The Origin of Sin and Christian Doctrine of Sin Essay Example

However, the sinful nature of human is attributed to the disobedience of Adam, who ate from the tree of knowledge and was forever punished by God. As a result of the fall of Adam all human being are born with sin and sin separates humanity from having a personal relationship with God. In essences, God is holy and doesn’t tolerate or associate himself with sin, hence allowing sin to affect humanity at a personal level, social and their relationship with God. Fundamentally, the origin of sin has a biblical standing, philosophical foundations, theological formulation, historical development and practical applications that are relevant to understanding sin and humanity.

In analyzing the doctrinal belief of the result of sin, there is a need to accept that the reward for following and accepting Christ is eternal life in heaven and for those who reject and disobey God, they will receive condemnation to hell. But since God loved us, He sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins, and by his death and resurrection, He saved the entire humanity through faith in him. By accepting and believing in the Son of God, one receives redemption and forgiveness from God. If people can assume that there are no such doctrinal beliefs, then there would be no reason to be concerned with what is wrong and the need for forgiveness to avoid punishment.

• Williams, Charles. The forgiveness of sins. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016.

Despite temptation being the main contributor for humans to sin, their birth nature also plays a significant role making humans fall to sin. Besides, humans are evil, independent of their actions, thoughts and person. However, this shows

that evil or sin can exist in an entity without references to the standard value. However, this is why there are sometimes no reasons for doing evil it just happens. Trials and tribulations are situations which almost every Christian has to encounter; these are situations where Christians are forced to go through both good and evil time of events in their life. About the story of Job in the Bible, where God tested how Job was faithful by allowing Satan to attack and destroy all this which Job valued most but he remained faithful despite losing everything.

Some people view the original sin as a misguided concept, and it is evil, and it’s an inversion of morality. This perception requires a human life to be his moral guide, to a degree where he destroys his life and is praised for the good deeds. However, when practiced, this doctrine may cause death and unearned guilt. A Christian philosopher called Augustine pointed out that sin was passed biologically from Adam to all humanity through the act of sex, thus equating sexual desires or lust with sin. Augustine’s outlook considered Jesus as pure because he was conceived without sin through his Father who is God.4 While on the other hand Mary the mother of Jesus, since she was born of a human father through sex; she was born with the original sin and suffered the effects of sin.

• Rigby, Paul. "Original sin in Augustine's confessions." (1987).

Augustine’s view of sex and sin received critics since marital sex was considered good and honorable in the Jewish society. In addition, others claimed that Augustine’s argument on sex was distorted because of his

interaction with Neoplatonic philosophers who dwelt on issues of dualism that apparently led him to introduce his sexual concept of sin within the church. Eight centuries after the death of Augustine. A Catholic theologian Anselm extended the implication of the concept of original sin by Augustine, claiming other babies are not as fortunate as baby Jesus because he was born without sin, but whenever babies die they are condemned to hell because they are born with original sin acquired from their parent from generations.

Science through the theory evolution of holds a contradictive analogy of the original sin as compared to the Christian doctrine of sin. The theory of evolution points out that human existed in a large population like thousands and had never reduced to only two. The theory further states that humans evolved through natural selection and there are no events of creation or the Garden of Eden or state of perfection. These scientists demonstrate the reality of sin by equating original sin to the original selfishness of all humankind. However, this is by claiming that all humans are born selfish universally and can survive through natural selection, where the nature of physical life, the process of natural selection coupled with natural selection together with selfish behavior determines how people live and explains the world chaos.

• Rowland, David L. "The Enigma of Sexual Desire, Part 1: A Brief Review of Classical, Historical, Philosophical, and Literary Perspectives." Current Sexual Health Reports (2016): 1-5.
• Flaman, Paul JP. "Evolution, the Origin of Human Persons, and Original Sin: Physical Continuity with an Ontological Leap." The Heythrop Journal (2014).

Biblical Evaluation

The book of Genesis 3 gives an account the fall

of man. How Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan in the form of a serpent, and when Eve doubted the word of God and listened to the devil, she ate the fruits and also encouraged Adam to eat the forbidden fruit then sin entered the world (Rom. 5: 12-21). The case of Adam and Eve is different because they were without sin until they decided to sin thus becoming sinners by choice making the rest of humanity sinners by both choice and nature.

The biblical definition of sin according to the first epistle of John, sin is defined as lawlessness (1John 3:4). The Bible illustrates the origin of sin through the book of James which supports that sin did not begin from God because God cannot sin (James 1:13). On the other hand, sin began when Satan became rebellious and disobeyed God (Ezekiel 28:15). In his rebellion against God, Satan was followed by legions of angels and God banished all of them from heaven to hell as they wait for judgments (2peter 2:4).7 Finally, when man sinned in the Garden of Eden by disobeying God, sin entered the world (Genesis 3:6, Romans 5:12).

