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Brush Up On Your Theology; 7. Hamartiology

by Dr. Henderson Ward  
9/28/2015 / Bible Studies

The concept of hamartiology in Christian theology has to do with the doctrine of sin and here it is presented under five headings as follows: Definition, Origin, Extent, Penalty and Remedy.

Definition

Hamartiology comes from the Greek word translated hamartia, "missing the mark, error" and logia, "study" and when combined is the study or science of the doctrine of sin.

Sin can be defined in a number of ways ranging from lawlessness, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4), to rebellion, "Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD." (Deuteronomy 9:7) to wickedness, "And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him." (Genesis 38:7)

It can also be defined as plain sin, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." (Psalm 51:4), iniquity, "For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not." (1 Samuel 3:13), to err, "But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment." (Isaiah 28:7)

This definition can also extend to wander away, "It shall be for the priests that are sanctified of the sons of Zadok; which have kept my charge, which went not astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray." (Ezekiel 48:11), all the way to guilt, "And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us." (Genesis 26:10), and godlessness, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18).

All of these are proper Biblical definitions of sin but restrictive and narrow and not interchangeable, so it is preferable to describe sin as "missing the mark" set by God, as shown here, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23), because this definition is applicable in all situations.

Origin

Sin originated with Satan, wholly and totally, when he, along with his angels, rebelled against God, "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." (2 Peter 2:4), "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." (Ezekiel 28:15).

This rebellion was the means by which Satan lusting for power through pride sought to overthrow God and was summarily dispatched, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." (Isaiah 14: 12-14).
The earthly origin of sin was when Satan, now on earth, in the form of the serpent tempted Adam to disobey God, and Adam, by so doing sinned, and from that moment introduced sin into humankind:
"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." (Genesis 3:1-6).
Extent

Through Adam all of humanity is corrupted by sin, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5: 12) and this corruption is pervasive and totally complete:

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5), "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6), "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" (Proverbs 20:9), "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23), "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

Every human being possess inherited sin from birth, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalm 51:5), "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." (Psalm 58:3) as well as imputed sin, "For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law." (Romans 5:13).

Every human commits sin personally because he is born with the sin principle, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8) and as a consequence it is right to say that the whole world resides in evil, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." (1 John 5:19). There is no exemption, none whatsoever and to deny this fact is willful blindness to spiritual reality, "There is no man that sinneth not" (1 Kings 8:46), and "There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

Penalty

Sin is a major offence against God and as a consequence the penalty is death. Sin and death are linked together and God warned Adam accordingly, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17).

This death is both physical, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23), "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4), "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5:12) and spiritual, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1), "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." (Ephesians 4:18).

The guilty sinner, try as he might, cannot escape God's justice, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27). Following this judgment, at the Great White Throne, will be eternal punishment in the lake of fire, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." (Matthew 25: 46), "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." (2 Thessalonians 1: 9), "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21: 8), and that is the final and ultimate penalty for sin.

Remedy

Expiation is the act or process of making satisfaction or atonement for a transgression and God, because of his nature, demands that sin be punished. Because of his compassion he has provided for the sinner's salvation in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Romans 3:24-26).

By accepting Jesus Christ through faith God forgives and pardons the sinner to remove guilt, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6:12), "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. " (Ephesians 4:32), "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1). Accepting Jesus Christ makes him right with God through justification, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." (Romans 8:33), "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21).

God reconciles the sinner to himself, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." (Romans 5:1, 10).

However the believer still has to live with the sin principle, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.(1 John 1: 9-10).

It is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that prevents sin from dominating his life as declares Romans 6:1-13, as the believer keeps trusting God and walking in the Spirit, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16).

The believer will from time to time commit sin; and when he does it brings chastisement, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." (Hebbrews 12:6).

Restoration is made through confession, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9), and if he is stedfast he will overcome and endure to the end through Christ, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." (James 1:12), "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Matthew 24:13)

Enough said.

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Dr. Henderson Ward received his Doctor of Divinity in theology, with distinction, from Masters International School of Divinity, USA, where he is currently a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ward's career involved pastoring, evangelism, and teaching. Copyright 2017

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