Commentary on "Walking in the Light: Turning Away From Sin"

GRACE CARLSON

 

Day 1: Sabbath Afternoon, July 11, 2009

 

Overview

This week's lesson starts out with an object lesson to describe the realities of sin and it's effect on people. The author describes a piece of modern artwork that could only be viewed by looking directly into a gun barrel. The author goes on to explain that the gun was loaded and set on a timer that was set to fire off at any moment within the next hundred years. Yet, in spite of the risk, people stood in lines to see this artwork, taking the gamble that the shotgun wouldn't go off at the exact moment they were viewing the artwork.

The author concludes by drawing the parallel of how people approach sin the same way. "People do the same thing with sin, thinking that they can stare it in the face and still get away unharmed. Unlike the gun, however, sin--unless dealt with--definitely will kill them."

 

Problems

The shotgun artwork analogy falls short on many levels. The problem with sin is not that we have put ourselves at risk by "tempting fate". The problem with sin is that our fate has already been determined.

Ephesians 2:1-3 clearly shows that we are not born in a neutral state:

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest."

The moment Adam sinned, the fate of the human race changed. When Adam sinned, he died spiritually, and his state of depravity was passed on to all who came after him. It is important to realize that we are not sinners because we sin, but rather we sin because we are sinners. This depravity is not something that we can overcome through discipline and self control.

Romans 5:12-14 further clarifies this:

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come."

It is important to note from this text that even before transgressions of the law were imputed to men, death--the penalty for sin--still reigned. All humans, from Adam to Moses, were condemned to death not because of their disobedience to the Law (which was not present at that time), but because of their own inherited sinful nature.

Sin is not merely an issue of disobedience and personal struggle. It is a state by which we are declared dead. Whether sin is imputed or inherited, we are condemned.

The good news is that there is hope for this state of sin:

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-7)

 

Summary:

1. We are not born in a neutral spiritual state.
2. Because of Adam, all humans were born spiritually dead.
3. Even before the Law, those before Moses were condemned to death because of their inherited sinful nature.
4. Only through Jesus and His shed blood, are we able to be made spiritually alive and delivered from the condemnation of sin.

 

Copyright 2008 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised July 11, 2009. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.

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