From that point forward they were consigned to live separated from God’s physical presence in a difficult new world where they were considered spiritually dead, along with being in a “declining physical life mode” due to being removed from the tree of life.
The main thrust of the story teaches us about this severed relationship with God through disobedience to his revealed will. This is the type of death that is most frequently spoken of throughout the Bible in regard to our relationship with God.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your seed; to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days…“
Proverbs 12:28 In the way of righteousness is life, And in [its] pathway there is no death.
Jeremiah 21:8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
Yeshua certainly highlights the spiritual nature of this death as he teaches about the immediacy of new life and removal of this death from those who would believe in him:
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed [past tense] out of death into life.
The Sin Nature and Original Sin
Most of Christianity teaches a particular view that Man was originally created to inherently live forever, but due to disobeying God’s command, he somehow obtained a sin-nature that is now present in all people from the moment they are born (having been passed down from our first parents). In this view, this permanent and unavoidable sin-nature is the reason for physical death in the world. This is the concept of “original sin,” a type of hereditary stain which is supposedly present in everyone alive today. The only way to overcome this original sin is to accept the sacrifice of Yeshua as taking away that inherent stain.
However, also according to this view, even if we believe God and accept the sacrifice of Yeshua for our sin, we still have to deal with the effects of this permanent sin-nature as we continue to live out our lives here, doing our best to be obedient to God; and then we ultimately still die physically. According to this view, only when Yeshua returns will he finally vanquish all sin and physical death, restore the earth, and everyone who believes in him will live eternally with him.
While this is the generally predominant view of Christianity, in reality, the Bible doesn’t actually inform us about an inherent sin-nature. This concept of original sin is a philosophical theory proposed by early Christian thinkers long after the recorded events in the Bible. It is a view trying to make sense of the Biblical references from a Western philosophical perspective rather than a Hebraic context.
One of the most prominent places in the Old Testament where this is evident comes from Psalm 51. In this Psalm, David is wallowing in self-pity, distress, and repentance over his affair with Bathsheba and the consequent murder of her husband that he had orchestrated through battle to make her his wife. He is crying out to God for cleansing and renewal:
Psalm 51:2-7, 10 – Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. Against you – you alone – I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge. Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within. Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. … God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
If David was here describing some sort of original sin present in himself, he would be able to justify before God that since he was created in sin he only did what humans naturally do, which is to commit sin. Therefore, since he would have had no control over this condition, he should be justified. But in reality, to say he was guilty in the day he was born and sinful since conception (prior to any possible moral actions on his part) is a Hebraic way of phrasing that he was admitting the depth and magnitude of his own guilt. It is a way of saying that he recognizes how his unrighteous and sinful actions have corrupted everything good about him, all the way back to the very day he was born, or even conceived.
In his commentary on this passage, Albert Barnes rightly states the following:
“There is no statement that the sin of another was “imputed” to him; or that he was “responsible” for the sin of Adam; or that he was guilty “on account of” Adam’s sin, for on these points the psalmist makes no assertion. It is worthy of remark, further, that the psalmist did not endeavor to “excuse” his guilt on the ground that he was “”born”” in iniquity; nor did he allude to that fact with any purpose of “exculpating” himself. The fact that he was thus born only deepened his sense of his own guilt, or showed the enormity of the offence which was the regular result or outbreak of that early depravity. The points, therefore, which are established by this expression of the psalmist, so far as the language is designed to illustrate how human nature is conceived, are (1) that people are born with a propensity to sin; and (2) that this fact does not excuse us in sin, but rather tends to aggravate and deepen our guilt. The language goes no further than this in regard to the question of original sin or native depravity.”
Now Albert Barnes was no fringe theologian; he was a Presbyterian minister in the 1830’s, and his honest assessment of this passage is really quite refreshing compared to other commentary. His view on this topic was a point of contention within his denomination and stirred up much conflict. While that is a story in itself, for the purposes of our study today, I can state that it is truly difficult for us with our modern ears to grasp this type of inuendo and expression used by David in this psalm that is native to a culture which is foreign to us in our day and age. But the reality is that this way of speaking was an expression of David recognizing the depth of his sinfulness, not a revelation of original depravity. David was asking to be cleansed of this propensity toward sin through having his heart renewed and his spirit cleansed.
