Most people don’t like the word sin. They get the creeps and horrors when they hear the word sin, but what is sin according to the Bible? Many Christians connect sin to legalism, an obligation, a strict religious regime, the Old Covenant, and a God, Who punishes as soon as a person violates the law (of Moses). The older generation of Christians may be reminded about their youth and the strict way they were raised, the many rules and punishments for violating these rules. The younger generation of Christians considers the word sin as outdated and legalistic. But what is sin? What does the Bible say about sin and the root of sin? Why do so many Christians become angry and have a defensive attitude and walk away as soon as you talk about sin?
People don’t like rules and laws
Miaina ao anatin'ny fotoana iray isika, where people want to be free. The majority of people don’t like rules and laws being imposed on them. They don’t want to be bound to rules and regulations. They don’t like to be told what to do and how to live. This rebellious spirit, which is working in the world is also working in the church.
Christians also want to live in ‘freedom’, without obligations. Because Jesus has made them free from sin and the law. It’s all by fahasoavana, therefore sin no longer exists.
They believe that Jesus has taken away the sins of the world and because of that, there is no more sin. Since there is no more sin, you can’t walk in sin. Tsy maninona na ahoana ny fomba iainanao, you won’t have to change because Jesus has done it all for you.
This deception is taught in many churches and many Christians believe the words of the preachers above the words of God.
Because of this false doctrine, many Christians have created a wrong perception of sin and have become indifferent towards sin and are led astray and can’t hear and bear the truth of the Word anymore. But what is sin? What does the Bible say about sin? And why do so many people have such a defensive attitude towards sin?
What is the first sin in the Bible?
Almost everyone is familiar with the first sin in the Bible, which took place in the Garden of Eden. Although the very first sin took actually place in the heavenly Garden of Eden. But the first sin of man on this earth took place in the Garden of Eden (Vakio koa: ny ady tao an-jaridaina).
Man listened to the words of the devil and believed the words of the devil above the words of God and as a result, man obeyed the devil instead of keeping the commandment of God. Noho io, man became Tsy mankatò an'Andriamanitra and His words and chose to believe the words of a stranger instead.
God had warned man out of love. He told the truth. God told them what would happen if they ate from the forbidden tree, namely that they would surely die.
The devil told a partial truth, which is not the truth but a lie.
The devil seduced man through his lie. He not only tempted man through their senses, Lusts, ary ny fanirian'ny nofo, but also their curiosity and pride of their soul, by promising them that they would become like God.
Man chose to believe the lies of the devil above the truth of God, and acted upon the words of the devil, despite God’s warnings.
God had warned them out of love, but man chose to believe the devil above God, whereby man rejected God, their Maker, and made the devil their master.
Man sinned and as a result, the devil became his master and death entered man and the spirit of man died, Tahaka ny nambaran'Andriamanitra.
Man became separated from God and their relationship was broken. God had not broken the relationship, but man had broken the relationship. Soa ihany, God’s love for man didn’t stop after this act of disobedience of man.
God’s love for people
Ao amin’ny Testamenta Taloha, we not only see God’s love for man but also His hatred against sin. It was the people, who were stubborn and rebellious and left God’s way to go their own way.
Because of the rebellious behavior of the people towards God and their stubbornness, they got themselves into trouble over and over again.
Instead of listening to God and being led by the words of God, they listened to the devil, who reigned in their flesh.
Since they were carnal and sense ruled and led by their lusts and desires, they automatically did the ny devoly and did those things, which were against God’s will, whereby they brought mischief upon themselves.
But every time they got into trouble and they cried out to God in their distress, God showed His mercy and goodness and redeemed His people over and over again (Vakio koa: Andriamanitra hentitra na olona mpikomy?).
The warnings of God
God constantly warned His people, whom He had set apart from the Gentiles. He warned them because He didn’t want anything bad to happen to His people. God loved His people and didn’t want them to bring a curse and disaster upon their lives.
Ary noho izany, God made His will known to them, Amin'ny fanomezana azy ireo ny lalàny. So that they would get to know their God and have a relationship with Him.
Amin’ny alalan’ny lalàna, God revealed Himself to His carnal people. Because how else can you serve a God, if you don’t know anything about that God?
Andriamanitra no (ary mbola misy) transparent and didn’t keep anything back. He made His will, Ny toetrany, and His Kingdom known by the law.
God didn’t force anyone to Araho izy and obey His law. His people could make their own decision to be obedient to God’s will and serve Him or not. But they would bear the consequences of their choices.
Since man was carnal and not spiritual, God gave the written laws, because they couldn’t receive His Spirit. Their flesh was affected by evil. The sinful nature reigned in their flesh. And due to the fact that God is a holy God, His Spirit could not live in a flesh that was unclean and has the rebellious hostile nature of the devil and carried sin and death.
