There
are many Truths contained within the Good News of the Kingdom, as seen
in the New Testament Scriptures. The first fundamental Truth to be
grasped by all Believing Ones, as a child of Yahuweh, is that we have
been redeemed, or "bought" by the spilled Blood of Yahushua Messiah, and
as a result, our "Sins" are forgiven:
"...the
Father... hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of
sins..." (Colossians 1:12a, 13-14) One of
the most important, but misunderstood New Covenant Truths, however, is
that the New Testament Believers, even after they are redeemed by the
Blood of Messiah, are warned continually not to commit iniquity and
sin! Why is this?
Awake to
righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I
speak this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:34)
"My
little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin
not..." (1 John 2:1a)
"The Lord knoweth
them that are his...Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity." (2 Timothy 2:19b) With
such warnings and exhortations, it appears these warnings to cease from
Sin and iniquity have a serious purpose. This brief overview
will dig into the Scriptures, to discover and reveal the reasons for
these warnings.
The Definition of Sin - According
to ScriptureMost Pastors today do not teach fully Scriptural
words or concepts. Instead, they have unknowingly embraced the
re-defined word definitions of their respective Theologians.
For
example, notice that most Pastors and Theologians today define "Sin" as
"missing the mark," and they simply ignore the issue of
"Iniquity." It is true that Sin is missing the mark, but that is not the definition of Sin. What does the Bible say about iniquity, and the definition of Sin?
"And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:23)
"And
because iniquity shall abound, the love ("agape") of many shall wax
cold." (Matthew 24:12)
"But he shall say,
I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye
workers of iniquity." "Luke 13:27"
"Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression
of the law." (1John 3:4) First
let's notice two things in Matt 24:12.
1) Yahushua said
that agape love would wax cold because of 'iniquity.' It is agape
love, whose source is Yahuweh Himself, that is found only among true Believers.
2) The Greek word for 'iniquity' used
here is 'anomia,' Strong's number <458>, which means
"transgression of the Law." Here we see that Love grows cold, with an
increase in 'Transgressing the Law.'
Next, notice
the passage in 1John 3:4. Notice the Scriptural definition of Sin is
"transgression of the Law," which is again the same Greek word 'anomia'
that defines "iniquity."
Then, notice in Matt
7:23, that the reason Yahushua gave for saying, "depart from me," is
that they were "workers of iniquity," again the same Greek word
'anomia,' meaning "transgression of the Law," which we have seen is the
New Testament definition of "Sin." So Yahushua will say, "depart from me," to those who transgress the Law.
Coming Out vs. Entering InSo
now we see that our "entering in" to be with Messiah might be at stake,
all because of "Sin" or "iniquity." Why is this?
As
we saw in Salvation: According to the Scriptures, our redemption by
the Blood of the Lamb was the "come out" stage of our
salvation. We saw that the "enter in" stage of our salvation
is determined, however, not by the Blood, but by obedience-- by ceasing
from "Sin" and "Iniquity"-- by ceasing from "transgressing the Law."
We
saw also in the same article, that Israel was redeemed from Egypt by
the Blood of the Lamb. But Yahuweh refused to allow that generation in,
because they continued to "sin" and to "transgress the Law."
As
Blood-bought, Born-again Believers, we are warned to heed their
example, lest we fail to enter for the "same" reasons. This brings us
back to satan's purpose for "Re-defining" of Bible terms through the
Theologians.
The above passages, and many other
Scriptures, reveal that "Sin" is defined as "Transgression of the Law"
and "iniquity." So, why have the Theologians changed the definition of
Sin?
There is one simple
reason. It is because if satan can not prevent you from
"coming out" by the Blood of the Lamb, he will try the next best thing
- he will try to prevent you from "entering in."
Even
satan knows the Scriptures, that "Sin," which is "transgressing the
Law" will prevent the believers from "entering in." Notice the
following passage:
"Woe
unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye
entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered
(Lit, "prevent, forbid, restrain")." (Luke 11:52) Notice
in the above passage, it is not those that "coming out" by the Blood,
but those "entering in" that the lawyers prevented. Now notice the
following:
"And, behold, one came and said unto
him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal
life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none
good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments." (Matthew 19:16-17)
Blessed
are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree
of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
(Revelation 22:14)
"Strive to enter in at the strait
gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be
able. (Luke 13:24) In the above passages,
it is clear that "entering in" is the issue. Again, many have "come
out" by the Blood of the Lamb. Satan could not prevent their redemption
and forgiveness by the shed Blood of Messiah, so he will simply try to
prevent them from "entering in."
And in order to
prevent you from "entering in," satan must get rid of any New Covenant
doctrines that relate to the "Law." The Scriptural definition
of New Covenant 'Sin' is based on the Law of Moses. So
according to satan's plan, the term 'Sin' had to be re-defined so that
'Law' could be removed from New Covenant Truth. For it is disobedience
to the "Law" that prevents men from "entering in."
