What is Sin?

The purpose of this essay is to examine and explain what sin is its origin and consequences. 

Introduction

Sin, though we may not be able to clearly explain what it is, everyone has some idea about it. We know how it feels when we do something wrong. We didn’t want to do something but we still did it. People are conscious of their wrongdoing when they do it. They may not see it as sin. But, it does make them feel bad about it. Therefore, to some extent, everyone is conscious of sin.

Cultural understanding of sin

All cultures have norms and values set by the society in which we live that determine what sin is. Sin in Nepali is “paap” which is associated with an action or wrong done towards others or against other people’s practices. Right and wrong are defined differently by each culture based on a set of norms and values each culture has. In the context of Nepal, to kill a cow is immoral, wrong and sinful because it is considered as sacred and worshiped. This is the value based on the religious belief of the people of this country. Killing a cow is inconsistent with the values and belief system of society. Sin, therefore, we can say is an act committed against the deeply held values of the people of the society in which we live.

Similarly, what one culture thinks of what sin is may not be true to all cultures. For instance, it is permissible to eat beef in the western culture whereas it is not in the Nepali culture. What we think is right or wrong might not be true to everyone across cultures. Therefore, sin is largely understood according to the cultural norms and values each culture has. These values are either handed down and taught through the years or learned from our teachers.

What is Sin?

Everyone has their own definition of sin. I argued earlier that what one thinks is right may not be right to another. Based on where we live, the norms and values that we grew up with, sin is generally perceived as an act inconsistent with the set of the society in which we live.

However, this understanding is not enough why people sin in the first place. It does not tell us what’s wrong with the people who commit murder and rape. There is a deeper issue with the human heart and about why people do heneious acts which none of the religious books or any textbooks explains clearly. Only the Bible has a proper and reasonable explanation of the origin and the problem of sin.

Definition of Sin

Sin in Hebrew Katha and Greek “Hamartia” which simply means to fail or miss the goal or mark. To help us understand, we can think of an example of a bow, arrow and a target. Our aim or goal is to shoot at a target. To miss the target means to miss the goal or miss the mark. 

But what is the goal or the mark which has been missed? The Bible provides an insight into the idea of sin and what really happened in human history.

The Origin of Sin

Creation

In the Bible, when we study the book of Genesis (the beginning, Origin), we find a story of God’s creation of everything. God created everything (the sun, moon and stars, every living animal of its kind, the earth and universe and everything in it) in six days (Gen 1).

 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good (Gen 1:24-25).

On the sixth day, God finished his work and on this day he also created human beings. There is something interesting about the creation of human beings. Unlike other animals and created things, when he created man, God said:

“Let us make mankind in our image (representation), in our likeness, so that they may rule over (authority) the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Gen 1:26-28).

God created humans distinct from other creations and with a purpose.

Two things very important to note from these verses. Firstly, God created human beings in his own image and likeness. There is something in us that represents God. It does not mean that we are like God or God is like us in the human sense, but we are like God in our being.

Secondly, God made us with a purpose and the purpose is to rule over his creation. Not to exploit it but to look after as he would take care of it (Gen 2:15). And the way to rule God’s creation is to obey his command (Gen 2:16). 

The Fall of Mankind

Since the very beginning, humanity’s biggest mistake is the inclination of the human heart to disobey God. God gave a simple command to Adam, the first human being, to obey him with a consequence of the disobedience:

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die (Gen 2:16-17).

Adam was to take God seriously and obey him. The command was simple: the choice to do or not to do.

But instead of taking God seriously at his word and what he said, they listened to Satan (the adversary/trouble-maker). God did pronounce consequence of what will happen if they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because he knows what’s best for humans. Nonetheless, they chose to disobey God by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree and the consequence of it is devastating. Instead of what they thought would happen after they eat the fruit, things happened beyond conceivable. Sin entered into their hearts. Their eyes are opened, and they are naked (3:7). First time in their life, they now are ashamed because they are naked and are trying to cover their shame. But their effort didn’t work. God had to clothe them (3:21).

The rest is history. God pronounced judgment upon the woman and the man and gradually things become not so pleasant and nice after the fall (Gen 3:14-19).

The consequence of sin continues to take its toll (harm/damage). As we keep reading the book of Genesis, we find the story of Cain and Abel where Cain kills Abel (Gen 4:3-7). Here we see Cain failed to do what is right. Therefore, sin is failing to do what is right in the sight of God as he intends.  As the biblical story progresses, God is dealing with sinful people and their sins throughout history.

Sin Corrupts the Core of our Being

Sin is not just about what we do. It is in the core of our being that corrupts the original purpose God has for humanity in creation. The fall affects every part of our life. Therefore, sin is both an attitude and action.

It’s helpful to look at a few biblical texts to understand what it means to sin in our attitude and with our action.

Sin, most of us tend to think that it is about being a bad person. If we do good to others, we are generally seen as good people. When we do something that hurts others, we are considered as bad people. But sin is deeper and broader than we think. Sin at its heart has two aspects to it.   

Firstly, sin begins with our attitude. Attitude is defined as a ‘way of thinking or way of looking at things’ (An online dictionary definition). When someone thinks about stealing in their mind, it does not spring up in a moment. The thought of stealing has conceived way before actually committing it.

If sin is an attitude even a thought of stealing is sin whether it has been committed or not. It may not be a big sin like killing someone. But it still is a sin. No one commits a crime (stealing) without thinking twice about it. Therefore, sin is a process that results in more serious sins, like rape and murder as it grows. This is the point of James 1:15 where he says, “after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death”.

A classic example of how sin works in the Bible is the event of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). David, one evening is roaming around while everyone has gone to the war. As he is out, he sees (an attitude) a woman bathing. And then he asks someone to find out (action) who she is. Then he asks to get her and sleeps with her. David did not sleep with the woman when he saw her. But there is a process of sinning which starts with his attitude towards her. Similarly, Exodus 20:17 “do not covet” because it is a sin which starts with our attitude.

Secondly, sin is also an action. Breaking the law of God requires action on human’s part which results in death (Rom 6:21). When God gave ten commandments, he asked people to keep and obey it. Disobeying God would be breaking the commandments which God gave them. That’s why the commandments read, “do not murder” and “do not steal” (Ex 20:13; 15). Both of the commandments result in action when they are committed. Therefore, sin is not just about what we see. It flows deep down in our hearts which is reflected in our action.

Sin is committed against God

We might feel bad when we sin. Doing bad or saying things that hurt other people can make us feel guilty about it. Nevertheless, we continue to do it. Why? 

Sin is in our human nature which affects everything we do. At the core of the human problem, we’ve alienated from God. Therefore, when we sin it affects God as beings created in his own image. 