The spirit of God’s people was dead. Therefore they could only get to know their God and His will through the words of God, izay voasoratra ao amin'ny lalàna.
Ny fitahiana sy ny ozona
Amin’ny alalan’ny lalàna, God not only revealed His will, Kingdom and His righteousness, izay mitondra any( MANDRAKIZAY) Fiainana, but God also revealed sin, which leads to bondage and (MANDRAKIZAY) fahafatesana. .
Because they were carnal and not spiritual, God made known to them what would happen if they stayed obedient to God and keep His law and walk in righteousness and what would happen if they decided to become disobedient to God and do their own will and become trespassers of the law and walk in sin.
If they chose to obey God and keep His commandments and trust in Him they would be blessed.
But if they chose to do their own will and go their own way, then they would live under the curse (Vakio koa: Do the mountains of blessings and curses still exist in the New Covenant?).
Niresaka ny marina Andriamanitra, because what He said and promised, we see in the lives of people.
Ao amin'ny Testamenta Taloha manontolo, God warned His people through His written Word and the mouths of the prophets. Every time God called them ho amin'ny fibebahana and to return to His commandments and His law.
God didn’t want to freighted or scare His people, like so many people, LAZAIN'NY. But He warned them, because of His great love for people.
God is the Creator of heaven and earth and His laws are settled in the universe forever.
God knows everything, He knows the nature, will and the mission of the devil for humanity, because He created the devil. He knows that the devil is a liar, a thief and a destroyer and that everyone, who believes in him shall be deceived and eventually be destroyed.
God doesn’t want anyone to perish and therefore God warned people and still warns people for sin.
Inona ny ota?
Inona ny ota araka ny Baiboly? Sin is disobedience to the God and His Word, which represent God and His Kingdom. Sin means disobedience to the words and the will of God and obedience to the words and the will of the devil, izay manjaka amin'ny nofo.
If you walk in sin, you walk in the will of the devil and exalt the devil by your works. By sinning you build his kingdom on earth.
God revealed sin through His law. Ary noho izany, through the law sin was no longer hidden for people.
Tsy misy, who can say that he, na izy, didn’t know. Because God has revealed everything through His Word.
But because of the spiritual blindness, ignorance, and a lack of knowledge of God’s Word, many Christians lead a destructive life and are on their way to hell.
If a person decides to not believe God and not obey Him, the person shall automatically do the will of the devil. Since the devil is the father of fallen man ((Vakio koa: the will of God versus the will of the devil).
Many Christians confess they believe and Tiavo Andriamanitra, but their lives and works don’t confirm the words they confess. Because they don’t submit themselves to Jesus; ny Teny ary aza manao izay lazainy. They don’t do the will of God and are not taught, corrected and led by the Word and the Holy Spirit.
Instead they feed themselves with the knowledge and wisdom of the world. They live according to what the world says, and what their carnal mind and intellect, which is formed by the world, Hoy i, and they walk after the lusts and desires of their flesh. And so they live their own lives, manao izay tiany atao.
They remain carnal and live like the world, just like all those people, izay an'izao tontolo izao sy mpanapaka izao tontolo izao, Devoly.
They love the world and the works of the flesh and are not willing to change. They don’t want to put off the works of the flesh, but they want to stay the way they are. Izany no antony, they become irritated, angry and hostile, or even walk away, when you talk about sin or confront them with their sinful behavior.
Put off the works of the old man
To give an example, let’s have a look at lying. God is the Truth and He doesn’t lie. Therefore His words are reliable and trustworthy (fifindra 34:6, Deoteronomia 32:4, Jeremiah 10:10).
God doesn’t want you to lie, because in His Kingdom there is no lie. That’s why God has given the commandment to not lie. God gave this commandment to His people, who lived in the Old Covenant and belonged to the generation of fallen man, who was a prisoner of the sinful flesh. Koa hoy Andriamanitra, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Since the flesh wants to lie by nature.
Mbola mihatra ao amin’ny Fanekena Vaovao io didy io. na izany aza, people don’t belong to the generation of the old creation anymore, but belong to the generation of the new creation through regeneration in Christ. The flesh with its sinful nature has died in Christ and the spirit has been raised from the dead in Christ.
The new creation is born of God and has the nature of God and shall speak the truth.
The sons and daughters of God shall not lie but shall just like their Father speak the truth.
Jereo i Jesosy. Jesus always spoke the truth and didn’t lie. His words were often confronting and hard to hear, but Jesus never lied. Jesus didn’t compromise with the world to be liked and accepted by the people and to win people. Jezus didn’t speak what the people wanted to hear, but Jesus stayed faithful to His Father and spoke the words of His Father.
Jesus kept speaking the truth, na dia eo aza ny vokany. Because by speaking the truth of God, Jesus was hated by the world and persecuted, delivered and eventually killed.
The devil is a liar and in him is no truth. He is the father of lies and therefore his words are not reliable but are lies.
Ho an'ireo, who put their trust in him and follow him, his lies will be their refuge and under his falsehood will they hide (Vakio koa: Miafina amin'ny fialofana amin'ny lainga).
Ianareo avy tamin’ny devoly rainareo, ary ny filan'ny rainareo dia hataonareo. Mpamono olona hatrany am-piandohana izy, ary nitoetra tao amin'ny fahamarinana, satria tsy misy fahamarinana ao aminy. Rehefa miteny lainga izy, Miteny ny azy izy: fa mpandainga izy, ary ny rainy (John 8:44)
SAINGY Kristiana nateraka indray are sons of God (Mihatra amin'ny lahy sy ny vavy izany.) and have the Holy Spirit of God abiding in them. Noho ny zava-misy, that the Holy Spirit is living inside of them, ny sitrapon’Andriamanitra; His commandments are written upon their new hearts.
Izy ireo Mibebaha of the sin of lying and shall not lie anymore, fa hiteny ny marina. because their new nature wants to speak the truth.
They shall also speak the truth regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ, and shall not waver for the world and turn the Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ into a lie. Believers shall not compromise with the world but shall stand upon the truth of God and His Word, despite the hatred and Fanenjehana an'izao tontolo izao.
When someone claims to be teraka indray, but doesn’t remove the lie, but keeps speaking lies and little white lie or changing the words of God into lies and adjust to the will, lusts and desires of carnal man, then the person doesn’t walk as the famoronana vaovao Aorian'ny sitrapon'Andriamanitra, but still lives as the fahariana taloha, who has the nature of the devil and does the will of the devil.
Ny olona tsirairay, who lies, walks after the flesh in sin and does the will of the devil. Take for example Ananias and Sapphira, who died because of their lie.
Aza mifandainga amin'ny iray hafa., seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; Ary hitafy ny lehilahy vaovao, izay havaozina amin'ny fahalalana araka ny endrik'izay nahary azy, (Kolosiana 3:9-10)
Many say they believe, but only few can prove it
Satria ny saina ara-nofo dia fandrafiana an'Andriamanitra: fa tsy manaiky ny lalàn 'Andriamanitra izany, na ny tena mety. Ka izay ao amin'ny nofo dia tsy afaka mampifaly an'Andriamanitra (Romana 8:7-8)
Many say they believe in God and loves Jesus, but only few can prove it. ny Lehilahy ara-nofo taloha, who is led by his senses and walks after the flesh, shall never be able to please God. Because the old man has a carnal mind and shall not submit himself to God’s Word.
The old man belongs to the world. Fa ny Teny milaza, that friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4).
The old man is rebellious and stubborn and walks in disobedient to God and His Word and obeys the words of the world; ny tenin’ny devoly.
The old creation lives in a covenant with death
As long as a person walks in sin; in disobedience to God and obedience to the devil, a person proves by his or her deeds, that the person is a mpanota; zanaky ny devoly. Ilay olona, who perseveres in sin is bound by death.
The person has a covenant with death and sin reigns as king in his/her life (Vakio koa: Let no sin reign as king in your life!)
Although the person might think to be delivered from sin in Jesus Christ and be saved, but the reality is that as long as the person keeps sinning, the person is not delivered from sin. Nisy olona, who is delivered from sin is truly delivered from sin and shall no longer persevere in sin and live in disobedience to God.
Sin means doing the ny devoly, who is the adversary of God. Koa ny olon-drehetra, who habitually keeps living in sin is an adversary of God.
Although Jesus has dealt with sin and has given everyone the ability to be redeemed from the power of sin and death, which is the punishment for sin, sin still exists.
It is a lie from the devil to say, that in the New Covenant there is no sin, because Jesus has dealt once and for all with sin, and therefore it doesn’t matter how you live and what you do.
Fa ny marina, that it does matter how you live and what you do (Vakio koa: Tsy ho faty va ianao raha manota??).
Taorian'ny Fanomboana and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, PETERA, Paoly, John, James, and the other apostles still wrote about sin. They warned the churches about the danger of sin, fatoran’ny ota, consequences constantly wrote about the danger of sin, fatoran’ny ota, consequences of sin, and commanded them to remove the sins from their lives and from their midst and repent.
Paul even commanded the church at Corinth to remove a person, who didn’t want to listen and persevered in sin, Avy amin'ny Fiangonana (Vakio koa: Inona no dikan'ny hoe manolotra olona iray ho an'i Satana?).
If sin would not matter or would not exist, then why did the apostles urged the believers, who sinned to remove the sins from their lives?
If sin would not matter and would no longer exist, then why did Ananias and Sapphira die?
And if sin wouldn’t matter and wouldn’t exist after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then why did Jesus confront the seven churches with their sins and called them to repentance?
‘Aoka ho fanasin’ny tany’