Satan
is counting on preventing the gullible Believers from entering in.
These are those, who would not search the Scriptures for themselves,
but would believe the traditions put forth by their leaders.
Now
that we have seen a glimpse of the great importance of our
understanding, and avoiding "Sin," we will now look at a few highlights
in the New Testament dealing with Sin.
The Wages of
SinMany understood the following passage when they were first
redeemed, and forgiven:
"For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord." (Romans 6:23)
"I am the door: by me
if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and
find pasture." (John 10:9) The above
passages are shown to emphasize the truth some may not have seen.
Eternal life is a "gift," but is the result of "entering in."
And even the "entering in" is also "by me" as Yahushua puts it-- it is
by His Grace-- His power given to us, as He lives within us, and
enables us to walk as He walked, keeping the commandments-- thus
"entering in."
We see also that Sin continues to
earn wages, as an earned recompense, even for Believers. And that wage
is still death, or "no life" if we fail to enter in, according to
Yahushua's words in Matt 19:17 and Rev 22:14.
Knowledge
of Sin vs. Consciousness of SinMany Biblical concepts of
"Sin" are closely related to "Law." Since the teaching of New
Testament concepts of "Law" has been corrupted, the Biblical
understanding of "Sin" has suffered accordingly.
One
of these concepts related to the Law, that we must grasp, if we hope to
grow to maturity, is the difference between "knowledge" of Sin, and
"consciousness" of Sin. Notice the passage below:
"For
the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image
of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year
by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would
they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once
purged should have had no more conscience<4893> of
sins." (Hebrews 10:1-2)
"Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By
a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the
veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the
house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of
faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience<4893>, and our bodies washed with pure
water." (Hebrews 10:19-22) Notice in the
above passages, the Old Covenant Law is being compared to the New
Covenant. Here the issue is not a generic awareness of
"Sin"-- but of having an evil conscience remain, even after those sins
were committed, and then purged by Blood.
In
these passages in Hebrews, the difference in the two covenants is being
shown. That is, by the New Covenant, after purging by the
Blood of Yahushua, there is no more "consciousness" of those purged
sins, nor does the heart continue to have an "evil conscience."
Now
compare the passages below, and notice that the subject is completely
different:
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the
knowledge<1922> of sin." (Romans 3:20)
"What
shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not
known<1097> sin, but by the law: for I had not known
lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." (Romans
7:7) In the above passages, the subject is not only sins
that are already committed, and then "purged by Blood." But
the subject here includes discovering and recognition of Sin both before and after it is
committed-- with the intention of confessing and forsaking, and then avoiding that Sin. These
are completely different Greek words, Strong's number
<1922> and <1097>, meaning "know,
perceive, discover, recognize, find out, understand, and acknowledge."
This
awareness and acknowledgment of Sin is in keeping with what we are
instructed to do by the apostle John:
"If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Notice
there is a need for "awareness" of sin, before we can "acknowledge" the
sin, and be cleansed. According to Paul (Romans 3:20), it is
only by the "Law" that we have an awareness of what "Sin" really is.
There is one New Covenant purpose for the knowledge of
Sin that we may mention-- the intended work of the "Law" on the
Believer.
The
Spirit of Life in Messiah Yahushua is to bring Resurrection Life to the
lives of every Believer. As we give up, or surrender each area of
our life, one area at a time, we do so by the "knowledge of Sin" in
that area. The purpose of the Law in this case, is first to bring
a "death" sentence, to tell us we are guilty. Resurrection can
only occur where there is first a death. As we die to our Sin,
one area at a time, we then confess, forsake, and verbally "sprinkle"
the Blood of Yahushua over the "Ark" of Testimony, our body, in thanks
for His Blood shed for us. The Spirit of Life can then bring
Resurrection, only after the Law has dealt a death blow to us in that
area. Yahuweh's purpose here can be seen in the following passage:
"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)
Here
we see NOT a comparison of Old Covenant vs. New, as some have thought,
but the intended work of the Law under the New Covenant-- to first
bring death by what is read in the "Letter," so that by conviction of
sin and repentance, the ministry of Life by the Spirit may then occur.
The
Bondage of SinAs we saw in Salvation: According to the
Scriptures, Israel is our example in many ways. When we
acknowledge our forgiveness by the Blood of Yahushua Messiah, he then
sets us free from the bondage of Sin, and places Himself within us as a
"Seed" that is to grow, and produce fruit.
Yahushua
then encourages us to choose wisely, but He still gives us a choice of
whom we will obey:
"For sin shall not have dominion
over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then?
shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God
forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:14-16)
"Stand
fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians
5:1)
"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of
liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a
doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."
