Three Sources of Sin
Three Sources of Sin
The World, the Sins of the Flesh, and the Sins of the Personality.
Seventy "sevens" are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. (Daniel 9:24)
Can you picture living in the new world of righteousness in which there is no sin?
Did you know that it is in God's mind to put an end to sin? In fact, the purpose of creating the Kingdom of God is to put an end to sin and to bring in everlasting righteousness.
What is sin? Sin is rebellion against God's will. It is behavior that does not agree with God's moral image.
There are three aspects of sin: the guilt of sin; the desire to sin; the practice of sin. Please do not confuse the three aspects of sin with the three sources of sin, which is a different subject.
It appears to me that Christian teaching is occupied primarily with the guilt of sin. "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" is interpreted as meaning "takes away the guilt of the sin of the world."
This is not surprising in that the Gospel is presented in the New Testament as being for the purpose of removing the guilt of our sin. There are passages that deal with the craving and practice of sin, particularly with the coming Day of Redemption. Still, the emphasis from the first century to the present day is on removing the guilt of our sin.
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
Actually, the reason God gives us His Spirit is so we can gain victory over sin.
It may be noted that the Spirit of God is beginning to speak today about the removing of the bondages of sin.
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. (Matthew 13:41)
It is understandable that forgiveness is a popular concept, in that the average person would like to please God if that is possible without too much inconvenience.
When God said, in Daniel 9:24, that He is going to put an end to sin, do you think God means that He is going to forgive all sin, or He is going to put an end to the desire and practice of sin? What is your answer to this question?
Put yourself in God's place. Which would be of greater benefit to God: to forgive all sin, or to remove the practice of sin?
Which would be of greater benefit to our fellow Christians: for God to forgive our sin, or to remove our sinning? How about when we are in Heaven?
Which would be of greater benefit to us: to forgive our sins, or to remove our desire to sin and our practice of sin?
Let's think for a moment about the Judgment Seat of Christ.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.(II Corinthians 5:10)
(I do not pretend to be a great expert on the subject of sin and am not dogmatic. I just wish to stir up our minds on the subject!)
The Apostle Paul made a major point about the sinful cravings that dwelled in his body.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:15-18)
Can you see that there are two wills working here? There is "I." And then there is "sin."
There is a "will" to sin dwelling within Paul. Where is this will located? Paul says it is dwelling in his flesh.
If it is a "will," then it is not an element or a chemical compound. After a long consideration of this subject, I have concluded that it is an intelligent spirit.
Paul was troubled with covetousness. There must have been an intelligent spirit of covetousness dwelling in Paul's flesh.
It was not coming from Paul's own spirit but from an alien spirit that somehow had found its way into Paul's flesh; unless by "flesh," Paul merely meant his body.
Where did this alien spirit come from? From Satan? Possibly. I have theorized that such sinful spirits may have come from deceased people who have been condemned by the Lord to wander in the earth, seeking always to satisfy their cravings.
Since I have no support in Scripture for my theory, I must default to Satan. I have a hard time with this default, however, because I am not certain Satan can share his personality with human beings; although he assuredly can inhabit people. And I do not believe these alien wills are angels.
When Jesus spoke to the possessed man of the Gerasenes, Jesus did not address Satan as such.
For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you impure spirit!" Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." (Mark 5:8,9)
That answer doesn't sound as though it is coming from Satan. It seems to me reasonable that if the spirits in the man were parts of Satan, then the name "Satan" would have been included in the conversation.
In any case, we all have these enemies dwelling in our flesh, and our body is spiritually dead because of them. (Romans 8:10)
Now, we did not request these visitors. So at the Judgment Seat of Christ, I do not see how Christ can condemn us for being inhabited and acting out from spirits that live in us and drive us against our will.
Next Part These spirits ought to be judged, and not us, I theorize!