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Commentary on "Sin"
Day 1: Sabbath Afternoon, May 2, 2009
The Week At A Glance on page 65 of the teachers quarterly states: “Sin, and the results of sin, are a painful reality in human life. Thank God for Jesus, who has made a way of escape for us all.” The lessons for this week do not explain how Jesus is the escape for the “painful reality in human life.”
Today's lesson is a short statement on the results of the Fall. The sins of mankind are often equated to sinfulness. “Sins” and “sinfulness” are two different things. The sins of mankind are the symptoms of the much deeper problem—mans sinful nature. (Only as our sinful nature has been dealt with in Christ can our sins be dealt with. The subject of “original sin” will be dealt with in the lesson for Tuesday, May 5th.). The words that are used to describe the sinfulness of the world include, “war,” “terrorism,” “havoc,” “icecaps are melting,” “crime,” “little, if any, ... moral improvement,” “atrocities,” and “moral decay.”
This week’s lesson begins with a verse from Romans, stating how sin came into the world and how righteousness came into the world.
Before we continue, please take a moment to read Romans chapter 5.
OK. Have you read Romans chapter 5? If you haven't, why don't you put this down and read it right now? We'll wait for you (we're not going anywhere without you!) This will be foundational for the remaining studies this week.
Issues
Romans 5:18 is quoted. Chapter five of Romans is an excellent study of the nature of sin, how it came into the world, its pervasiveness and how that sin has been dealt with (past tense) in Jesus Christ. Today's study does not deal with the issue of sinfulness. It only mentions the fact of the results of sin. Romans chapter five is a full treatise of how believers are reconciled to God through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There is nothing in Romans 5 to indicate that one's morality, being Christ-like or any other attribute allows us to be close to God, nor does it indicate that any of these attributes keep us from being reconciled to God.
Romans 5:10 says, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”
As the lesson progresses through the week, the issue of obedience will be a major theme. Our obedience, as it will be shown, is neither the means be which we are reconciled to God, nor is obedience the means by which God's righteousness will be displayed.
Summary
- Our sinfulness and our sins are two different things and should not be confused.
- We have been reconciled (past tense) to God in Christ Jesus. Pointing out the evils in this world and equating those evils with our separateness from God ignores the fact that we have been reconciled, irrespective of the presence of evil in this world.
- Romans chapter 5 is an amazing study of the sinfulness of humanity and the righteousness available in Jesus.
- Read Romans 5.
Copyright 2008 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised May 1, 2009. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.
Official Adventist Resources
Standard Edition Study Guide Week 6
Teacher's Edition Study Guide Week 6
Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Week 6
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