In the book of Psalm, this very idea of fallen human condition and nature are clearly reflected. The man, David, who wrote this Psalm knew the condition of his own heart. He says to God, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Ps 51:4). It makes sense what he is saying as we think of what he did with Bathsheba. Although David’s actions were human-centered, he knows deep down in his heart what he has done is something wrong against God.

John tells us that “everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Sin is breaking the law (command) of God which he established in the garden of Eden. The law was given not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16). Sin was already there before the fall. If evil is a sin, it existed even before the fall. The consequence of disobeying the law of God would result in death (Gen 2:17). That’s what happened after the disobedience of human beings. Therefore, sin is the breaking of the law of God.

The Consequence of Sin

Guilty (Gen 3)

Before the fall, people did not have any guilt in them. They didn’t have a sense of what guilt is. They were innocent. They didn’t even know that they were naked. They have a perfect life without any problem. But after the fall, sin exposed their guilt and they know that they have done something wrong and felt guilty about it. That’s why they start to blame each other (3:11-13). 

Shame

After the fall, sin entered into the world. The sin caused their eyes to be opened. But unfortunately, it didn’t happen as they expected (3:4-6). Instead of the desire to be like God, it brought shame (3:7). They now know that they are naked and ashamed of it.  

Spiritual and physical death

Before the fall, they don’t have a sense of what death is. There is, in fact, no death recorded and they could live forever. It’s a perfect picture of what it looks like to be in the presence of God. But after the fall, they are spiritually dead instantly – they could see that they were naked. And later physical death reigned. The book of Romans says that the wages of sin are death (Rom 3:23).

Broken relationship

Due to sin and disobedience, the relationship with God and each other have been broken. There are conflict and confrontation instead of peace and prosperity. God is searching for a man, man is hiding from God, man blaming the man and the pain and suffering are some of the consequences of the fall.

This all looks quite bad. We all can see ourselves in the story of the fall. But this is not the end of the story. The Bible tells us of an amazing story of God’s salvation plan to save sinners in Jesus Christ by sending him to the cross to die for our sins. In the next study, we’ll look at the “Salvation Plan of God”.

Questions for reflection:

Q. What is a sin? How does it affect our lives and the world in which we live? 

By Samuel Budhathoki, CGF

Our battle

 “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverb 4:23) A mind is our source of life which governs our action. The thought makes action and a habit makes a character. Our outer living comes from inner living. The reaction of inside occurs in outside. If we could control our mind in God’s way, we can control life in God’s way. The things happening around affect our inner being and inner being controls our way of living. What is affecting our inner being?

The thinking, ideas arise in our mind is not good at most of the time. Our mind is corrupted by Sin. The things of the world and worldly knowledge mostly influence our mind. We can’t trust our mind. Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all and desperately sick who can understand it? Rick Warren said “We have an amazing ability to lie to ourselves. You do it all the time.” However, the bible says “We have given the mind of Christ and in him, all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge hidden.” (1 Corinthian 2:16, Colossians 2:3) Mostly we don’t come in understanding that Christ is the source of everything and the life which we live is influenced by God or devil. We are flowing like the wind but don’t know where we are flowing. We should check ourselves what is affecting our mind, is it God or Devil? Christ must be our influencer to live a victorious life. He must be the centre of mind and life. In Old Testament Joshua was instructed to meditate on God’s law for then he shall have prosperous and good success. Until and unless we are truly convinced that we are having a sinful corrupted mind, we are not seeking the mind of Christ and we are not winning the battle. Yes, there is always a battle in our mind. Before every action and decision, there is conflict in mind. We are in a spiritual war in the material world. As we stand on God side many challenges and obstacles come to us. We should be prepared to tackle every attack of Satan. Are we standing with God or with the world? Jesus said those who are not with me, are against him. What is the source of our life? What is happening in our mind? What are the armours of our battle? Which side are we walking?

Let’s study on some verses  
³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) 

We are walking in flesh or in a way of indwelling human sinful nature. We are in a war and we are fighting with a divine weapon. The enemies were using the arguments, false knowledge to demolish knowledge of god and captivate people against God. God has given us the armour of divine power which can demolish everything stands against God. We have to invade all arguments, principles, and thoughts which try to provoke against God and lead in a way contrary to God. The mind has to be full of the knowledge of God to demolish false knowledge and live life accordingly. We do not war against flesh, we do not work against flesh and we do not have a physical weapon as well. We have divine power as a weapon. The power of spirit received through Christ Jesus. The war is to pull down strongholds the opinions and argument against God lived in flesh. The war is to put all that arguments and opinion under the knowledge of god and captivate to obey Christ. All have to put under God’s knowledge and it can be achieved only by knowledge of god work through Holy Spirit. If we could control the inner being then we could control outer being the flesh, thus here the war is against inside not of outside; the inside conversion appears outwardly. In order to overcome the war and captivate thought under god, there is a requirement of divine power and knowledge of God, which determines things against God and captivate under the will of God.

There is a requirement of desire or dedication to stand against the strongholds.  The first step to captivate the thought against God is the willingness to participate in this war. Those who do not have a desire and who do not understand it, he/she are not eligible to stand in this war. Those who have accepted Christ their saviour, they are of god and they are not working anymore but Christ lived in him. I have died with Christ in a cross and the life which I live in is not of mine but by faith in Christ Jesus who loves me and died for me. The life has to live according to Christ because our life is hidden in Christ Jesus. Those who are not with me are against me. Those who love me will follow my commandments. In this world, you will have trouble, but take courage! I have overcome the world. (Galatians 2:20, Colossian 3:3, Mathew 12:30, John 14:15, 16:33) As observing these verses and battlefield, we should have to observe the foundation of faith, a commitment of baptism in Christ. The motivation to participate in the side of Christ to defend the principalities, theories, and pattern of this world is the understanding and willful participation to stand in Christ for war. I love the verse Colossian 3:1” if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is”. If we are baptized in him and committed in him then we are motivated to seek Christ knowledge and stand to defeat things against him. Some believer had a mistaken notion that salvation marks the end of serious temptation while serious disciples soon learn the reality.

The Christ is the way, truth, and life. The only option for humankind to overcome battlefield is the Christ. In him, all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge is hidden. We often lose a battle and depress inwardly. I think the victory of evil is to suppress the faith we have in Christ; the faith to live and win the world. Be encouraged because I have overcome the world. Everything is possible for one who believes. The faith will come by listening word of Christ. Those who come to Christ must have faith God exist and he will reward them who earnestly seek him. It is not possible to please without faith. (John 16:33, Mark 9:23, Roman 10:17, Hebrew 11:6 ) The faith in Christ, seeking his word in every struggle is a way to overcome the battlefield.