The Bible also proves that humans are sinful by nature and that sin is inherited through birth. According to the book of Psalm, humans became guilty of sin the moment they were conceived in their mothers (Psalm 51:5). The book of Romans portrays that the sinful nature of man has made all people slaves to sin and naturally to oppose God. For instance, one can easily commit sin through emotions, intelligent and sometimes unwillingly (Romans 1: 26-28).

• Bible, Bibles. The Holy Bible The
  

Authorized King James Version. Century Publishing, 2015.

Historical Development

Before the Ancient Church (100 AD–590 AD), different cultures perceived that human wrongdoing destroyed their relationships with their supreme divine being. Ancient Christians, on the other hand, used sin to account for the astonishing range of things happening in their lives, from the death of the son of God through the politics of the Roman Empire. The perception of sin shifted from the belief that sin is a rebellious action against God to something that someone is born into as human nature. The concept of sin has been a topic of debate for many Christians, especially on the causes, remedies and manifestations of sin that shaped the early church which has left a powerful impact on the secular world.

Medieval is a Latin word derived from medius- meaning middle and aevum meaning age, which when combined it means the middle ages. In this context medieval church refers to the time between the Ancient Church and the Modern Church. The medieval church is characterized by the dark ages where many Protestants claim that the church was full of corruption which is a sin against God and the church needed purification; it is also the time where classical influence coupled with learning had disappeared from the church.

The Protestant Reformation and Counter-Reformation between 1517 AD and 1648 AD were based on the political, intellectual, religious and cultural disorder that fractured the Catholic Church in Europe, setting the pace for the structural beliefs that would usher in the modern era.8

• Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian church. Vol. 1. Lulu. com, 2010.
  Deanesly, Margaret. A history of the medieval church: 590-1500. Routledge, 2004.

Reformers like

Martin Luther, Henry VIII, and John Calvin challenged and questioned the Catholic Church under the Papal authority sighting their dissatisfaction with the ungodly Christian practices in the Catholic Church such as corruption and immorality which was a sin against God. In addition, the Protestant reformers argued for the redistribution of religious and political powers to the hands of Bible reading pastors and princes. However, this disruption by Reformers triggered wars, persecutions, and later the Counter-Reformation movement. Martin Luther was a vocal reformer who used the power of the press to condemn the sinful actions of the Catholic Church, which encouraged more Christians to support the reformers. Even though the war lasted for thirty years, the positive repercussions are evident on all sides of the schism, both intellectually and culturally.

The modern church began from 1648 after the end of the thirty-year war which introduced the revival age between 1948 and 1789. However, this age marked the beginning of the great awakening in America led by George Whitefield. The modern church also allowed writing of amazing grace and many others activities and programs like Robert Raikes who developed Sunday school program in the church that used currently used worldwide. The age of missions (1789- 1914) closely began after the end of the revival age. This period witnessed the second great awakening in America, where William Carey sailed to India’s as Christian missionary.

• Hillerbrand, Hans J. "Was there a Reformation in the sixteenth century?." Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture 72, no. 03 (2003): 525-552.
• Warneck, Gustav, and George Robson. Outline of a History of Protestant Missions: From the Reformation to the Present Time: a Contribution to
  

Modern Church History. Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier, 1901

The church during this age opened the orphanage, burned mission work in China, the preaching of Charles H. Spurgeon and the beginning of Hudson Taylor missions in China. Additionally, it is at this mission age that Charismatic movement like Azusa Street Revival in 1906 emerged, and followed by the present age called the Age of Bible College. The modern church is significant in emphasizing of Pentecostal worship a movement of Christ which strong in the main growing cities such as Latin America, U.S, and Africa which has created a very vibrant Christian society with less focuses on the burden of sin.

Theological Formulation

Like other disciplines such as social and physical sciences theology has their specializations in areas of study, and on the other hand uses and applies different investigation and methods in the different specialty within the theology with the main aim of interpreting the religious or Christian faith. However, these methods are important in investigating the historical, biblical, and doctrinal sources of different religious faith.
Biblical theology- the main task associated with biblical theology entails the recovery of intended historical meaning from the Bible by the author of the biblical text, unlike the fundamentalists who identify the literal meanings of the biblical texts. For instance, fundamentalist may view the story of the fall of man from the book of Genesis as a myth or a story describing the destructive nature and power of sin.

