Alexis Bryan
Theo202-D14
August26,2016
TheResultsofSin-TheologicalEssay
Since the fall of mankind, everyone is born into a sinful nature. It is something that no
one can avoid which is why it is up to us to find refuge in Jesus.When we falter and sin, it has
seriousconsequencesandeffectsonourpersonalrelationshipwithChrist.Theresultsofsinhave
historical development, philosophical foundations, a biblical position, and inductive application
that should be put to use.
PhilosophicalFoundationsorPresumptions
Inordertohaveabiblicalconscienceandanalyzetheresultsofsin,onemustbelievethat heaven
and hell exists and that everyone falls short of Gods glory on a daily basis.Also it is important to
remember that God sent his son to live among us and die for our sins. Without
havingthesebeliefsinChrist,therewouldbenoreasontohaveaguiltyconscienceorconsiderit possible
for humans to do wrong.
Whenthinkingaboutthistopicandlookingattheresultsofsin,itisimportanttoconsider why
humans sin. In this world, temptation is our biggest downfall. It is what boosts our desire to sin.
God of course does not tempt anyone but he does put us through tests and trials to see what
decisions we will make.The downfall is when God tests us, Satan tries to turn it into temptation.
That is why it is up to us to stand firm in our relationship with Christ and resist that temptation.
Butinthesetimesoftrials,itisinevitableforChristianstogothroughgoodandeviltorealize for
themselves what the right thing to do is. These test and trials that God puts us through
becomes temptation when we disobeyand choose to blame God for this situation he has put us
in.We are given an example of a successful trial with Job in the OldTestament. God put Job
through a test of loss and hardship where Satan was constantly attacking him.All to see if Job
wouldstayfaithfulinhisloyaltytoGod.Thisisawonderfulexampleofahuman’sfaithfulness to Christ
after experiencing God’s test and Satan’s temptation (Job 1-2, NIV).
Whenconsideringtheresultsofsin,itisimportanttofindwherethesourceoftemptation comes
from. There are three sources of temptation that are pretty obvious and self-explanatory. The
first source is the world.As humans, we have a distinctive feeling to be accepted by people and
be a part of certain social groups. But most of the time the people we associate ourselves with
canaffect ourdecisions.This iswhere peerpressurecomes intoplayandwearetempted to do things in
order to be accepted by the world. The second source is the flesh.Alot of times humans are
tempted by their fleshly desires whether it be sex, drugs, etc. Being tempted by the flesh causes
us to miss God’s implementation for our lives. The third and last source of temptation is the
devil. If we let Satan and his followers have power over our lives, he can persuade us to give
into our temptations.
BiblicalEvaluation
According to Millard Erickson, “Sin becomes a habit or even an addiction. One sin leads
toanother”(Erickson,2001).Thebiblespecificallyliststheresultsofwhatwillhappenifwesin.
GivingintothetemptationofoursinwillcauseustofallfurtherandfurtherawayfromGoduntil weare
manenough toturnawayfromthat sin.Taking partin sinfulactivitiescan ultimatelylead to more
sinful lifestyle. Then eventually it can take over and cause you to become someone
unrecognizableeven toyourself.The storyofCainandAbleshedsalot oflight onthisparticular topic.
When Cain first committed the sin of murdering his brother, his first instinct was to lie to
God about knowing where his brother was. Most people tend to avoid the very important
statementinthebiblethattellsusthewagesofsinisultimatelydeath;otherwiseknownasflight of reality.
We get caught up in the excuses of “Oh it’s not that bad” or “God will forgive me.” And we
ultimately are digging a hole further and further away from the promises that God has
forus.Creatingexcusesandrelatingourresponsibilitytothelivesofothersisatruesignofhow deep our
sin goes, just like in Genesis 3:11 whenAdam put the blame on Eve. Self-deceit tends to be the
excuse we use to make us feel better about the sins we are committing. From self-
experience,itistruethatussinnersdisguisedashumansconstantlypointouteveryoneelse’ssin instead
of taking responsibility for our own. It is comforting and relieving to think that other people are
doing worse things that we are. But the bible tells us that all sin is of the same value. It is up to
us to take responsibility and put aside our pride and selfishness to address our sinful lifestyles
and take hold of the wonderful relationship God wants to have with us.
