The Reference Point of Sin

Romans 5:19

19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Two weeks ago, we studied what “God’s will” is. It was in fact more like what the will of God is not. What I tried to warn us of was the mis- or false understanding of God’s will. We should not treat God’s will as if it is some sort of “absolute idea” that seems to be by nature eternal and governs our life including God as well. People across cultures and civilizations learn to adapt to the fate and destiny that, they believe, is pre-determined for them and, therefore, they should learn to obey it. 

A problem with such a view is that God’s will is detached from the person of God. You may obey the “will,” but the will itself can be taken and treated apart from God as a personal being. Then, it is sin. Yes, ironically it can be sin as you claim to obey the will of God when you treat the will in an abstract sense. Last time I emphasized that the will of God is to know Him through His Word in the Bible. What I would like to share today is what sin is. I don’t mean to discuss all the topics and subjects related to sin but about the so-called “reference point” of sin. In a word what makes it a sin? 

I am sure some of you who are fast in reasoning already get the point. Sin is that which is not the will of God. If your definition of God’s will is somewhat close to the notion of absolute idea, then, you might think if it is not too harsh to say that it is sin simply because you did not happen to opt with the will of God. You would also argue whether sin is not to disobey the law of God. Here, I see a problem with such a view, and that is what I would like to address in today’s sermon.

Some theologians that I trust and respect share their concerns about Reformed tradition that people tend to put too much weight on the law of God in theology and Christian life. If I translate for you what they mean by it, sin is often defined against the law of God. Yes, it is true that it is sin if you disobeyed the law of God. Then, what is wrong? What is wrong is that your mind is fixed upon the law rather than God himself. And that happens a lot with many Christians. To illustrate that I have Romans 5:19.

“For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). What you might read from this verse is that Adam disobeyed the command of God, which is given in Genesis 2:17, that is, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” God had given a single law to Adam, and Adam failed to obey it. That is how we all sinned with Adam. Probably you might read Romans 5:19 that way, and you are not alone in that. Many scholars including myself warn us that traditionally it may not be wrong but not so correct either.

scripture is clear when it says, “the one man’s disobedience.” The problem is what we relate “disobedience” to. Is it the command itself or God? Yes, the command and God should not necessarily be separated from each other. We know that much in our sober mind, but in reality, something else is conceived in our mind, when we say it.

Let me elaborate it a bit more. That single law of God given to Adam was more than a law. It was the whole plan of God regarding the eternal state of mankind. That is, our eternal fellowship with God was at stake through that law. Adam did not just violate a faceless law but denied God. Yes, he denied God. Of course, even Adam’s Fall was included in the eternal counsel of God. So, you should not take it as if it was an accident that Adam disobeyed, and God had to change his plan. What is counted as a sin here is Adam’s disobedience that was made against God not a law. 

Do we have scriptural support for that? Surely! When the serpent came and tempted Eve, he provided some information that was never true to Adam and Eve. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Now you see how Eve is falling for it in her mind. “So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise” (v. 6). You would find it not in line with what God had said earlier. “And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” (2:9). Here, we clearly see what tree is for according to God as a creator. He intended tree to be pleasant in the eyes of people and good for consumption when they eat the fruits of it. God never intended tree to give wisdom to humans particularly about the knowledge that had never been revealed to man either in creation or words. The divine intention regarding the creation is in other words the will of God. So, when Adam ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he did not simply violate the law but denied the will of God intended through the creation. God’s will was revealed through the creation, and particularly more so with the regard to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God made it even clearer through his own words.

Some might question whether it is truly a sin simply because they failed to do the will of God. For them God’s will is often optional; it is good if they are able to do it, but it is their loss if they fail to do so. To them “the will” (of God) is out there, and they are like in search of it. It is, to most people, an endless journey to search for the will of God. They rarely expect to come to grips with it let alone fulfill it. Why? Because they take the will of God in a fatalistic and agnostic way. Therefore, many Christians today have fallen into such a way of thinking and do not consider it a sin, when they do not obey the will of God.

The Fall of Adam came about by denying and failing to obey God. When Romans 5:19 says that sin came through the one man’s disobedience, that disobedience was made against God and God’s will. When the will of God is denied, obviously it does not become glory to God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). You come short of the glory of God because it was a sin as you disobeyed God. On the other hand, God is glorified, when his will is done on earth as it is in heaven. What Romans 5:19 says is not just against a law, which is often the way many Christians misread and misapply the word “disobedience.” It was disobedience to God and to God’s will. Therefore, you come short of the glory of God.

Now, things have changed. We are no longer able to obey on our own like Adam used to. We have fallen. So, we need a help, a help from God in order to obey God. An interesting logic! That help is “faith” according to the Bible. We used to be without Christ but now with Christ. That we are with Christ is faith. Faith is given to sinners through the Spirit of Christ. Now, God’s will for us is revealed in the New Testament that we all should live by faith, that is, “In Christ.” We are now in Christ because we are saved. Therefore, God’s will is that we live in Christ, that is, to live by faith.

Romans 14:23 says, “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” It seems too strong a statement when Paul says as such. Here, once again, we have a good illustration of misreading scripture for many Christians. For them faith is some abstract thing that they possess as they are baptized. In other words, faith is something that they have within themselves. So, they read this verse as if it is sin because they fail to exercise it out of faith that they possess. And they look within. If that faith is not abstract, it is impersonal in their understanding. And it is not what this verse states about faith, particularly when you understand this verse in the light of 1:17 that says, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 

Once again, God’s will for the New Testament believers is to live by faith, that is, to live in Christ. Therefore, it is sin when you do anything without Christ. It is not the will of God. It is glory to God whey you live by faith, that is, when you live in Christ. 

Let’s draw an application from today’s message. What is sin, and why is it sin? Sin is sin because you are sinning against God. The reference point of sin is not the law itself as if it is an absolute entity that exists alone and forever apart from God. If the law is too powerful and too absolute for you, then you have fallen to legalism. Legalism is another form of idolatry that you put the law in the place of God.  Legalism is in a sense an easy way out when you fail to enjoy your living relationship with God. To have a living relationship with God may not always be easy. Sometimes it is rather easier to practice legalism in life and not think about why you are obeying. You don’t have to think. Legalism is to trade off who you are; it is to give up the image of God according to which you are created by God.

God expects us to be whole by living free in Christ. In other words, we should live up to the image of God into which God created us. The best evidence that the image of God is restored in us is when we are free in Christ. Please listen carefully. We are free in Christ. Not free away from Christ. Now things add up for us. We are free by faith in Christ. We are restored in Christ. We become a whole person by faith. We are indeed free in Christ. It is the will of God for us that is revealed in the Bible. The Bible speaks loud and clear that the will of God is that we are free in Christ. There is no other way! God’s will is not an option for us. It is not a thing that you have to spend all your life to finally discover what it is for you. If you are not living the will of God, you are sinning. You sin against none other than God.