Christian Life Study Outlines
From The Open Bible
Outline Number Five – Sin
In considering the question of sin, we are faced with two startling facts. The first fact is that man makes so little of sin. To some, it is an illusion – a religious mirage-the invention of some fanatic. It is denied, joked about, and laughed at by man. Many, who believe sin to be a fact, continue in it with little thought of its penalty.
The second fact is that God makes so much of sin. God said, “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). All sins are an abomination to God (Proverbs 6:16-19), and He hates those who work iniquity (Psalm 5:5). Moses said, “…All who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 25:16). Sin is an evil force. Its presence cannot be escaped in this life, but it can be overcome by the power of God.
1 The Origin of Sin (Jude 1:6):
And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their one abode, He has reserve in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
Notes: The origin of sin is one of the mysteries of the Bible. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God” (Deuteronomy 29:29). Its origin is one of the “secret things” that will remain wrapped in obscurity.
Sin was first noted in the heart of Satan. He was created a perfect being, “…till iniquity was found in you” (Ezekiel 28:11-19). Satan fell from perfection when he exerted his will above the will of God.
Five times he said, “I will” (Isaiah 14:12-17).
12“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! 13“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15“Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. 16“Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’
It was his will over God’s will – this is sin. It is believed that Satan, when first created, was the ruler of this earth (Genesis 1:1). , and that he fell through self-will; and at his fall, the earth “was without form, and void” (Genesis 1:2).
Isaiah tells us that God created the earth “not in vain” (Isaiah 45:18). “He did not create it a chaos.” The earth was a perfect creation in Genesis 1:1. Something happened that caused a catastrophe and the earth became “without form and void” (Genesis 1:2), but it was not created thus.
It is believed that some of the angels, along with Satan, sinned by leaving their first estate. This does not prove that Satan was the originator of sin, but it does reveal sin in the heart of Satan before God created man.
2 What is Sin (I John 3:4):
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
Notes: It is impossible to deny the existence of sin, when the whole world is in conflict between good and evil. If sin were not a fact, there would be no crime; we would not need jails or prisons. We would need no locks on our doors, or vaults for our valuables. To some, sin is being indiscreet; or it is a weakness of the flesh. To others, it is the absence from good. To the so-called scholar, sin is ignorance; and to the evolutionist, it is the nature of the beast. The latest theory is that sin is a disease to be treated by science, because man is not a sinner-he is only sick. To others, sin is a form of selfishness, but God declares that;
1) Sin is lawlessness (I John 3:4)
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
2) Sin is falling short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
3) Sin is rebellion against God (Isaiah 1:2).
2Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.
4) Sin is unbelief; it makes God a Liar ( 1 John 5:10)
The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.
5) Sin is going your own way, planning your life according to your own will, without seeking the will of God ( Isaiah 53:6)
6All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
6) All unrighteousness is sin ( 1 John 5:17)
17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.
Sin is a folly to deceive you, a force to destroy you, and a fact to condemn you. Sin is a volitional act of disobedience against the revealed will of God.
3 How Sin Entered into the World (Romans 5:12):
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned –
Notes: “…by one man sin entered into the world.” The fall of man is found in Genesis 3:1-24 When Adam sinned, his seed became corruptible ( 1 Peter 1:23)
23for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
Therefore, we are sinners, because we are born in sin (Psalm 51:5)
5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
You do not have to teach children to be bad, but you do have to teach them to be good. You do not have to teach them to lie, but you do have to teach them to tell the truth.” (Romans 5:18 )
18So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
According to the Word of God, all men are judged sinners; all are condemned already (John 3:18). “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23) Sin entered the world through our first parents in the Garden of Eden, and “all have sinned” because all are sinners.
Man sins by choice, because he is a sinner by nature. Therefore, the dominion sin has over you is according to the delight you have in it
4 The Results of Sin (Ephesians 2:1):
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
Notes: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)
23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As a result of man’s sin, there are three deaths. Keep in mind that death does not annihilate; it only separates. In the Garden of Eden, it separated man from God Spiritually; this is spiritual death. In natural death, it separates the spirit and the soul from the body; this is physical death. In final death, it separates man from the mercy of God forever; this is eternal death.
1) The wages of sin is spiritual death. Just as sin separated man from God spiritually and drove him from the presence of God out of the Garden, so sin will separate you from God ( Isaiah 59:1-2)
1Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short that it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 2But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
2) The only way back to God is to confess your sins to Him ( 1 John 1:9)
9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
3) and forsake your sins ( Isaiah 55:7)
7Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon, that you may be restored to fellowship with God.
4) The wages of sin is physical death. Physical death is a result of sin. Death had no claim on man until man sinned. Now all die, because all are in sin. Death is universal; and, since we have a universal effect, we must have a universal cause, and that cause is universal sin. All men die-the good and the bad-the young and the old – and man will continue to die until death is destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ ( 1 Corinthians 15:26) and is swallowed up in victory ( 1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
5) The wages of sin is eternal death.
“The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20).
20“The person who sins will die The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself
This is eternal separation from the love of God (Revelation 20:14).
14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death, the lake of fire
Once the soul passes beyond the portals of Hades, he is lost and lost forever. He will continue to exist, but without hope. He is damned and damned to all eternity.
Eternal death is eternal separation from God ( Luke 16:19-31)
19“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20“And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
22“Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23“In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24“And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
25“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
27“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house– 28for I have five brothers–in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
30“But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’
31“But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'”
5 Gods Remedy for Sin (2 Corinthians 5:21):
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Notes: Man, not willing to accept God’s remedy for his ruin, strives to bring about his own salvation by human means.
1) He strives for self-righteousness, when he needs to be made the righteousness of God (Vs 21) (Isaiah 64:6)
6For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
2) He strives to reform when he needs to regenerated (Titus 3:5)
5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
3) He strives to turn over a new leaf, when he needs a new life (John 10:10)
10“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
4) He strives to be justified by the Law, when he needs to be justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16)
16nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
5) He strives to clean up the old man, when he needs to be made a new man in Christ (Ephesians 4:24)
24and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
6) He strives to be saved by good works, when he needs salvation by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9)
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The only remedy for the ruin of man is the Son of God being made sin for us on the cross. The only way to receive this remedy is by faith in Him as personal Savior. (John 20:30-31)
30Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.