The tools of the opponent are arguments, pretensions, and strongholds, which are against God. The determination and identification of these false strongholds in our lives is the initial part of this war. I often consider that our life is flowing in its own way and we are unaware of the things happening around us. We are walking through certain philosophies, principles, and knowledge. The way of living or our daily activities are directly controlled by what we listen to, where we spend our time and what we see; and these affect our mind and our living. The life that we live is by faith in Jesus Christ and the life we got by faith is a life of branches, which is grafted with a true vine the Jesus Christ. (Galatians 2:20, John 15) Every resource of a branch is to be tested and transferred through a vine trunk i.e. Jesus Christ. Therefore, considering these truths, rather than finding and identifying the false principles, philosophies, and knowledge of this world we should have an attitude of checking everything with the knowledge of God before accepting and applying in our lives. It means we are to be ready with the knowledge of God and attentive attitude to check the things happening around us. Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall because evil one who is against you walking around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1Corinthian 10:12, 1Peter 5:8)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

The carrying and equipping with all the armours are the inevitable work of the believer. We should be proactive. We should not start to learn and work when the struggle/temptation encountered. Generally we don’t have an attitude of proactive or pre-learning; however, we start to learn after an encounter with a problem. The discipline is something to do regularly in order to preserve or prepare the future. Discipline is a determination to put every effort to obey God. The reason assigned why the Christian should be completely armed is that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and to stand firm in bad days. In order to captivate the strongholds, principalities, and thoughts against God, we must have the principalities, thought and wisdom of God. The duty after transferring weary and burden to Christ is to carry his yoke and learn from him. (2 Corinthian10:5, Mathew 11:28-29) This armour is prepared for us, but we must put on, that means, we must pray for grace, we must use the grace given us, and draw it out into act and exercise as there is occasion. The armour is of God and he will prepare and bestows us. We should agree with him and ready to carry his armour. Paul suggests putting on the armour.

The girdle is a vital one to keep the entire amour. It is here presented initially. The whole armour is girded by the truth. The connector or strength of keeping all the armour is the truth. The truth is the foundation of Christian life; everything has to be tested and accepted. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is the truth. (John 17:17) The truth will set us free by keeping armour and defeating devil ideas.

The breastplate covers human heart/lung or so-called vital organ of the body which keeps the body alive by circulating oxygenated blood throughout the body. The soldier keeps breastplate because the injury of these vital organs can easily or rapidly lead to death. They are like a sensitive or main part of the body. The righteousness of Christ is the only things that can keep human safe in this evil society. They try to hit our heart but the righteousness of God can save us. The breastplate of righteous has given to a soldier. Above all things seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. (Mathew 6:33) We received righteousness as a gift by faith in Christ.

The shoe of reconciliation is a part of work to accomplish. Though we are in battle, we have to step with the gospel to overcome areas. In battle, the leg is an essential part and shoe is a vital one to protect it when the land is difficult. The war we are moving is not possible without wearing shoe. The shoes protect and strengthen and made capable the soldier to take part in a war. The war is not possible for a soldier without a shoe. As the righteousness of breastplate protects the life of believers, the gospel of peace makes them capable to move ahead; without which we can’t or not allowed to move in this rough veiled threat of this world. The gospel is to be carried in every motion of Christian living; it should go along wherever soldier directs by God. The good news of the Kingdom of God means Jesus Christ the King, his grace and his plan of salvation for all humankind. This plan gives us peace now and will bring peace to the whole world. This is the message God's people are eager to share with others. Christians are the warrior of peace in the world. Without breastplate of righteousness, the soldier cannot survive and without shoe of the gospel, a soldier cannot stand and move.

Additionally or above all in some translation bear the shield of faith. The faith is the ultimate and superior to protect wearing armour and to demolish the fiery darts or flaming arrows of evil. It is the duty of a soldier to carry the shield and, evil to through flaming arrow which has the potential to burn and destroy armour as well as the soldier. However, our faith is superior overall to protect and extinguish a flame. If we have kept oneself under the faith of God, then nothing can destroy us. You are saved by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8)

The hat of a soldier is salvation. The identity or something notable or superior thing of a soldier is salvation which appears to surround people at distance as well. The head or mind is an intellectual asset of a body. Satan always wants to distract and destroy from the truth of salvation received through Christ by their logic, theories, and principalities. The thoughts, theories, and questions may arise to disobey God but the salvation assures all agonies under satisfaction. The hat of salvation has to be worn all the time. Salvation is to be carried, is an ongoing thing. It is daily protection and deliverance from our sin nature and Satan’s schemes. Our mind has to be kept safe under Christ salvation. The Roman helmet protects heads and also protects the eyes and ear part. We must learn to keep our helmet buckled so that fiery missiles do not lodge in our thoughts and set us on fire. Through helmet of salvation, we can destroy arguments and every lofty opinion rose against the knowledge of God and takes every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) If the helmet or the head get injured, then the soldier can’t able to use other armour or simply paralyzed him.

The sword is used only to combat close opponents and save oneself in a battle. The armour of soldier to invade opponents is Holy Spirit the word of God. The power Jesus promised to a believer is the Holy Spirit who counsels and teaches to understand and use rationally word of God against the power of the devil. Holy Spirit strengthens us to use word of god which is alive and able to protect soldier and win the war. The skill of using a sword is to be learned, not comes instantly. We have to know and understand a word of God in the guidance of spirit to be capable of using it effectively and demolish devil and their power. It is a responsibility of soldier to use word of God when something wrong occurs in our life against the thought and knowledge of God. It may be counsel, opinion, principal, and theories. (2 Corinthian 10:3-5) In the same way, Jesus overcame Satan’s counsel in the wilderness immediately after baptism. To be in Holy Spirit and to walk and train oneself according to spirit is the vital task of a soldier; otherwise, the soldier failed to use sword correctly and he may die. These are the armour of God and his soldier. The soldier having this armour can overcome the devil and their wiles.

Paul instructs at the end to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Additionally, request to be alert and keep on praying for the entire Lord’s people. Prayer is a continuous communication with the commander. The soldier action is completely under the commander. There must be an unceasing sharing of everything of a battlefield to receive support and direction in every condition to win the battle. As the attentive communication between soldier and commander is indeed in a war, we must have such attentive and close connection to God through prayer, bible study and quiet time. It must be a discipline. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. (2 Timothy 2:4)  

Satan is very intelligent, powerful. He can deceive easily by his schemes, wiles, theories, principles, and arguments. We often found several concepts and logic in this world. The winning of the battle is only by the godly ability, the spiritual intelligence, not by human own ability and techniques. We should grow in godly knowledge, thought and principles whose foundation is faith in the truth of Christ. The example of Luke 11:21 to 23 depicts that the possessions are safe if guarded by the stronger army, we must secure oneself by God’s armour. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:12) Jesus said those who are not with me, they are against me. (Mathew 12:30) If we are with God and want to preserve oneself for eternity, then we have to stand in his side, with his armour and walk according to him. We are his warrior and we can only win the battle by his wisdom and power.

