Sin and Alienation

Sin is something which is widely applicable in all time periods. We have to realise that sin is something which occupies not just one person but rather encompasses the whole human race, as Paul asserts in Romans 3 v 10; “No one is righteous, not even one.” This verse strikes us as poignant as we see everyone is flawed. However sin is not something we escape from on our own as “the wages for sin are death” and alienation from God. In order to comprehend the outcome of sin we must look at the effects sin has in both the bible and the early church.

Sin was not always in existence but rather its presence is felt in Genesis in the Garden of Eden when Eve was tempted to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3).It was then the concept of right and wrong occurred, this was notably named “The Fall” as man’s stance with God was ruined and a distinct alienation between man and God occurred. It was this incident which gave rise to the comprehension that there is original sin and no one enters the world righteous, but rather we are all held as sinners. It is our free will which enables us to choose whether to give into the temptation of sin or follow God; it is not decided for us.

Lukan sources serve to highlight that sin has a consequence thus we should be wary of this. One of the most notable acts of sin which occurs in the bible is the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, Judas gave Jesus to the authorities for thirty pieces of silver and upon receiving the reward killed himself thus inferring that from his sin he experienced an alienation from God thus saw life as worthless. In Acts chapter 5, the reader is introduced to Ananias and Sapphira, who withheld money from the church, however whilst they would have been allowed to withhold some money, it was their lying which condemned them, it could be interpreted that their deaths confirm the fact the wages for sin is death.

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Paul in Galatians assumes the position that Christians should restore their Christians brothers to faith; “...if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently”; “Carry eachothers burdens...” This highlights that our role as Christians is to ensure that we do not sin as well as helping others to remain sinless as well. Are the apostles free from sin? We could perhaps construe Peter’s actions in Galatians 2 as being sinful as he was to a large extent denying the gospel of grace in his actions of reverting to no longer eating with the Gentiles, ...

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