Bible Study Material

This question is of vital importance because of the fearful judgment against those who commit sin. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die thunders the Old Testament (Ezekiel 18:20). In like tones, the New Testament declares: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The one who lives in sin throughout his earthly life and faces God without having obtained divine forgiveness will be sentenced to eternal perdition. Sin sprang full-grown among men. Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God. The first boy born on this earth grew to manhood and murdered the second- his own brother! And sin has existed in every generation since.

In our time however, there is one difference: many no longer know what sin actually is. Things evil are sometimes designated as good; things good as evil. Isaiah condemned such a practice, declaring, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). Since this confusion exists, and since a person will not seek forgiveness for sin until he knows what sin is, a clear-cut definition, both negative and positive, is urgently needed.

Sin Is Not Necessarily Crime
Some equate sin with crime, feeling that to commit sin one must be a murderer, robber, rapist, or the like. Once, and evangelist passing out revival circulars was told that he should go to the local jail and try to convert a woman who had recently murdered her father. Certainly this woman needed forgiveness, but no more so than other sinners who had not committed a crime. A crime is a sin. Crimes are committed against people; sin is committed against God. As an example, David wronged Bathsheba, and committed the crime of murder against Uriah her husband, but he affirmed “Against thee [God], thee only, have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4).

Sin Is Not Unbelief Alone
Near the end of His ministry, Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Ghost would “reprove the world of sin, because they believed not on me” (John 16:8-9). Misinterpreting His meaning, some have concluded that sin is nothing more than unbelief. But Jesus meant that unbelief would form the basis of sin. People sin because they do not believe on Jesus Christ. Unbelief is sin, but it leads to further sin.

Sin Is the Transgression of the Law
This definition is given in I John 3:4. By law the apostle meant the Word of God, which originally was the Old Testament but which now includes the New Testament as well. Sin, then is the transgression (breaking) of a commandment found in the Bible.

Sins of Commission. Someone is guilty of such a sin when he does something that the Word of God forbids.

Sins of Omission. He who fails to do what he knows God has commanded is guilty of a sin of omission. “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

All Unrighteousness Is Sin
I John 5:17 declares this truth. A person is unrighteous when he does what is wrong. According to this verse, then, when someone does wrong, he commits sin. We should note that all unrighteousness is sin. Men are prone to classify sin as little or great, black or gray, mortal or venial. But to God, all sin is offensive and objectionable. As an example of the difference between man’s and God’s judgment of sin, man classifies the sin of lying as one of the lesser evils, but God places “all liars” in the same category as the abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, and idolaters (Revelation 21:8). Moreover, He pronounces the same judgment upon all of these sinners-eternal perdition in the lake of fire and brimstone.
What, then is sin? Simply put, sin is doing what God forbids or failing to do what he commands.

Is There a Remedy for Sin?
The Bible declares, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Then it adds, “For all have sinned.” These two verses place everyone under the sentence of eternal death. But Jesus did not sin (I Peter 2:22). Thus He, not being under condemnation for sins of His own, could die for the sins of others. Therefore, Isaiah could proclaim, “All we like sheep have gone astray;. and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all(Isaiah 53:6). The only remedy for sin is found in Jesus’ expiatory death upon Calvary’s cross. “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22) and in Christ “we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14).

Must a person respond in any way to obtain this remedy for sin? Yes! The Bible says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). And these encouraging words are found in I John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

In Acts 2:36-37, sinners who had rejected Jesus as Lord and Messiah asked the apostles, “What shall we do?” Acts 2:38 records the answer: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

If there is only one God and that God is the Father (Malachi 2:10), and if Jesus is God, then it logically follows that Jesus is the revelation of the Father

1. Isaiah 9:6 calls the Son the everlasting Father. Jesus is the Son prophesied about and there is only one Father (Malachi 2:10; Ephesians 4:6), so Jesus must be God the Father revealed in the Son
2. Colossians 2:9 proclaims that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus. The Godhead includes the role of the Father, so the Father must dwell in Jesus

JESUS TAUGHT THAT HE WAS THE FATHER REVEALED

3. Once, when Jesus was talking about the Father, the Pharisees asked, “Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also” (John 8:19). He went on to say, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24) – Jesus was really identifying himself with the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14. The Jews not understanding, asked “Who art thou?” Jesus answered, “Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning” (John 8:25). However, “they understood not that he spake to them of the Father (John 8:27). Jesus tried to explain that he is the revelation of the Father, the I AM, and that if they did not accept him as God they would die in their sins.

4. Jesus said that “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). Jesus was not only the Son in His humanity but also Father in his deity

5. Jesus stated that John 12:45, “And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.” In other words, if a person sees Jesus as to His deity, he see that Father.

6. Jesus told his disciples, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” Philip asked Jesus, to show them the Father, and they would be satisfied (John 14:8). Jesus answered, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that seeth seen me hath seen the Father; and how slyest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works sake” (John 14:9-11). – This emphatically claims that Christ is the Father manifested in the Flesh. Philip did not understand that the Father is an invisible Spirit and that the only way that a person could ever see Him would be through the person of Jesus Christ.

7. Jesus said, “The Father is in me, and I in him” (John 10:38).

8. Jesus promised to be the Father of all overcomers (Revelation 21:6-7).

9. Jesus said “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” The Greek word translated “comfortless” is orphanos, which is defined as “bereaved (‘orphans’), i.e. parentless” Jesus was saying that I will not leave you as orphans, or fatherless: I will come to you.” Jesus speaking as the Father incarnate, promised that He would leave his disciples fatherless

10. Jesus prophesied that He would resurrect His own body from the dead in three days (John 2:19-21), yet Peter preached that God raised up Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:24)

11. Jesus said He would send the Comforter to us (John 16:7), but He also said the Father would send the Comforter (John 14:26).

12. The Father alone can draw people to God (John 6:44), yet Jesus said that He would draw all people to God (John 12:32).

13. Jesus will raise up all believers at the last day (John 6:40), yet God the Father quickens (gives life to) the dead and will raise us up (Romans 4:17; I Corinthians 6:14)

14. Jesus promised to answer believers prayer (John 14:14), yet He said the Father would answer prayer (John 16:23).

15. Christ is our sanctifier (Ephesians 5:26), yet the Father sanctifies us (Jude 1).

16. I John 3:1, 5 states that the Father loved us and was manifested to take away our sins, yet we know that it was Christ who was manifested in the world to take away sin (John 1:29-31).

We must understand that Jesus has a dual nature. He is both Spirit and flesh, God and man, Father and Son. On his human side He is the Son of man; on his divine side He is the Son of God and is the Father dwelling in flesh