See more

The Christian life and its warfare

Battlefield of the Mind Part 1 : Prepare Your Mind

The Battle for Your Mind

How to Win the War for Your Mind

Put on the Armour of God

What is the sword of the Spirit?

What is the helmet of salvation 
Armour of God Series 

By

Rajeev Shrestha, Pharmacist, CGF 

Jesus and the storm

Luke 8:22-25

Nature has its course

I have seen the danger of being out in the sea and the storm and danger it posed. The squall can be extraordinarily dangerous and fearful even just to watch it. Though the disciples had some experience of the raging waters, this was too dangerous for them to be afraid of.

The story begins with Jesus wanting to go to the other side of the lake and they got on a boat. As they got out to the lake, in a few minutes the boat is caught up in raging water and dangerous wind which threatened to drown them. And, Jesus is sleeping as if nothing has happened. The disciples are afraid and woke Jesus up saying, “master, master we are going to drawn”! Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind and storm and suddenly there is calmness in nature.

There is a calmness in the presence of God

The dangers

There are lots of things that can cause us to be afraid of: uncertain future, family problems, parting ways with friends, the thought of being jobless, not being able to find a husband or wife, the possibility of losing our loved ones through death and many others.

Things are under control in God

In the middle of fear in life, there is a sense of calmness if we know that God is with us. The disciples should have understood that the God of the universe who created the heavens and the earth was with them. But they failed to trust completely in Jesus at the time of calamity and the real danger. Their fear shows the humanness on their part and they needed Jesus to save them in their desperation. They could not save themselves without his help. We can also look to him when we feel there is a danger ahead of us.

Fear and amazement

When we understand who Jesus is: the creator, the most powerful of all and has the authority over the creation, it should like the disciples, cause us to fear him and be amazed at what has done. We have been rescued and set free from the imprisonment of our own sins. When we were still sinners, Christ died for us. There is nothing we can do to be saved. We are saved purely by his grace through faith. This should lead us to humble ourselves and live the life free of fear.

Reflect

What are some of the dangers that can come upon us as we live a Christian life? How can we overcome them?

Samuel Budhathoki, CGF

(Also available in his personal blog: Words of hope)

Sin A Disease, Its Symptoms and Its Cure

One does not necessarily have to live very long to discover that there is something wrong with people. Some unfortunate children discover it all too soon, when parents, whom they had a right to expect to be always kind and loving, act unreasonably, lose their tempers and mistreat them. They will later discover that this ‘something wrong’ is not confined to their parents and family: in differing forms, and in greater or lesser degree, there is something wrong with everybody.History shows that this ‘something wrong’ has been endemic in international relationships in all ages without exception; and still today, in spite of huge, beneficial advancements in every kind of science and technology, it reveals itself in monstrously irrational behavior. If only the nations could trust each other and cooperate instead of competing in the development of the earth’s resources, they could turn the world into a paradise. Deserts could be made fruitful; poverty, famine, and epidemics eliminated; and everybody’s welfare and lifespan increased. But no, nations do not, and cannot, trust each other; and in consequence oceans of money, time, and energy are spent on ever more sophisticated weapons of destruction.

But it is not only nations that behave irrationally. We all do. You do, I do. Sooner or later, in spite of all our resolutions and good intentions, we have to admit, as Paul put it centuries ago, ‘For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing’ (Rom 7:19).

What then is wrong with us? What is this universal disease from which we all suffer? The ancient Greek tragedians, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, studied its symptoms and tried to probe its causes. So did the ancient philosophers, and so do modern ones. And so have liter.ary giants from every continent. It is certain that we shall never truly understand ourselves or the world we live in unless we face this disease realistically. The Bible confidently and joyously insists that we can find continuing and increasing deliverance from it, and it calls this deliverance salvation. But we shall not grasp what salva.tion means, or how it works unless we first understand the biblical term for the disease.

That term is ‘sin’. To help us understand it, let us use the analogy of physical disease. Medical personnel must distinguish between the symptoms of the disease itself and the root cause of the disease. For if one is going to achieve a cure, it is no good just suppressing the symptoms without getting rid of the disease. And there is no hope of that unless one can attack the root-cause and eliminate it.

Take jaundice, for example, which, strictly speaking, is not a disease but an outward symptom of some internal disorder, such as gallstones, or a cancer of the pancreas, etc. Clearly, it would be no use trying to get rid of jaundice, if one did not get at the underlying cause.

Specific symptoms of sin

The New Testament gives us various lists of the symptoms of sin, and normally adds a warning about the gravity of these symptoms. Here is one list:

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19–21)

Here is another, which gives a gruesome description of the symptoms that can occur when the disease of sin is in an advanced stage: as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’

‘Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.’

‘The venom of asps is under their lips.’

‘Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.’

‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.’

‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ (Rom 3:10–18)

None of these lists implies, of course, that all the symp.toms are to be found in equal proportions in everybody. On the other hand, the New Testament insists that everybody shows some symptoms, for the disease is universal.

General symptoms of sin

Then there are what may be called more general symptoms. One of these is a moral weakness. ‘For while we were still weak. .’ (Rom 5:6).

As an example, we may take Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, who was responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Matt 27:11–26; Luke 23:1–25; John 18:28–19:16). He was the last man you would have suspected of being weak. He was a high-ranking soldier, the officer in command of the Roman army in Judaea; and he was also responsible for law and order in the country.

Outwardly, Pilate was like a great beam of wood that on the surface looks solid and strong, but inside it has been eaten away by wood-worm; and when you put pressure on it, it collapses.

When he talked with Jesus in private and became aware of the reality of God and of the enormous sin it would be if he crucified the innocent Son of God, he decided he must do what he knew to be right and release Jesus (John 19:8–12). But when he went outside, the crowd shouted menacingly and their leaders blackmailed him, threatening to slander him to the Roman emperor. And Pilate caved in. Though he knew that what he was about to do was a criminal betrayal of justice, fear destroyed his resistance and out of fear he sentenced Jesus to be crucified.

This leads us to ask: have we never told a lie out of fear of what the consequences would be if we told the truth? Have we never done something that we knew to be wrong, because the group to which we belonged insisted on doing it, and we were afraid to stand against the group?

Another general symptom of sin is ungodliness:

Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. (1 Tim 1:9–11)

The original Greek word here translated ‘ungodly’ means ‘people who have no respect or reverence’. The one for whom they have no respect or reverence is, in the first place, God. But it does not stop there. Man is made in the image of God; and when people lose respect and rever.ence for the Creator, they begin to devalue his creature, man. They lose respect for the sanctity of the human body—their own and other people’s. This spawns the large and ugly brood of sexual sins, abuse of alcohol and drugs which injure the physical health and enfeeble the mind. They lose respect for the sanctity of truth. Hence all kinds of lies, deceptions, and broken promises. In the end, they lose respect for the sanctity of life. Hence the endless crimes of violence.

