Prisons are full of individuals who are there due to their own decisions and their own actions.
Sin brought death into the world (Genesis 2:17 3:16-19 Romans 8:18-23 1 Corinthians 15:26). Sin is the direct result of free moral agents making choices that violate God’s will (Romans 5:12 1 John 3:4). In fact, like the first human pair (Genesis 3), we bring much, perhaps most, of our suffering on ourselves. To arrive at accurate definitions of these terms.]Ī great deal of suffering, misery, heartache, pain, and unpleasantness is generated by human sin. [NOTE: One must examine Scripture and consult Greek authorities Though not intended to be exhaustive, consider the listing of sins on the next page taken from the New Testament that aids in conceptualizing sin properly (Romans 1:29-31 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Galatians 5:19-21 Ephesians 4:31 Colossians 3:5-8 Revelation 21:8). Only the Bible can inform humans as to what sin is.įor example, burning the toast is not sin, but lying about it is (Colossians 3:9).
For mankind, sin occurs only in terms of human action in relation to the will of God.
This term is used in many different senses in current culture, but the Bible gives a very narrow, precise definition: violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4). Once we understand the foundational meaning and purpose of life on Earth, we have the necessary vantage point from which to identify within this divinely orchestrated environment several specific subcauses of suffering that are subsumed under the broader, “umbrella” purpose of “soul making.” Among these, perhaps the #1 cause of human suffering is sin. The Decisions We Make-and Their Consequences