• Warneck, Gustav, and George Robson. Outline of a History of Protestant Missions: From the Reformation to the Present Time: a Contribution to Modern Church History. Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier, 1901

Theologians use various historical and literary

methods in investigating biblical theology. Their methods include Historical criticism, form criticism, source criticism, redaction criticism and textual criticism. 12
Systematic theology- is a theological method that seeks out a clear understanding of all the basic doctrines of the faith and shows their interrelationship with each other. This method differentiates various doctrinal, theological tasks and systematic theological tasks which are concerned with an affirmation of religious realities. Systematic theology is significant in examining a given issue from historical development, biblical foundation, in magisterium teaching coupled with the contemporary theological view. The main specialties found under systematic theology include Christology, the theology of God, ecclesiology, anthropology and much more.

Other common theological methods are historical theology, moral theology and pastoral theology. Historical theology is mainly the study of the historical periods of church development concerning church faith and theological traditions. Moral theology is concerned with the articulation of values which defines one's Christian life and identifies the appropriate conducts that accompany the Christian life. Additionally, moral theology represents both social and personal theological ethics from Christian traditions and scriptures

• Boring, M. Eugene. "Biblical Theology and Preaching: A Survey of Resources." Interpretation 70, no. 4 (2016): 458-471.
• Strong, Augustus H. Systematic theology. Vol. 1. Delmarva Publications, Inc., 2014.
  Pastoral theology consists of practical theology that is engaged in building and serving the religious communities through religious education, preaching, counseling and other services.14

The origin of sin in systematic theology attempts to address the origin of sin in detail by giving a summary of all biblical teachings that are relevant to the origin of sin. The systematic theological method will integrate the historical, philosophical and biblical concepts of the origin of sin.

For instance, systematic theology may integrate all the perception of original sin by St. Augustine whose philosophy states that the origin of sin is through sex. Scientifically, an original sin is an act of selfishness like in the evolution theory of natural selection, and selfishness is the cause of worldly chaos. Biblically, the book of Genesis Chapter 3 gives an account that illustrates the fall of man through sin, and this makes systematic methodology very useful in the study of sin.

Application of Hamartiology

The origin of sin is significant in allowing the society to understand sin and learn from history the consequences associated with sinning against God so as to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself. In this regard, theological studies also provide different viewpoints to enhance the understanding of sin in different perspectives based on one’s religious background and cultural beliefs. Available religious evidence and practical application of sin in the lives of people, allow people who desire to change their lives and become obedient to God by applying redemption methods used in the pasts to develop their relationship with God.

• Lartey, Emmanuel Y. Pastoral theology in an intercultural world. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013.

Personally, since everybody is born with sin, the addiction of sin runs in the human cycle. And as much as we try to abstain or avoid sin with the desire to become sinless and please God, Satan will always put us into temptations through our emotions, thoughts and will power to make us fall and go back into sinning. Despite the trials and tribulations that may try to make us commit sin, we should always repent and desire to do good to

build a good relationship with God. Change begins with individuals, to their families and finally to the society. By understanding the consequences of sin is death and eternal condemnation to hell where there is a lot of suffering the church and the society is changing by avoiding acts of corruption, immorality, and other sinful involvements. On the other had the church and communities are engaging in humanitarian works and other good deeds for them to get the eternal reward which is going to heaven.

Bibliography

• Bible, Bibles. The Holy Bible The Authorized King James Version. Century Publishing, 2015.
• Boring, M. Eugene. "Biblical Theology and Preaching: A Survey of Resources." Interpretation 70, no. 4 (2016): 458-471.
• Cheng, Patrick S. From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ. Church Publishing, Inc., 2012.
• Deanesly, Margaret. A history of the medieval church: 590-1500. Routledge, 2004.
• Flaman, Paul JP. "Evolution, the Origin of Human Persons, and Original Sin: Physical Continuity with an Ontological Leap." The Heythrop Journal (2014).
• Hillerbrand, Hans J. "Was there a Reformation in the sixteenth century?." Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture 72, no. 03 (2003): 525-552.
• Lartey, Emmanuel Y. Pastoral theology in an intercultural world. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013.
• Mahony, John W. "Why an historical Adam matters for a biblical doctrine of sin." Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 15, no. 1 (2011): 60-78.
• Rigby, Paul. "Original sin in Augustine's confessions." (1987).
• Rowland, David L. "The Enigma of Sexual Desire, Part 1: A Brief Review of Classical, Historical, Philosophical, and Literary Perspectives." Current Sexual Health Reports (2016): 1-5.
• Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian church. Vol. 1. Lulu. com, 2010.
• Strong, Augustus H. Systematic theology.
  

Vol. 1. Delmarva Publications, Inc., 2014.