Alienation and Enmity against God is another symptom: ‘the mind of the flesh is enmity against God’ (Rom 8:7); ‘and you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works’ (Col 1:21 ).

Large-scale examples of this particular symptom have been all too evident throughout the past century and right up to the present day. The governments in many countries have used all their power in an attempt to systematically blot out all belief in God and Christ. But enmity against God is not confined to outright atheists. Sometimes, even outwardly religious people can at heart be enemies of God. The Christian apostle, Paul, was always very religious; but he was a bitter enemy of Jesus Christ before he was converted (1 Tim 1:12–17).

The fact is that there is a rebel against God in the heart of every one of us. When God commands us in the Bible to do something or not to do something, his very command often stirs up resentment inside us and makes us want to do the very opposite. The Apostle Paul cites an example from his own experience (Rom 7:5, 7–9). For some years he lived unaware of God’s commandment ‘You shall not covet’. But then God brought this command home to his heart; and Paul found that this very commandment stirred up all kinds of coveting in his heart that, struggle as he might, he could not control—and what is more, deep down within him, did not altogether want to control.

Of course, this basic enmity against God does not necessarily, or often, express itself as open hostility to God. More often it takes the form of indifference.

Now if someone says, ‘I’m just not interested in music or art’, we may think it is a pity; but we do not get upset about it, for it is only a matter of taste. But if a woman says ‘I’m just not interested in my husband’, it is tragic; for it is clear evidence that she is alienated from her hus.band. Love has been destroyed. And if someone says, ‘I’m just not interested in God’, this is supremely tragic. We owe our very existence to God. Not to be interested in him is an unmistakable symptom that, somewhere along the line, serious alienation from God has taken place.

These, then, are some of the symptoms. But the underlying disease involves a desire to be independent of God our Creator. According to the Bible (Gen 3), the very first sin which mankind committed was not something crude and lurid like murder or immorality. It occurred when Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil to grasp at the independence of God so as to decide by themselves what was good and what was evil. They imagined that they could safely be their own god. So they took the forbidden fruit. It led at once to alienation from God and a sense of guilt and shame which made them want to run away and hide from God, whom they now felt to be against them. We have all followed them down that path of disobedience and independence. But to live like that is to live an untruth, an unreality. We did not create ourselves. We are creatures of God. To live alienated and independent of him is contrary to the fundamental law of our existence.

And so the New Testament says that sin is lawlessness:

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4) Now we know what dangers we would run if we dis.regarded the Creator’s physical laws, like, for example, the laws of electricity. Suppose a man buys an electric light but makes no attempt to read or follow the manufactur.er’s instructions. He wires it up as he himself thinks best. As a result, he electrocutes himself. We should scarcely pity him: we should call him a fool for neglecting the maker’s instructions and taking no notice of the laws of electricity. Similarly, fundamental neglect of, and disobedience to, the Creator’s moral and spiritual laws must lead to moral and spiritual disaster. It is the root cause of all sin’s many symptoms.

The remarkable thing is that, according to the Bible, there is a cure. ‘The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ (1 Tim 1:15). ‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.’ (John 3:17). The following chapters, therefore, will study the terms which the New Testament uses to describe this salvation and how it works.

But there are two things we should notice at once. Many people think that the way to be saved is to do our best to cut out the symptoms of sin in our lives. That is a good enough thing in itself to do, but it cannot save us. You may cut every apple off an apple tree, but the tree is still an apple tree. That is its inward nature. So even if we could suppress every symptom of sin, we should still have a sinful nature within us. And that, says the New Testament, is not our fault. We were born that way. We inherited a fallen sinful nature from our first parent, Adam. But in a similar way we can, if we will receive from Christ his unfallen, holy life, the nature of which is to live a life pleasing to God. ‘For through one man’s [Adam’s] disobedience the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one [Christ] shall the many be made righteous’ (Rom 5:19 own trans.).

And the second thing to notice is this: God loves us while we are still sinners. This is the secret why God’s sal.vation is so practical and actually works. We do not have to improve ourselves before God is prepared to accept us and begin his great work of salvation within us. He loves us and is prepared to accept us as we are. This is the burden of the argument in Romans 5:6–11, a passage any person who is serious about the problem of sin should think through rigorously.

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Selective issues and their responses taken from a book named-‘The Big Book of Bible Answers’ whose author is Ron Rhodes.

Is there any merit to the so-called “gap theory” regarding God’s work of creation (Genesis 1:1-2)?

The gap theory teaches that there was an original creation (Genesis 1:1) and that as a result of Lucifer’s rebellion and fall, the earth became chaos. The picture of formlessness, emptiness, and darkness in Genesis 1:2 is allegedly a picture of divine judgment, for God could not have originally created the earth this way. Millions of years are said to have taken place between verses 1 and 2.

The gap theory has a number of problems. For one thing, the grammar of Genesis 1:1-2 does not allow for a gap. Verse 1 is an independent clause, and verse 2 is composed of three circumstantial clauses (explaining the condition of or circumstances on the earth when God began to create). There is no break between verses 1 and 2. Grammatically, then, the gap theory just doesn’t fit.

The gap theory also depends on the idea that the initial formlessness of the universe is an indication of evil or judgment. However, the contexts of Job 26:7 and Isaiah 45:18 (cross-references to the Genesis creation account) do not support this idea. Gap theorists also draw an artificial distinction between the Hebrew verbs bara’ (which they define as “create out of nothing”—Genesis 1:1) and ‘asah (which they define as “refashion”—Genesis 1:7,16,25). A careful study of these two verbs reveals that they are used interchangeably—the word ‘asah does not mean “refashion.” Because of these and other factors, I do not give much credence to the gap theory.

Were the days mentioned in the creation account literal 24-hour days (Genesis 1:3—2:3)?

Some theologians believe the days in the creation account were simply revelatory days—that is, they were days during which God revealed the creation scene to Moses. (Exodus 20:11, however, clearly contradicts this view.) Other theologians believe each day in the creation account represents an age. Justification for this view is found in Joel 2:31, which portrays a day as a long period of time. Others believe the days in Genesis are literal solar days, but they say each day was separated by a huge time gap. This allegedly accounts for the apparent long geological ages that science has discovered. Finally, some theologians believe the days of Genesis are literal solar days with no time gap between them. This is my view. In support of this latter view, the Genesis account makes reference to evening and morning, indicating that literal days are meant (Genesis 1:5). Further, we read that God created the sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night, thus indicating solar days (verse 16). Solar days also seem to be implied in Exodus 20:11 where we are told that “in six days the Lord made heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.” Moreover, Hebrew scholars tell us that whenever a number is used with the Hebrew word for day (yom), it always refers to a literal solar day (no exceptions). Since God is said to have created the universe in six days, literal solar days must be meant.

Are the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis 6:2 evil angels?