Instead of original sin, the Bible teaches that we come into this world in innocence and become corrupted by our own selfish desires as we begin to learn right from wrong. The clearest definition of this and where sin and death comes from is described in the New Testament writings by the apostle James, considered by many to be the actual brother of Yeshua:
James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
James here implies that sin is the result of humans’ own propensity toward sin, in which wicked thoughts are conceived and then sinful actions follow. This is in conformity with what Yeshua himself taught using the example of the humility and innocence of children, and how these qualities are actually the model of God’s kingdom. Therefore, if children are the example of innocence, they cannot be sinful from birth with some sort of original sin, or else they would not be good examples of inclusion within his kingdom:
Matthew 18:2-4 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Mark 10:13-16 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Yeshua saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
Children, by and large, are considered innocent, humble and trusting. These are the characteristics of those who stand as representing the Kingdom of God. The importance of humility was even the conclusion of King David in that same psalm of repentance:
Psalm 51:17 – The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.
So, if Yeshua and the rest of the biblical writings do not actually teach us about something known as original sin, and if humility and repentance are the qualities we should strive for, then what does the Bible say about why we typically choose to do bad things?
The Yetzer ha-Ra
The traditional Hebraic view considers a dual aspect present within every person: it includes something called in Hebrew the Yetzer ha-Ra, or the evil inclination, and the Yetzer ha-Tov, the good inclination. It’s kind of like that caricature of having a good angel on one shoulder and a bad angel or the devil on the other shoulder, both trying to tell you what to do. However, the Yetzer ha-Tov, or the good inclination, is not specifically mentioned in the Bible. Just like the Christian philosophers proposing original sin, the Yetzer ha-Tov is a philosophical invention of rabbis to counter the actual biblical concept of the Yetzer ha-Ra as a logical way of balancing out good and bad.
But the Bible does speak about the Yetzer ha-Ra, or the evil inclination. It is mentioned specifically in these two passages:
Genesis 6:5 Then Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent [yetzer] of the thoughts of his heart was only evil [ra] continually.
Genesis 8:21 Yahweh smelled the soothing aroma; and Yahweh said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent [yetzer] of man’s heart is evil [ra] from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
So the Yetzer ha-Ra appears to be some fundamental feature of mankind that, when left to our own devices, inclines us to do bad things.
Why is this different from an inherent sin-nature? Well, if we have an unchangeable sin-nature, something we have from birth and that is completely beyond our control, then two things become apparent: Firstly, nothing we can do could ever be considered good (because our very nature is bad) and secondly, how could God ever hold us accountable for something we have no control over? It’s kind of like Paul’s hypothetical argument with those who would try to excuse their sin before God:
Romans 9:19 – You will say to me, therefore, “Why then does he still find fault? For who resists his will?”
His imaginary opponent would be essentially claiming how God would not be able to accuse anyone, because if they were created as sinful beings, they would have no choice in the matter and could not be held accountable.
Paul’s response to this argument is simply:
Romans 9:20 – On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”
While not satisfying the argument for our discussion here, it is true that God, as the Creator of all, has the ability to do what he wills with his own creations. We will have to return to the concept of predestination and free-will in a future episode. I merely point out from this passage that there is a logical point to be made that if God creates people with an unchangeable sinful nature, then he would not be justified in condemning people for actions they had no control over. No, the Bible is all about change and repentance, and how God desires us to rise above the natural propensity or inclination toward sin. Essentially, you can’t repent from something that is “hard-wired” into your nature, but the Bible does say you can repent and change direction when you are confronted with the enormity of your sinful actions.
For some examples, as we continue to explore this biblical concept of the yetzer-inclination, there are other passages which speak about it in less-than-evil terms, which seems to indicate that its “goodness” or “badness” is dependent on what it is focused on:
1 Chronicles 28:9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for Yahweh searches all hearts, and understands every intent [yetzer] of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”
This appears to state that humans have some measure of control over the yetzer-inclination beginning with our thoughts, and we have the ability to turn those thoughts to seeking God.
Isaiah 26:3 “The steadfast of mind [yetzer] You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.
From these passages we can see that this yetzer-inclination is a key human characteristic related to the thought process and conscience. It has a framing, conception, or molding aspect related to its demeanor which implies that it can be modified, controlled, or re-shaped, primarily through what types of things it is directed towards. The yetzer-inclination appears to be a changeable aspect of our thought process that, if left to its own reasonings in an immature state, points in the “ra” or “badness” direction as we are exposed to the sensory experiences of this physical life. These include worldliness, covetous desires, and pride. All of these are equated with eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
However, the yetzer-inclination can also be pointed in a positive direction, toward the tree of life, through “steadfast trust” in God. This steadfastness comes from laying or resting our trust on God 100%. The image of this steadfastness is as if one is bracing oneself against God for support, or bearing oneself up, or leaning on God to increase our own stability.
Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in Yahweh with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.”
This demonstrates the yetzer-inclination is not some unchangeable sin nature that we are burdened with, but a moldable inclination similar to, or working alongside, the conscience that can be redirected from selfish interests (tree of the knowledge of good and bad) to the interests of God (tree of life) by steadfastly trusting in him. This idea of repentance and reform is the Hebraic biblical worldview known as “teshuvah.”
Of course, teshuva, that is, repentance and reform, was the worldview of Yeshua:
Luke 5:31-32 And Yeshua answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 15:4-7 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
This is why I believe this yetzer-inclination is the aspect of “understanding” or “mind” that the apostle Paul was speaking of when he mentions that we should direct our mind to be renewed.
Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Ephesians 4:22-24 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old man [Adam], which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man [Messiah], which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Yeshua taught that switching from sinful practices to obeying God (that is, being a responsible member and ruler in God’s kingdom) is impossible without being born from above. This is a spiritual type of birth that allows us to see things as they really are, and to begin to make good choices (from God’s perspective). If we are spiritually “dead” to God we must then become spiritually “alive” (be born) to begin to truly obey God.
John 3:3-8 Yeshua answered [Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader] and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Yeshua answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In order for us to trust in God, we must be exposed to his Word and learn of him. This allows his Spirit to work within us, and to create us anew.
Psalm 43:3 O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling places.
Psalm 51:9-13 Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.
So, while the Bible does not describe an inherent sin nature, it does indicate we have a wayward yetzer-inclination that, for each of us, at some point creates a severed relationship with our Creator, who then considers us as dead because of our sinful actions. As we are made aware of this, we must then die to ourselves to become re-born, and then the relationship is re-established.
We are no longer obligated to always follow the badness of our yetzer-inclination in eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad; it can now be redirected toward the tree of life in obedience to our Creator. We have been freed to serve God in righteousness and truth, according to his Word.
2 Corinthians 5:17 So if any one is in Messiah, there is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold all things have become new:
While becoming born from above requires dying to ourselves, we are, in a sense, constantly having to die to ourselves at every choice we face in order to live in the freedom of this obedient, new life. Paul calls this concept being a “living and holy sacrifice.”
Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Every time we face a moral choice, we need to evaluate it in light of God’s revealed will and in conformity to the example of Yeshua, as he demonstrated for us a life of total obedience to God.
The Apostle Paul, at the culmination of a very lengthy comparison between Adam and Yeshua, calls Yeshua the “last (or final) Adam.”
1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all will be made alive … So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Since Yeshua lived a life of complete obedience, something Adam did not, we are encouraged to follow in Yeshua’s footsteps, even unto physical death, if necessary. We are guided and helped to walk in this life of obedience by the Spirit of God through his Word, which makes this new life in the new creation of God’s Kingdom possible.
Summary
I believe that the story of the temptation of the original man and woman is illustrative of the condition of every human born into existence on this earth. It explains how every person begins in a faultless state of innocence with their Creator. At some point, he or she yields to the conditions and situations surrounding them, choosing to rely on their own limited knowledge (tree of the knowledge of good and bad) rather than the revealed instruction of God (the tree of life). This causes a type of death or separation from God, and they are then consigned to walk in the darkness of their own limited understanding and passions. However, God is always willing to receive back anyone who recognizes the error of their ways, and who comes to reliance on God’s revealed truths.
When we come to know ourselves to be responsible to God, we must repent (turn away from our sin) and seek to walk in his ways as revealed through his written Word. In Bible terms, when we repent from our sinful disobedience and turn to being faithful to God’s ways, we experience a type of re-birth, new life in a new creation, and reconciliation with God.
Through all of this, we must remember it is God in his gracious provision of his Word and his Spirit who reveals to us our deficiencies and allows us to become his children. It is through these promptings of God’s Spirit that we can be born again, free from sin, as new creations. He is present through his Spirit and Word to guide and strengthen us to be able to rule effectively in his Kingdom. It is now our obligation to make the right choices that honor God when faced with temptation, and to continue to learn and grow as believers so that the Kingdom can always continue to expand.
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Well, I hope this brief overview of the yetzer-inclination and sin brought you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. You can also search the catalog of hundreds of articles over at www.coreofthebible.org.
Once again, thanks for joining me today! As always, I hope to be invited back into your headphones in another episode to come. Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille