A Look in the New Testament

8 A Look in the New Testament

Even though all of us sin because we are sinners, some of the words related to sin in both the Old Testament and New Testament emphasize the attitude rather than the action. Both are wrong before God. But as we saw earlier, one is the root and the other is the fruit. Therefore, the first two words in our list from the New Testament emphasize an attitude against God more than an action against man and focus on inward corruption or a perversion of character.

• Adikia—“unrighteousness; iniquity” (Acts 1:18; Romans 1:18; 6:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Timothy 2:19; 2 Peter 2:15, etc.) • Poneria—“evil; degeneration; wickedness” (Matthew 12:39; 16:4; 18:32; Luke 6:35; 11:26; 19:22; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:2; 2 John 11, etc.)

In contrast, the following three definitions of sin imply a transgression of an objective moral standard revealed by God, either a standard we failed to reach or a line we deliberately crossed. Since we are created in His image (Genesis 1:27), these moral codes are written on our hearts (Romans 2:15). Therefore, all mankind is “without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

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• Hamartia—“missing the mark; failure to attain the goal” (Romans 3:9; 5:12; 6:1–2; 7:7–8; 1 Corinthians 15:56; Hebrews 3:13; 11:25; James 1:15, etc.) • Parabasis—“a trespass; stepping over a known boundary; transgression” (Romans 2:23; 5:13–14; 1 Timothy 2:14; Romans 4:15; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 2:2; 9:15; etc.). • Anomia—“disregard or willful violation of a known law; lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23; 13:41; 24:12; Romans 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:7;

Titus 2:14; Hebrews 1:9; 10:17; 1 John 3:4)

It is important to note that the first two words, adikia and poneria, seem to be the most serious because they focus on the inward corruption or character perversion more than the external action. These represent the heart attitude that results in sin against God (singular), rather than the sins against man (plural). But again, it is important to remember that each of these sin words clearly imply that all mankind has received a knowledge of God’s moral standard that he is rebelling against. So, these words teach us that man’s basic problem is not moral ignorance, but rather moral rebellion.

The New Testament, then, emphasizes the godless self-centeredness of sin. It is not a regrettable lapse from conventional standards. Sin is hostility toward God (Romans 8:7). It is active, overt, moral rebellion against Him. That’s why David rightly realized and confessed that every sin is first and foremost against God:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away

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all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight (Psalm 51:1–4).

We have already seen in this study that a true godly, reverential fear of God produces a wholeheartedness in our commitment and obedience to Him. That wholeheartedness—rather than half-heartedness—means that we will increasingly love what God loves and hate what God hates. In other words, our heart and character will reflect God’s.

Conversely, when a person does not fear God, then his or her life will increasingly be characterized by what the Bible calls wickedness, which means that they love what God hates and hate what God loves.

FEAR OF GOD Love what God loves, (wholeheartedness) hate what God hates.

NO FEAR OF GOD Love what God hates, (wickedness) hate what God loves.

Note again the summary of the Apostle Paul when he wrote about this spiritual problem among those who were “in the world” when he wrote his letter to the saints at Rome:

There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. . . . There is no fear of God before their eyes (Romans 3:10–18).

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Whereas that is normal for sinful, rebellious people in a fallen world, those who are in Christ are to be radically different. When a person is in Christ and therefore in the Church but continues to live like they are still “of the world,” the Church is to practice church discipline. Note Paul’s words of instruction in one of his letters to young Timothy that those “who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning” (1 Timothy 5:20). This instruction of Paul to Timothy is clearly a reflection of the Lord’s teaching on church discipline. And because it is so widely misunderstood or ignored, it bears presenting in context:

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:15–20).

We see this principle of church discipline again in Paul’s rather strong letter of rebuke to the Corinthian church. As you read the following passage, you will hear a clear echo of the words of Christ we have just read from Matthew:

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It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord (1 Corinthians 5:1–5).

As much as these verses may seem radical and unacceptable to our Western Church that increasingly worships at the altar of tolerance, they are still the words of Holy Scripture. It is crucial to remember that when we compromise the purity of the church, we also compromise the power of the church. Simply put: No purity, no power!

Therefore, as foreign and difficult as these words seem to us, they are necessary for the Church of Jesus Christ. No one enjoys discipline, whether as physical children or spiritual children. That’s why the writer of Hebrews wrote:

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of

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spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:7–11).

With these sobering scriptural truths in mind, let’s now continue our study of the fear of God.

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