This is a much-debated issue. A common view is that some evil angels cohabited with human women. Supporting this position, the Septuagint manuscripts (that is, manuscripts of an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) have the phrase “angels of God” instead of “sons of God.” This reveals that some of the early Jews understood this phrase to be referring to angels. Also, the Hebrew phrase for “sons of God” (or, more literally, “sons of Elohim”) is a phrase that always refers to angels when used elsewhere in the Old Testament (see Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7).

The “evil angel” interpretation of Genesis 6 may give us a clue as to why some angels are presently bound in prison and others are not (2 Peter 2:4). Some people argue that if the holy angels can appear as human beings and even participate in eating meals and doing good deeds (Genesis 18; Hebrews 13:2), is it not possible that at one time some fallen angels took on a human appearance and engaged in evil deeds?

If the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2 were not evil angels, then who could they have been?

Many interpreters believe that some fallen angels possessed human men who then cohabited with “the daughters of man.” This view has the merit of providing a good explanation of how angels, who are bodiless

(Hebrews 1:14) and genderless beings (Matthew 22:30), could cohabit with humans.

Another common interpretation is that the phrase “sons of God” refers to the godly line of Seth (the Redeemer’s line—Genesis 4:26) that intermingled with the godless line of Cain. Gleason Archer suggests, “Instead of remaining true to God and loyal to their spiritual heritage, they allowed themselves to be enticed by the beauty of ungodly women who were ‘daughters of men’—that is, of the tradition and example of Cain.”16 In support of this view is the fact that human beings are sometimes called “sons” (Isaiah 43:6).

It is best not to be dogmatic on Genesis 6:2.

Was the flood of Genesis 6–8 a universal flood or a local flood?

I believe the flood was more than likely universal. The waters climbed so high on the earth that “all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered” (Genesis 7:19). They rose so greatly on the earth that they “prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep” (verse 20). (Fifteen cubits is more than twenty feet.) The flood lasted some 377 days (nearly 54 weeks), indicating more than just local flooding. The Bible also says that every living thing that moved on the earth perished, thus indicating the universality of the flood (verses 21-23). Further, the universal view best explains the fact that there is a worldwide distribution of diluvia deposits. A universal flood would also explain the sudden death of many woolly mammoths frozen in Alaskan and Siberian ice. Investigation shows that these animals died suddenly by choking or drowning and not by freezing. Finally, many universal flood legends (more than 270) were written by people of various religions and cultural backgrounds all over the world. These people attribute the descent of all races to Noah.

What are we to make of Joshua 10:12-14, which speaks of Joshua bidding the sun to stand still?

Scholars have two primary suggestions as to how to interpret this passage. Some commentators believe God may have just slowed down or stopped the normal rotation of the earth so that Joshua’s forces were able to complete their victory over the Amorites. Others suggest that God prolonged the daylight by some sort of unusual refraction of the sun’s rays. This would have given Joshua and his men more daylight hours but not necessarily more hours in the day.

Personally, I think God stopped the earth’s rotation on its axis. Such a miracle poses no problem for the Almighty God of the universe. Performing a mighty miracle (stopping the earth’s rotation) is no more difficult for Him than performing a minor miracle (withering a fig tree).

It is highly revealing that the Amorites worshipped the sun and the moon as deities. Apparently, then, the true God brought about the defeat of the Amorites through the agency of their own supposed deities. This showed the utter futility of their belief in false gods.

Does the fossil evidence support or contradict evolution?

Billions of fossils have been discovered virtually all over the world. Dinosaur graveyards are scattered all around, located in such places as the Rockies, South Africa, Central Asia, and Belgium. Fossils of marine invertebrates are found almost everywhere. Fossils of ocean fish, mollusk shells, and even a whale have been discovered on various mountains. With this abundance of evidence, one would expect that if evolutionary theory were true, the fossil record would show a step-by-step progression from simple life forms to increasingly complex life forms. However, the fossil record actually shows that species throughout geologic history have remained remarkably stable (not changing) for exceedingly long periods of time, and that there was a sudden explosion of life forms during the Cambrian Age (the first period of the Paleozoic Era). So astonishing is the explosion of life forms during the Cambrian period that some refer to it as “biology’s big bang.” Many of the animal types that appear in the Cambrian era continue to the present day. An objective consideration of the Cambrian explosion reveals that there is no evolutionary descent of life forms, and no slow modifications taking place in life forms as a result of natural selection. The truth is that the prevailing characteristic of fossil species is stasis—that is, there is an absence of change in the fossils. Creationists therefore believe the fossil evidence is more in line with their view than with evolutionary theory. The intermediate fossils certainly show no transition of one species into another—for example, a transition of a “primitive primate relative” into a human being—as one would expect if evolution were true.

Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?

There is a good possibility. For example, Job 40:15 tells us, “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox.” While some have claimed that the behemoth must be either an elephant or a hippopotamus, verse 17 tells us that “his tail” is “stiff like a cedar.” (Neither the elephant nor the hippopotamus has such a giant tail.) Many have thus concluded that this sounds more like a dinosaur. It may be that the behemoth is a brontosaurus or a similar plant-eating dinosaur. Also, Job 41:1 asks, “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord?” Many believe that the Leviathan might be a marine dinosaur, or at least a very large crocodile. After all, it is far too large to capture with a fishhook. So it must be a giant sea creature of some sort.

Where does the word Christian come from?

The word Christian is used only three times in the New Testament— the most important of which is Acts 11:26 (see also Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16). In Acts 11:26, we are told simply and straightforwardly, “In Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” This would have been around AD 42, about a decade after Christ died on the cross and was resurrected from the dead. What does the term mean? The answer is found in the “ian” ending—for among the ancients this ending meant “belonging to the party of.” “Herodians” belonged to the party of Herod. “Caesarians” belonged to the party of Caesar. “Christians” belonged to Christ. And Christians were loyal to Christ, just as the Herodians were loyal to Herod and Caesarians were loyal to Caesar. The significance of the name Christian was that these followers of Jesus were recognized as a distinct group. They were seen as distinct from Judaism and as distinct from all other religions of the ancient world. We might loosely translate the term Christians as “those who belong to Christ,” “Christ-ones,” or perhaps “Christ-people.” They are ones who follow the Christ.

What does James 2:17,26 mean when it says that faith without works is dead?

Martin Luther said it best: James 2 is not teaching that a person is saved by works. Rather a person is “justified” (declared righteous before God) by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. In other words, genuine faith will always result in good works in the saved person’s life. James is writing to Jewish Christians (“to the twelve tribes”—James 1:1) who were in danger of giving nothing but lip service to Jesus. His intent, therefore, was to distinguish true faith from false faith. He shows that true faith results in works, which become visible evidences of faith’s invisible presence. In other words, good works are the “vital signs” indicating that faith is alive. Apparently some of these Jewish Christians had made a false claim of faith. James indicates that merely claiming to have faith is not enough, for genuine faith is evidenced by works. As one scholar put it, “Great claims may be made about a corpse that is supposed to have come to life, but if it does not move, if there are no vital signs, no heartbeat, no perceptible pulse, it is still dead. The false claims are silenced by the evidence.” The fact is, apart from the spirit, the body is dead—it’s a lifeless corpse. By analogy, apart from the evidence of good works, faith is dead. It is lifeless and nonproductive. That is what James is teaching in this passage.

