Atonement Series: Sin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDs0k7By_ac

Today we are going to move into the topic of sin. A not-so-popular topic, but a necessary one nonetheless. You see, our last teaching on creation let us know what we lost and what God’s original plans were. It helped us understand what was lost and what God wants to restore. This teaching will reveal why it was lost.

We’ll start our teaching by laying some groundwork. First, let’s answer a very basic question: What is sin? There are some scriptures that define sin for us.

These scriptures are as follows: 

1 John 3:4 (ESV) – "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness." 

James 4:17 (ESV) – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” 

Romans 3:23 (ESV) – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

From this, we learn that sin is lawlessness, not doing what you know to do, and not attaining to God’s glory. The Greek word for sin in the New Testament is hamartia, which means “to miss the mark” or “to err.” In its simplest form, it is missing the mark set by God. Perhaps even more simplistically, sin is all the bad things we do. But let us go a bit deeper into what sin is.

Thomas Aquinas provides good insight when he says, “Every sin consists in the fact that man seeks for himself what is proper to God. This is the essence of sin: that man does not subject himself to the rule and measure of the Divine Law but follows the inclination of his own will, thereby deviating from the true end appointed to him by God.” (Summa Theologica, I-II, Q. 72, Art. 4)

What Aquinas does here is provide us with the essence of what sin is, which consists of two parts. Firstly, it is a violation and deviation of God’s natural order, purpose, and intention, particularly in terms of morality. This first part is a turning away or an aversion from God. Secondly, it is a natural tendency or urge (and eventual action) to self-determine based on one’s own morality. This second part is a turning toward self.

So, if we apply these definitions to 1 John 3:4, James 4:17, and Romans 3:23, we gain a greater understanding of what sin is. We come to realize that sin is a perversion of the will and an act against God’s divine order. It is the practice of turning away from our Creator and turning to the created. This is why repentance is the reversal of this way of thinking—turning away from self and toward God.

Not Simply a Mistake

I think that from this, we can answer the question of why God could not have simply forgiven Adam. In Genesis 3:5, the serpent tells Eve, "For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Knowing good and evil is the ability to self-determine morality, or in other words, the power to establish what is inherently right and what is inherently wrong. Satan introduces sin to Eve. He introduces a perversion to act against God’s divine order. This divine order was given in Genesis 2:17, where God says, "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."

God’s warning against death if this tree is eaten from has many layers to it. The meaning we are focusing on here is this: If man eats of this tree—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—he will develop the inclination to determine morality for himself, apart and separate from God. Morality apart from God is indeed death.

By comparing God’s command in Genesis 2:17 to Satan's lie in Genesis 3:5—where he tempts Eve with the promise of being "like God"—we arrive at the core of sin: the human desire to define good and evil independently of God's divine order. This leads to estrangement from the very source of life, as morality separated from God results in spiritual death.

In light of this, it makes sense why God could not simply "forgive Adam" without addressing the consequences. Adam's sin was not just a minor mistake but a fundamental breach of divine order, an act that opened humanity to the inclination of self-determined morality, separate from God's will. This separation from God is at the heart of spiritual death, and thus, the need for redemption through Christ and the atonement.

This approach deepens the understanding of the Fall, showing why humanity’s reconciliation with God required more than just forgiveness—it required a restoration of the relationship broken by sin and self-will.

Now we understand what sin is! We are also reintroduced to Lazarus of Bethany, who we learn is a good friend of Jesus—a friend whom Jesus loves! Now, as we have read and as you probably know, Lazarus falls ill and eventually dies; and as is the custom, he is wrapped in linen and buried in a tomb. The reason he dies this natural death is because of an unspecified illness—scripture does not say what it was that led to his death—but he did die. What we do know is that prior to his death, he was ill, and it was during this period of time that Jesus found out. John 11:4-7 reads, “But when Jesus heard it, He said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Then after this, He said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’”

The first is this: 

Jesus’ statement, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” See, in the context of Lazarus’ death, Jesus knew He would raise Lazarus from the dead, and that was to provide proof of His power to give and restore life.

The same can be said from the very beginning when humanity fell and died. The moment our fellowship was severed with God and death entered through Adam, God could just as well have said, “This fall does not lead to eternal death. It is for My glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Keep in mind that Jesus has always existed, so don’t let that throw you off. Jesus was always going to be glorified and has always been glorified.

So, Jesus sees the death and knows that it will be used for God’s glory; God sees the fall and knows that it will be used for His glory. So, God is not only saying, “I have a plan,” as if He was caught off guard. Rather, He says, “Look, this is all part of My plan from the beginning.” “I knew this would happen, and I have already planned for this.” Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) reads, “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.”

We also read in 1 Corinthians 2:7-9 (NLT), “The wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—His plan that was previously hidden, even though He made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, 

‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.’”

Do we really think God did not see the fall coming? Or that Jesus did not know Lazarus would die, despite knowing His own death?

This brings me to the second observation. The first was that this very situation—Lazarus’ death and ultimately the fall—was being used for the glory of God.

The second observation is this: Jesus purposely stayed behind for two days. The passage says that when He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was. That is a very purposeful action!

I believe this was done by Jesus to illustrate not only His resurrection power and ministry confirmation but also to show humanity their need for a Savior. See, if we are left to our own strength, we are like Lazarus. We are in a tomb where there is darkness, and we are bound by bandages of our own making. We have sewn insufficient fig leaves to cover ourselves.

God has created us with free will and the capacity for growth. If God had simply overlooked what Adam did, we would have repeated our mistake, as we still do. We see proof of this every day! When God created man, He created us with free will, which can be a rogue and unbridled characteristic. So how is free will reconciled with God?

Well, God’s decision to delay redemption rather than fixing things immediately after the fall is tied to the importance of human free will and growth. The gradual unfolding of redemption allows us to fully exercise free will, come to a deeper understanding of sin and salvation, and develop a genuine, relational bond with God. We come to learn that we cannot “be like God,” as Satan proposed. This process also facilitates moral and spiritual growth, ensuring that redemption is not just a legal fix but a transformative experience that reflects the complexities of human choice and the development of a meaningful relationship with our Creator.

So that is the second observation, which ties us right back to what sin is. Sin is the perversion of the will—our free will being perverted, leading to acts against God’s divine order. We have practiced turning away from our Creator and turning to ourselves. Jesus changes all of this!