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Sin Summary:

The literal meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words variously rendered "sin," "sinner," and so forth, disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is:

• transgression , and overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil (Psalms 51:1; Luke 15:29)

• iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not

• error , a departure from right (Psalms 51:9; Romans 3:23)

• missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard

• trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority (Ephesians 2:1)

• lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy (1 Timothy 1:9)

• unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity (John 16:9).


• Sin originated with Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14)

• Entered the world through Adam (Romans5:12)

• Was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted (Romans 3:23; 1 Peter 2:22)

• Incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:19; Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Romans 6:23)

• and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ (Hebrews 9:26; Acts 4:12) availed of by faith (Acts 13:38-39).
  
  

Sin may be summarized as threefold

• An act , the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God
• A state , absence of righteousness
• A nature , enmity toward God.

Return to Matthew 6:12

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Matthew 6:12, ". . . we forgive our debtors."

This is legal ground. Compare with Ephesians 4:32, which is grace. Under law forgiveness is conditioned upon a like sprit in us; under grace we are forgiven for Christ's sake, and exhorted to forgive because we have been forgiven. See further, Matthew 18:32; Matthew 26:28, and note: Forgiveness

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Forgiveness

Summary of Forgiveness

The Greek word translated "remission" in Matthew 26:28; Acts 10:43; Hebrews 9:22, is in other places rendered "forgiveness." It means, to send off, or away. And this all through Scripture is the one fundamental meaning of forgiveness — to separate the sin from the sinner. Distinction must be made between divine and human forgiveness:
• 1. Human forgiveness means the remission of penalty. In the Old Testament and the New, in type and fulfilment, the divine forgiveness follows the execution of the penalty. "The priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him" (Lev. 4:35). "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission [sending away, forgiveness] of sin (Matthew 26:28). "Without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). See "Sacrifice" (Genesis 4:4; Hebrews 10:18, note). The sin of the justified believer interrupts his fellowship, and is forgiven upon confession, but always on the ground of Christ's propitiating sacrifice (1 John 1:6-9; 1 John 2:2).
  
  
• 2. Human forgiveness rests upon the results from the divine forgiveness. In many passages this is assumed rather than stated, but the principle is declared in Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 18:32-33.
  
  

Return to Matthew SRB 6:12, 14, 15



Hebrews 10:18, note:

"Now where remission of these is, there is no more *offering for sin."

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Sacrifice

Sacrifice, Summary:

1. The first intimation of sacrifice is Geneses 3:21, the "coats of skins" having obviously come from slain animals. The first clear instance of sacrifice is Genesis 4:4, explaned in Hebrews 11:4. Able's righteousness was the result of his sacrifice, not of his character.



2. Before the giving of the law the head of the family was the family priest. By the law an order of priests was established who alone could offer sacrifices. Those sacrifices were "shadows," types, expressing variously the guilt and need of the offerer in reference to God, and all pointing to Christ and fulfilled in Him.



3. As foreshadowed by the types and explained by the New Testament, the sacrifice of Christ is

• penal (Galations 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:21)
• substitutional (Lev. 1:4; Isa. 53:5, 6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24)
• voluntary (Gen. 22:9; John 10:18)
• redemptive , (Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7; 1 Cor. 6:20)
• propitiatory (Rom. 3:25)
• efficacious (John 12:32-33; Romans 5:9-10; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:13; Heb. 9:11, 12, 26; Heb. 10:10-17; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5)
• revelatory (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10)

SRB, Hebrews 10, Note pages 1300-1301

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