Some people claim that Jesus is “one of many ways to God.” As witnesses of Christ, how can we respond to this idea?

This line of thinking tries to argue that all the leaders of the world religions were pointing to the same God. This is not true, however. The reason we can say this is that the leaders of the different world religions had different (and contradictory) ideas about God.

Jesus taught that there is only one God and that He is triune in nature (Matthew 28:19). Muhammad taught that there is only one God, but that God cannot have a son, and there is no Trinity. Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita (a Hindu scripture) indicated he believed in a combination of polytheism (there are many gods) and pantheism (all is God). Confucius believed in many gods. Zoroaster taught that both a good god and a bad god exist. Buddha taught that the concept of God was essentially irrelevant.1

Obviously, these religious leaders are not pointing to the same God. If one is right, all the others are wrong. If Jesus is right (and He is), then all the others are wrong.

Jesus claimed that what He said took precedence over all others. He said He is humanity’s only means of coming into a relationship with God (John 14:6). This was confirmed by those who followed Him (Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5). And Jesus warned His followers about those who would try to set forth a different Christ (Matthew 24:4-5).

Jesus is totally unique. He proved the veracity of all He said by resurrecting from the dead (Acts 17:31; Romans 1:4). None of the other leaders of the different world religions did that.

Is purgatory a biblical doctrine?

No. The backdrop is that when Jesus died on the cross, He said “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus completed the work of redemption at the cross. In keeping with this, Jesus in His high priestly prayer to the Father said, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do” (John 17:4). Hebrews 10:14 also tells us that “by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Therefore, those who believe in Christ are “perfect for all time”—no further “purging” is necessary. Likewise, we are told in 1 John 1:7 that “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Such verses make the doctrine of purgatory impossible. Jesus Himself purged all our sin at the cross.

What is reincarnation?

The word reincarnation literally means to “come again in the flesh.” The process of reincarnation continual rebirths in human bodies— allegedly continues until the soul has reached a state of perfection and merges back with its source (God or the “Universal Soul”). One’s lot in life, according to those who believe in reincarnation, is based on the law of karma. This law says that if bad things happen in one’s life, this is an outworking of bad karma. If good things happen in one’s life, this is an outworking of good karma. “Karma” refers to the “debt” a soul accumulates because of good or bad actions committed during one’s life (or past lives). If one accumulates good karma by performing good actions, he or she will be reincarnated in a desirable state. If one accumulates bad karma, he or she will be reincarnated in a less desirable state.

What are some practical problems in believing in reincarnation?

The salvation-by-works doctrine of reincarnation has many practical problems:

We must ask, why does one get punished for something he or she cannot remember having done in a previous life? If the purpose of karma is to rid humanity of its selfish desires, then why hasn’t there been a noticeable improvement in human nature after all the millennia of reincarnations? If reincarnation and the law of karma are so beneficial on a practical level, then how do advocates of this doctrine explain the immense and ever-worsening social and economic problems—including widespread poverty, starvation, disease, and horrible suffering—in India, where reincarnation has been systematically taught throughout its history?

Reincarnation makes one socially passive. It teaches that one should not interfere with someone else’s bad karma (bad circumstances). Also, reincarnation is fatalistic. The law of karma guarantees that whatever we sow in the present life, we will invariably reap in the next life. It works infallibly and inexorably. There is no room for grace!

Reincarnation offers little to look forward to. Absorption into Brahman (the Universal Soul) has little appeal when compared to the possibility of living eternally with the living and personal God (Revelation 22:1-5).

What are some biblical problems with the doctrine of reincarnation?

In 2 Corinthians 5:8 the apostle Paul states, “We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” At death, the Christian immediately goes into the presence of the Lord, not into another body. Unbelievers at death go to a place of suffering, not into another body (Luke 16:19-31; see also 2 Peter 2:9).

Most important, Hebrews 9:27 assures us that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Each human being lives once as a mortal on the earth, dies once, and then faces judgment. No one has a second chance by reincarnating into another body. For this reason, the apostle Paul urged, “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Is it okay for Christians to practice meditation?

No and yes. Allow me to explain.

Christians are not to practice eastern forms of meditation. In eastern meditation, the primary goal is to empty the mind so that one experiences a sense of oneness with all things. Proponents of this type of meditation call this sense of oneness “cosmic consciousness.” Most such proponents are pantheists—that is, they believe that God is all and that all is God. Their worldview contradicts the biblical distinction between God the Creator and His creatures (see Isaiah 44:6-8; Hebrews 2:6-8).

It is also important to recognize that the kinds of altered states of consciousness characteristic of eastern meditation can open one up to spiritual affliction and deception by the powers of darkness. This alone should serve to dissuade any Christian from participating in this type of meditation.

Having said all this, we as Christians ought to practice meditation as defined in the Bible. In this type of meditation, the individual believer objectively contemplates and deeply reflects upon God’s Word (Psalm 1:2; 19:14; Joshua 1:8) as well as His Person and faithfulness (Psalm 119; see also 19:14; 48:9; 77:12; 104:34; 143:5). There is no subjective emptying of the mind.

The Hebrew word for meditate carries the idea of “murmuring.” It pictures an individual reading and concentrating so intently on what he’s reading in Scripture that his lips move as he reads. Such Christian meditation fills our minds with godly wisdom and insight. Scripture affirms, “Blessed is the man…[whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

Is it okay for Christians to read horoscopes?

No. In fact, it’s off-limits.

As a backdrop, astrologers believe that humanity’s evolution goes through progressive cycles corresponding to the signs of the zodiac. Each of these cycles allegedly lasts between 2,000 and 2,400 years. It is believed that humanity is now moving from the Piscean Age (the age of intellectual humankind) into the Aquarian Age (the age of spiritual humankind).

Astrology can be traced back to the religious practices of ancient Mesopotamia, Assyria, and Egypt. It is a form of divination—an attempt to seek counsel or knowledge by occultic means—that was very popular among the people of these nations. As such, astrology (including reading horoscopes) is strictly off-limits for the Christian.

In Isaiah 47, we find a strong denunciation of astrologers and their craft. Verse 15 explicitly states that “they wander about each in his own direction,” and “there is no one to save you.” The book of Daniel confirms that astrologers lack true discernment, and that the only source of accurate revelation is God Almighty (Daniel 2:2,10).

Understanding UFOs

Is it possible that there is life on other planets?

I can’t be dogmatic about this. But it seems to me that the absolute centrality of the earth in Scripture might be one reason to question the claim of life on other planets.

Though atheistic scientists would scoff at this, Scripture points to the centrality of the earth and gives us no hint that life exists elsewhere. To the naturalistic astronomer, the earth is but an astronomical atom among the whirling constellations, only a tiny speck of dust among the ocean of stars and planets in the universe. It is just one of many planets in our small solar system, all of which are in orbit around the sun.

But the earth is nevertheless the center of God’s work of salvation in the universe. On it the Highest presents Himself in solemn covenants and divine appearances. On it the Son of God became man. On it stood the cross of the Redeemer of the world. And on it—though indeed on the new earth, yet still on the earth—will be at last the throne of God and the Lamb (Revelation 21:1-2; 22:3).

The centrality of the earth is also evident in the creation account, for God created the earth before He created the rest of the planets and stars. One possible reason for this is that in this way God has emphasized the supreme importance of the earth among all astronomical bodies in the universe. Despite its comparative smallness of size, even among the nine planets, to say nothing of the stars themselves, it is nonetheless absolutely unique in God’s eternal purposes.

What are some of the natural explanations of UFO sightings?

Many UFO sightings have a natural explanation. Sometimes military jets fly high in the atmosphere. Sometimes sunrays reflect off of satellites floating around the earth. Also, over 7,000 pieces of space junk are floating around the earth. If the sunlight hits one of these objects in the right way, it could appear as a UFO high in the atmosphere. There is also a phenomenon known as ball lighting in which the lightning is oval-shaped, can hover above ground, can dart around the sky at incredible speeds, and appear to be a bright-looking craft. Of course, some sightings of UFOs may involve deliberate hoaxes (for example, there have been many doctored photographs or videos of alleged flying saucers).

Do the Scriptures teach that human beings are (or can become) “little gods”?

No. If it were true that human beings are “little gods,” then one would expect them to display qualities similar to those known to be true of God. This seems only logical. However, when one compares the attributes of humankind with those of God, we find more than ample testimony for the truth of Paul’s statement in Romans 3:23 that human beings “fall short of the glory of God.”

After all, God is all-knowing (Isaiah 40:13-14), but man is limited in knowledge (Job 38:4). God is all-powerful (Revelation 19:6), but man is weak (Hebrews 4:15). God is everywhere present (Psalm 139:7-12), but man is confined to a single space at a time (John 1:50). God is holy (1 John 1:5), but even man’s “righteous” deeds are as filthy garments before God (Isaiah 64:6). God is eternal (Psalm 90:2), but man was created at a point in time (Genesis 1: 26-27). God is truth (John 14:6), but man’s heart is deceitful above all else (Jeremiah 17:9).

God is characterized by justice (Acts 17:31), but man is lawless (1 John 3:4; see also Romans 3:23). God is love (Ephesians 2:4-5), but man is plagued with numerous vices like jealousy and strife (1 Corinthians 3:3).

If man is a god, one could never tell it by his attributes!

What does Scripture say about drinking?

Drunkenness is forbidden by God all throughout Scripture. It is simply not an option for the Christian. In Ephesians 5:18, the apostle Paul explicitly instructs, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Paul is telling us to be controlled by the Spirit, not by wine.

While drinking wine in moderation is permissible in Scripture (see John 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:3,8), many wine-drinking Christians today are wrongly assuming that what the New Testament means by wine is identical to the wine used today. This, however, is not correct.

Today’s wine is by biblical definitions “strong drink.” What the New Testament meant by wine was basically purified water. The beverage that was drunk in ancient times was generally 20 parts water and one part wine. Twenty-to-one water is essentially wine-flavored water. Sometimes in the ancient world they would go as strong as one part water and one part wine—and this was considered strong wine.

Anyone who drank wine unmixed was looked upon as a Scythian, a barbarian. So anyone who would take wine unmixed, even the Greeks thought was a barbarian. That means the Greeks would look at our culture today and say, “You Americans are barbarians—drinking straight wine.”

Are there any commandments in the Bible against smoking cigarettes?

No. But the Scriptures do indicate that the Christian’s body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and as such, we should seek to glorify God in our body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Of course, this also applies to eating the right kind of food and making sure we stay fit. Though smoking will not keep you out of heaven, it will probably get you there much quicker. Another thing to keep in mind is that your “secondhand smoke” might end up sending others into eternity— believers and unbelievers—much earlier than otherwise would have occurred.

Is cremation following death permissible for Christians?

In the Bible cremation is portrayed only as an exceptional method of disposing of bodies. Most often cremation took place in the midst of unusual circumstances. For example, in 1 Samuel 31:11-12 we read about the “inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead” (verse 11) who burned the corpses of Saul and his sons in order to prevent desecration of their bodies at the hands of the Philistines.

We don’t find cremation mentioned in the New Testament. Burial is the normal method. Moreover, the church fathers preferred “the ancient and better custom of burying in the earth.”1

But Scripture contains no actual prohibition against cremation in its pages. And if a Christian does get cremated, this poses no problem for God in resurrecting that person’s body from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

We read in 2 Corinthians 5:1, “We know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” It does not matter how our earthly “tent” (body) is destroyed; all that matters is that God will raise it from the dead. Even those who are buried eventually dissolve into dust and bones. So, regardless of whether we’re buried or cremated, we can all look forward to a permanent resurrection body that will never be subject to death and decay.

Is there a case for self-defense in the Bible?

Yes. In fact, self-defense may result in one of the greatest examples of human love. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). When protecting one’s family or neighbor, a Christian is unselfishly risking his or her life for the sake of others.

To not engage in self-defense (or defense of others) is morally wrong. To allow murder to take place when one could have prevented it is morally wrong. To permit a young girl to be raped when one could have hindered it is an evil. To watch a child be treated with cruelty without intervening is morally reprehensible. Not resisting evil is an evil of omission (see James 4:17).

The principle of self-defense is applicable on a broader scale to the concept of just wars and selectivism. To not respond to a bully nation seeking to destroy or injure a less powerful nation or group of people is to fail morally. This principle is illustrated in Abraham’s battle against the kings of Genesis 14, in which Abraham sought to rescue Lot from these unjust aggressors (see 1 Samuel 23:1).

When Paul’s life was in great danger of being unjustly taken, he engaged in self-defense by appealing to his Roman citizenship. He appealed to the military might and protection of the Roman army (Acts 22:25-29). Nothing in the text indicates that Paul thought anything wrong with such military defense.

(Note: Some of the issues mentioned here can have a different responses in comparison to other credible and reputed Christian books and apologetics websites. However, we need to understand that many issues are of such nature that have no clear revelation even within the Bible itself and hence some answers can make put us into dilemma. Bible is itself word of God but it is not fact that it upholds every answers to our queries.)   

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