(James 1:25) Remember, in the above passages, that
Paul and James were addressing Born-again Believers. We see the
following points:
1) The dominion of Sin was now
broken.
2) The Believers now could choose whom they would
obey, whereas when under the dominion of Sin, they had no choice, but
to sin.
3) The Believers are exhorted to stand fast, to remain
"at liberty" and not go back under the Bondage of Sin.
4) The
Believers are reminded that the Liberty that brings perfection, or
completeness, does not come from being only a "hearer" but by being a
"do-er" of the Law. From what we have seen by the definition
of "Sin," one who is being a "do-er" of the Law is one who is "not
sinning."
Additional insight into Sin and Bondage
can be seen under the heading New Covenant Purposes for the
Law, discussed in the reference given at the end of this
article. Now we will look at a "mystery."
The
Mystery of IniquityThere are 27 mysteries listed in the New
Testament. Every of these "mysteries" are important, but the
nature of these it that they are still "mysteries"-- they are hidden
from view, until such time as Yahuweh unlocks them, making them come
into view, to further His purposes.
The Mystery of
"Iniquity" is one such mystery. Notice the following:
"For
the mystery of iniquity<458> doth already work: only he
who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way."
(2 Thessalonians 2:7) So we see in the above
passage, this is the "Mystery of 'anomia.' As we have seen above, it
will be this matter of 'anomia' that will be the reason some will hear,
"Depart from me." Let's look a little deeper into this
'anomia.'
In the section above, under "Definition of
sin," we saw the Greek word for "iniquity" is 'anomia.' There
are 3 separate, related words used in the New Testament for iniquity,
Strong's numbers <458>, <459>, and
<460>. These three Greek words all describe
those who are destitute of, depart from, violate, or have contempt for,
the Law of Moses-- and who, as a result, are considered "wicked."
The
working of the "mystery" of iniquity among the "Born-again Believers"
can be seen, and understood in the following passage:
"Ye
have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the
fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of
thy mighty men." (Hosea 10:13)
As we saw in
Righteousness As The Light, the seed, the plant springing up from the
seed, and the fruit, are all one and the same "kind." In the
above passage in Hosea, we notice the following points:
1)
The "Seed" plowed into the soil, is Wickedness;
2) The
"Reaping" or Harvest, is Iniquity;
3) The Fruit is "Lies" that
are eaten, or taken in. The Fruit of Lies is the same as the
Seed of Wickedness, and is the same with the Harvest of Iniquity;
4)
The context of the entire passage, is the word that is spoken
to Israel, and as a euphemism called Ephraim, who is himself
a prophetic picture of the "church" of New Testament Believers.
Thus
we see in the passage in Hosea, exactly how the "Mystery of Iniquity"
operates among Yahuweh's people. The entire history of the
congregation of Believers is one of mixing truth with lies, and of
twisting Scriptures into man-made doctrines, resulting in wicked
behaviour among the hearers.
According to the
Scriptures, it is the Pastors and Leaders who are charged with feeding
the Flock of Yahuweh. It is these same Leaders, however, who twist the
Scriptures, making them say what they are not intended to say-- into
Lies-- resulting in Transgression of the Law.
Let
the Reader now give testimony. Dear Reader, have you not
heard Pastors or other Leaders try to convince their people, that
obedience to the "Law" is not for New Testament Believers?
Have you not heard these Pastors say that any New Covenant "Son" who
obeys His heavenly Father's commandments, is putting himself under a
"curse?"
How absurd! Anyone having children would
not believe this nonsense in the natural world-- why would someone be
gullible enough to believe it in spiritual matters?
The
test of any idea or notion, is complete agreement with "all of
Scripture" and with the "words of the Prophets" (See Truth- The Simple
Scriptural Test). So what do the Scriptures say?
"Horror
hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy
law." (Psalms 119:53)
"He that turneth
away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be
abomination." (Proverbs 28:9) As
a result, these Pastors that are groping in the darkness of the
"Mystery of Iniquity"-- and the multitudes that follow them-- will not
be allowed to enter in to the Promised Land. The "Mystery of
Iniquity" will have done its work among the wicked. It will
be because of their iniquity, as Yahushua said, that they will hear the
words, "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
SummaryWe
have seen that the Good News of the Kingdom includes many warnings to
avoid Sin.
We have seen the Biblical definitions of
"Sin" and "Iniquity" are "Transgression of the Law," and that the
Scriptural definitions are different from the man-made definitions so
popular today.
We have looked at some of the New
Testament highlights of Sin, and contrasted them to popular teachings
today.
We have seen the Mystery of Iniquity and how
it works among the Believers today.
We have seen
that many of the Biblical concepts of "Sin" are intimately connected to
the Biblical concepts of "Law" and "Commandments." For this
reason the Reader is encouraged to see New Covenant Law--According to
the Scriptures.
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