Sin and Humanity

Sin and Humanity

1 John 2: 15 – 17

Introduction

A few weeks ago, I started a series of sermons about the Basics of Christian Theology.  We took a break from this series for the past three weeks because of Mothers’ Day, Baccalaureate Sunday and Memorial Day.  Now, we are back on track.

Let me begin by reminding you what I said about “theology.”  Some people are afraid of theology, because they think theology is not for regular people.  They think theology is for pastors and professors.  I challenge that point of view based on the meaning of the word “theology.”  Our English word “theology” comes from two Greek words.  Theos is the Greek word for God.  Logos is a Greek word with two meanings.  It can be translated “word” or “logic / reason.”  Therefore, theology is nothing more than “thinking about God” or “speaking about God.”

Theology is for anyone who dares to think or speak about God.  Theology can be practiced in a classroom.  But, theology ought to be practiced anywhere and everywhere…At the breakfast table; in a coffee shop; driving to work or school; in a hospital room; in a Sunday School class; and in Sunday morning worship.

Today, we will take a theological look at sin and humanity.

1 John 2: 15 – 17

As Christians, one of our basic theological concepts is the idea of human sin and sinfulness.  In fact, this is the place where I usually start when I am talking to someone about how to become a Christian.  Since we often talk about Christianity in terms of “being saved,” we need to help people understand what they are being saved from.

Salvation always begins when a person is convicted (or convinced) that he or she has a sin problem.  If a child cannot understand what it means to sin, then that child is not ready to understand salvation.  If a person refuses to accept responsibility for their sinfulness, then that person is not ready to turn to Jesus as the answer to their sin problem. 

There are two ways we can talk about sin.  The best way I know to describe this is to distinguish between two different words—sins and sin.  Sins (plural, ending with an “s”) is the word we use to describe the individual sinful acts we commit.  Sins include intentionally breaking God’s commandments, passively refusing to do the things we know are right, and trying to do the right thing but missing the target.  Sin (singular, ending without an “s”) is the word we use to describe sinful human nature.  All human beings are both infected and affected by sin.  We have a desire to do what we know is right.  We have a desire to resist temptation and evil.  However, we find ourselves unable to live the way we want to live.

There are several ways we can describe this sin which affects all of us.  We use theological terms like “original sin” and “sin nature.”  These terms are derived from the story of creation in Genesis 1 – 3. 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  Then, God filled the heavens and earth with plants, animals and humans.  When God created the first humans, God  created them “in the image of God.”  They were to be God’s representatives in the created world and were given the responsibility to be caretakers over everything God had created.  Then, at the end of the creation story, God looked at all he had created and said, “It is good.”  Everything God created was good.  Everything was good until Genesis 3—the story of when sin entered into God’s good creation.

When the first man and woman sinned, three things changed drastically .  The relationship between God and humanity was broken.  The relationship between human beings was broken.  The relationship between humanity and the created universe was broken.  They began life in God’s good creation—Paradise.  Paradise was destroyed by human sin.  We do not live in a Paradise today.  All of our relationships are affected / influenced by sin.

Genesis 3 teaches us some important points about sin.  God did not create sin.  God looked at his creation and said, “It is good.”  When sin did enter into God’s good creation, sin left lasting and devastating consequences on everything that follows.  One of those lasting consequences is human sin nature.  We know what is right and good.  We desire what is right and good.  We simply do not have the natural ability to do what is right and good.

Some people might be tempted to accuse Christians of having a very low view of human life.  We know what is right and good.  We just cannot do what is right and good.  However, this is not a low view of human life.  This is the highest possible view of what it means to be human. 

Human beings have been created in the image of God but have fallen into sin.  Human life is higher than animal life but lower than God himself.  We are more than simply material beings.  Yet, we are less than God

God and the World

1 John 2: 15…Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

One of the first things that strikes me about this verse is the way it seems to contradict something the Bible says about God in John 3: 16.

John 3: 16… "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

I believe the Gospel of John and 1 John were written by the same person.  The books share several important themes and use a lot of the same theological language.  If this is true, then we may have encountered an irreconcilable contradiction.  However, further reading in the Gospel of John shows us that our author uses “world” two different ways.

John 16: 33…(Jesus said) "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

How can we make sense of “God so loved the world” and “Jesus has overcome the world?”  Apparently, “the world” can be used in two different ways.

In the first sense, God has loved world by demonstrating his love to all the people in the world.  God sent his Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the world.

In the second sense, Jesus has faced opposition in the world and anticipates that his followers will also face opposition in the world.  Jesus has overcome the world by overcoming worldly opposition.

John is teaching us that there is something about the world which is opposed to God and God’s love.  John does not actually use the word “sin” in this passage, but that is the underlying concept.  The world is opposed to God and God’s love for the world, because the world is sinful.  The world, which is the object of God’s love, stands in direct opposition to God.  The world has rejected the Creator and has chosen to worship created things instead.  In fact, the world is so sinful that many people actually refuse to acknowledge the sinful state they live in.

