| 3. Fundamental Integration -> Judgment - Good vs. evil and sin -> Human Nature and God |
HUMAN NATURE
Adam similar to satan, by each having free choice as all spiritual beings, chose deliberate disobedience to God for his own self-serving purposes. Self-serving then became his nature and motive, as well, and of all descending from him.. Thereby, as the whole human race, we are called dead (our spirit separated from God's Spirit, called "dead") in sin (soulish self-serving). And we are separated from God, Who is Life (Jn 11:25, 14:6), by our soulish self-serving. All self-serving of man is in the same category of quality of action and actual action as with satan. We become as separated from God and in the same category as satan--outside of God. Period. Self-serving is disobedience to God by definition.
And we are in quality of action and actual action fulfilling the identical role of satan in his rebellions [[ See satan and evil definitions given above ]] However, in referring to Adam and his race, new terms are given: Sin (hamartia), instead of Evil (poneros), and Sinning (hamartano), instead of evil work (kakos). Have you ever wondered why this is?
The work of natural man and the work of satan are in effect identical, being self-serving behavior, but the terms sin and sinning are assigned to man, instead of evil and evil work as assigned to satan. Why is this?
You will recall that the first occurrence of sin mentioned in the Bible is when Cain (not Adam or Eve) was contemplating offering his plants or grains as an offering to God, and God reminded him of what the proper offering was, and that if he persisted that "sin" is awaiting. Now we know that an evil work was awaiting, in deliberate disobedience also, but now we have this term "sin" introduced as applied to man, and it runs through the entire redemptive plan of God for man.
Notice, this terminology used in scripture when it related to man. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom 5:12,19). Interesting, that sin entered the world by one man, and evil by one satan (rebel) angel. "For since by man (first man) came death, by man (the second man) came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ (the last Adam) shall all be made alive" (1 Cor 15:21-22). "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit" (1 Cor 15:45).
Sin (266, hamartia) = disobedient self-centeredness (quality of action, of acquired flesh nature of all descending from Adam) Not deliberately rebelliously self-centered as satan, which is EVIL.
A description of our human nature heart condtion or our actions. Sinners, those who sin. To Sin (2264, hamartano) = to act in self-centeredness. Same as evil actions of satan, with same outcome of actions of satan, but not by deliberate rebellion. Therefore, unregenerate men are called children "of your father the devil" (Jn 8:44). Their self-centeredness makes them of their "father the devil," but not Evil as their father, who acts deliberately rebelliously self-centeredly.
This is why natural man, wanting to be pleasing to God, may devote his life to God, but still be a natural sinning (self-centered, self-serving) man, operating in total self-centeredness, and be destined to Eternal hell. A natural religious man has no chance of pleasing God. Only a natural man, repenting and commiting to Lordship of Christ, and thereby receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit Mind of Christ, can have any possibility of obedient living to the leading of the will of God. This is why our Lord said, "Ye MUST be born-from-above" John 3:7. And even after being born-from-above, he may turn by deliberate rebellion of his own (as satan) or by accepting deception of false teachings, and return to self-serving all his life, whether religious or reprobate, without any works pleasing to God in any way "enduring" to God's pleasing.
Since Adam, similar to the satan, acted in deliberate rebellious disobedience to God, one may reasonably ask, "Why was Adam's deliberate disobedience rebellion considered a sin to be passed to his children (a separate classification given to man) and not just called evil which was the deliberate disobedient rebellion of satan?" Adam became a "sinner," and satan became the origin of evil being or essense, "the evil one." Humans will not obtain to evil unless from their own individual personal deliberate disobedience, which most all have done at some time in their life choices. Hence, revealing "of your father the devil" (Jn 8:44).
The sad fact is that all of our inherited self-serving flesh nature from Adam, causes us to sin from the womb. So that before regeneration, in fact, we produce sinful thoughts and behaviors continually, when possibly, as natural humans we think we are in our best behavior.
Interestingly, God uses the terms sin and sinners referring to natural men, and then simply evil and evil work as when referring to satan and those consciously deliberately giving themselves to evil behavior.. .
FIVE REASONS ADAM'S DISOBEDIENCE IS TREATED DIFFERENTLY THAN SATAN'S.