There are seven different life changing ways that sin can affect our relationship with
Christ.The first being divine disfavor.There was a time in the OldTestament where God talks
about how sinful Israel had become because of their wickedness and actions. He began to hate
them.AccordingtoMattSlick,“Godmustpunishthesinner,tosinistooffendGod’sCharacter”
(DoesGodHateAnyone,2014).ThesecondfactorthateffectsourrelationshipwithGodisguilt. This
isn’t speakingabout personalguilt,this isspeakingmore ontermsoffeelingguiltybecause we are
aware of our sins and are too afraid to face God because of shamefulness.The third most evident
result of sin is death. Romans 6:23 says, “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Death from sin is the ultimate result of sin. This isn’t just
speaking in a physical death sense but it is also speaking of an eternal death. This eternal death
relates to the last judgement. If we have spent our lives running from God and
intentionallytakingpartinsin,thenwewillexperienceaneternityawayfromGod.Thiswould be an
eternal death in hell.
HistoricalDevelopment
In theAncient Church (100AD- 590AD) times, Pelagius was a British monk and
theologian.AccordingtoPelagius,hebelievedthatifwechooseto,humanscouldeasilyobey Gods laws
without a problem. He came up with a “Heterodox theological system known as Pelagianism
emphasized the primacy of human effort in spiritual salvation” (Pelagius, 2013).
Duringthemedievalchurch(590-1517AD)times,“JohnCalvinwastheleadingFrench
Protestant Reformer and the most important figure in the second generation of the Protestant
Reformation” (John Calvin, 2013). In these same times, JamesArminius believed thatAdam gave
mankind a bad reputation and considered him the father of sin.
In today’s modern church (1648-present) many people debate between Calvinism and
Arminismbeingright.ThesearethebeliefsofJohnCalvinandJamesArminius.InRomans5we see
thatAdam was a bad example for human kind and that we have inherited his sinful nature.
“Therefore, justas sin entered the world through oneman, and death through sin, and in this was
death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12, NIV).
TheologicalFormulation
The five methods of theology are: philosophical presuppositions, biblical exegesis,
historical considerations, theological formulations, and practical applications.These are all used
to help us understand and see the results of sin in our spiritual and physical lives. Physical
presuppositionsgiveusasensitivitywhenthethoughtofsincomesup.Thebiblicalexplanations help us
to know what sin is and where it comes from when we read the bible. Historical
considerationsoftheresultsofsinhelpspeopletoseewhathashappenedinpasteventsoflifeso that
hopefully they can learn from those mistakes and not repeat history. Theological formulations
allow us to study different outlooks on sin and understand all of the viewpoints.
Lastofall,practicalapplicationallowsustotakeallofthesemethodandputthemtousethat way we do
not have to deal with the results of sin and have a better relationship with God.
PracticalApplication
Sin is very much a big deal in this world although a lot of times we try to dull it down.
Personally, studying this topic, I am reminded that I need to be more aware of my decisions and
whatsinIamtakingpartin.ManytimesinmylifeIfindmyselfcomparingmysintoothersand this is not
how a life should be led. Focusing on our relationships with Christ and making sure that we are
doing everything in faithfulness to bring Glory to his name is our ultimate goal. No matter the
circumstances, I refuse to let temptation rule my life and cause me to deal with the results of my
sin.
Sin is of course always going to be a part of our lives because we were born into a sin
nature. We are only human and we are going to slip up. This is why we need to make sure our
relationship with Christ stays strong and faithful to him because even in our times of mishap he
is very quick to be gracious and forgive us for our sins. If only we choose to repent and ask for
them.Another thing that I learned from this topic is that if we become shameful of our sin and
ouractions,thisonlycausesustopushGodfurtheraway.Insteadofturningawayfromhim,turn towards
him. He only wants what is best for us and is constantly there to pick us up when wefall.
Bibliography
-EditorsofEncyclopediaBritannica,“JohnCalvin,”EncyclopediaBritannica,LastModified December
9, 2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/90247/John-Calvin.
-EditorsofEncyclopediaBritannica,“Pelagius.”EncyclopediaBritannica,LastmodifiedMay5,
2013,AccessedAugust25,2016, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/449072/Pelagius.
-MillardErickson,IntroducingChristianDoctrine.(Michigan:BakerBookHouse,2001),193- 201.
-MattSlick,“DoesGodHateAnyone.”ChristianApologetics&ResearchMinistry.Last modified
2014, Accessed August 25, 2016,http://carm.org/does-god-hate-anyone.