The Things of the World

1 John 2: 16…For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 

I read this from the New International Version.  If you are reading from a different translation, you may find this translated differently.  A more literal translation of this verse reads, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride / arrogance of life.”  This is a comprehensive list of everything that is wrong with the world.  These are the reasons we are supposed to resist the world and choose to love God instead of the world.

The lust of the flesh…  A very simple interpretation is human desire.  There are things that we desire because we are human.  These desires are not always sinful desires, but when they consume us they are corrupt.  For example, there is a difference between hunger and gluttony; there is a difference between the sexual desire of a married couple and sexual lust for someone else; and there is a difference between working for money to support your family and greed.

The lust of the eyes…  While the word “lust” appears in both of the first two descriptions of the world, I think we ought to emphasize lust in this instance.  There is a difference between lust and desire.  There is also a difference between your flesh / body and your eyes.  The difference is in how much it takes to satisfy.  Desire can be satisfied, and desire ends when it is satisfied.  Lust is never satisfied, just as the eyes are never satisfied.  Even when your stomach is full, your eyes continue to look at more food.  Even when your financial obligations are met, your eyes continue to lust greedily for more riches.

The pride / arrogance of life…  John has shifted from sin as desire to sin as possession.  The person who has finally attained everything the world claims is important boasts about all he or she possesses.  This is the arrogance of self-sufficiency…claiming that you have the ability to supply all your own needs and desires without God’s help.  This is glorifying yourself instead of glorifying God for your wealth, possessions and status in life.

An interesting way to read these three descriptions of the world is to compare them to what the first woman experienced in Genesis 3.  God told Adam and Eve they could eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden, except one.  They were not to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

Genesis 3: 6…When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 

The lust of the flesh => It was good for food.

The lust of the eyes => It was pleasing to the eye.

The arrogance of life => It was desirable for gaining wisdom.

Another interesting way to read John’s descriptions of the things of the world is to compare them to the temptation of Jesus in Luke 4: 1 – 12. 

The lust of the flesh => Turn these stones into bread.

The lust of the eyes => Everything you see can be yours.

The arrogance of life => Throw yourself off the Temple.

There is one big difference between what happened in the Garden of Eden and what happened in the temptations of Jesus.  Satan’s tricks worked on Adam and Eve.  They gave in to the temptation to eat the fruit, and the world was changed.  Satan’s tricks did not work on Jesus.  Jesus resisted temptation and continued to live a sinless and perfect life.

This tells me something very important about temptation.  Temptation is not the same thing as sin.  Jesus was tempted, yet Jesus resisted and lived a sinless life.  When Adam and Eve were tempted, they acted on that temptation.  They gave in.  They turned temptation into sinful actions.

Temptation is a reality we all face.  Temptation comes at us from many different sources…Television, the Internet, peer pressure, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, sometimes temptation finds us when we are in the right place at the right time…  Temptation does not come from God.  Temptation comes from the world.

People who are not Christians have no help to resist temptation.  They may recognize that they are being tempted to sin, but they do not have the strength to resist. 

Christians, however, do have help.  We do not have the strength to resist on our own, because we are still affected by sin.  But, God has promised his Holy Spirit to help us in all of our weaknesses.

The Holy Spirit is the only power strong enough to resist temptation.  God wants you to resist temptation and has provided you with the resource you need to resist.  In fact, every time you face temptation as a Christian, the Holy Spirit is right there with you to help you resist temptation.  The problem is we often resist the Holy Spirit and give in to temptation.  That is backwards.  Give in to the Holy Spirit—his prompting, his leading, his power.  Submit to the Holy Spirit so that you can resist temptation.

I do not want to seem simplistic…But the best way to stop resisting the Holy Spirit is to pray.  Pray when you are facing temptation that the Holy Spirit will lead you away from temptation.  Pray when you are not facing temptation that you will recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit when (not if) temptations come.

Conclusion: What Lasts Forever

1 John 2: 17…The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

John gives us two reasons to resist the world and to love God instead of the world.  First, the things of the world are sinful (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride / arrogance of life).  Second, the world, along with everything in the world, is temporary.

The things of the world are sinful.  The things of the world do not come from God.  The things of the world do not last forever.

The person who does the will of God lives forever. 

This should not be interpreted to indicate that “good works” are sufficient to give you eternal life.  Instead, it ought to be interpreted in light of what we know about God and God’s will for us.  God loved the people of the world so much that he sent his Only Son, Jesus.  Jesus provided the only remedy for our sin problem through his sacrificial death and Resurrection.  God demonstrated his love in the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus.  It is God’s will for you to place your faith in Jesus.  It is God’s will for you to receive God’s love.  It is God’s will for you to live by the power of the Holy Spirit.