(1) The satan, as all spirit creations, has the ability to choose, but was not given permission or the right to choose by God. The satan rebelled against God
(A) without being given the "right" of choice by God. But God gave Adam the right of choice to act self-centeredly (sin), since he was told that he could eat of every tree in the garden but one, and that in the day he ate thereof he would die (both spiritually and physically). So he deliberately disobeyed and chose death, and was separated from God spiritually and also suffers physical consequences by a simple act of disobedience, but exercising his God-given right of choice. The satan had lived in the very presence of God and was
(B) possibly God's highest Angel, yet he rebelled from being the sum of beauty and knowledge of God; and Adam had only an earthly fellowship with God when He visited him periodically. Without being given the right of choice that Adam had, satan is much more at fault, also not only by his complete knowledge of God but
(C) by his outright rebellion to overthrow God Himself and to make himself as God in Heaven (Isa 14:12-20 and Ezek 28:11-19). Therefore, satan and all his following angels are not granted repentance as humans. They had committed the ultimate sin, worse than even blasphemia against the entire Triune Godhead. (2) Also, a new kind of lesser punishment was ascribed to Adam by not removing his God-given ability of right-to-choose or the same ability to his children. This new kind of punishment given to Adam was immediate separation of Spiritual fellowship from God (death), spiritual death, and physical death, while kept on earth to grow families with hard work and his retained ability of right-of-choice in his separated (from God) living spirit, soul, and body while still on earth. This all set in motion God's whole redemptive (Restoration Separation) plan from before the creation of the earth, to reveal and justify God's Spiritual Perfection (Glory) in His Love, Truth, Holiness, and Wisdom to all creations for all Eternity. [[ This plan also gave Adam's original dominion of the world of people to satan, as well as the earth and air about it. ]]
(3) Since Adam was created to populate the earth, the result of spiritual separation (death) from God (Life) and physical death passed to his children in a human nature to act self-centeredly as their forefather without their choice in the matter. So that to classify these children and all mankind as Evil as satan was classified would be gross injustice. They are called sinners instead of evil as they start into life. And their sinful state, separated from God in what is called "Death," is treated as anticipating restoration to God by His salvation as opposed to the eternally lost state of satan, who was NOT originally given right-of-choice as later man originally was given in the Garden.
(4) By this right-of-choice given to Adam, God's restoration plan was conceived, to remove this fellowship separation (death) from man and to restore man to fellowship with Him, also as a new spiritual creature, never before in God's Presence in Heaven, serving Him throughout Eternity. By God initially, in the Garden, giving man the right of choice, he set in motion all His Restoration (Atonement) plan for all of mankind; and at the same time, for all Eternity, would show God Himself to be totally Justified as the highest of Love, Truth, Holiness, and Wisdom. God giving the right-of-choice to man also totally reveals the satan (rebeller) to be totally unjustified and condemned.
(5) God would bring man back into fellowship with Himself (Atonement, restoration), and in so doing demonstrate for eternity his Attributes of Holiness, Love, Truth, and Wisdom and His Justice in providing restoration to those after Adam who had no choice of having a sinning self centered nature, by restoring choice back to them. Thereby from all of this, God has created a new creature in Heaven, has justified Himself and His Attributes which satan declared to be unworthy of his worship, and those who stubbornly deliberately choose to reject the light of knowledge they were given, justly stay separated from God in every respect with satan, his angels, and all others who reject obeying God. By this great Wisdom Mystery of the Ages, God shows Himself worthy of our worship and obedience to all creation and gets a new peculiar creation out of it also.
"O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the Mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." (Rom 11:33-36)
RESULTS OF SIN AND EVIL IN WORLD TODAY One may very intelligently ask, "Why all the fuss about differences between sin and evil, since sin and evil both land us in hell?" There are five clear and pointed reasons just given above.
The general plan. After man's original disobedience, a natural (self-serving flesh nature) man comes into the world as a sinner by inherited flesh nature. He never deliberately chose (not a deliberate rebel as satan) to have the sinful nature with which he finds himself. So now God gives all men the deliberate choice, either to serve Him or satan, the rebel. It will be noted that Adam was expelled from the Garden because he still retained the God-given "right-of-choice." He never gave that to "right" to satan. This is the pivot upon which God's plan of getting a new creation for Eternity rests. Satan, a deliberate rebel, will be shamed by man, a deliberate bond-slave to God, in demonstrating His Worthy Attributes for all Eternity.
And this was God's plan for eternity in Heaven by (1) creating a new creation, even above Angels. of once human beings, who chose Him instead of sin (self serving pride) by (2) a demonstration of His Attributes of Love, Holiness, Truth, and Wisdom by His Loving death for all mankind on the cross to remove their flesh natures to His grave and to remove their sins by his blood, so that He, pure Holiness, could justly enter them as cleansed vessels to give them a means of being obedient to their Heavenly Father. By this He (3) puts rebellion and evil (rebellion) to shame for all His Spirit creations to recognize for all Eternity. He is Worthy and His manifest Glory (Spiritual Perfection) is to be praised for Eternity.
Man's state and God's answer. Deliberate, self-serving, rebellion is EVIL, natural inherited self-serving is SIN. They both end in hell as self-serving. Self-serving creatures and God are diametrically opposites and enemies for Eternity.
But our Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross to put our death-sentenced sin natures in the grave in order to restore to us a righteous fellowship on this earth with the Father/Son/Holy Spirit again by means of His indwelling resurrection Presence (Life), called faith. It is NOW through living in obedience to this faith, through faith, that we will be finally made partakers of Heaven, if we hold steadfast to the end.
At the end of our lives on this earth, our individual eternal judgments to Heaven are determined by the existence of any at all faithful good works on our part. In scripture, this is being saved through faith. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:17). What is faith?
God is Justified. Since the scriptures state that all men have received the knowledge of God (Rom 1:18-25), and all men have received light from Christ (John 1:10, and all men have been drawn by His Spirit to Him (John 12:32); those who have not made God their first Love (Matt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27; Rev 2:4) are eternally separated from all the Attributes of God forever (only alternative is fiery hell). UNLESS they have turned from their self-serving and committed their living to obey Him NOW and FOREVER, they are lost in their Evil or Sins. Their own choice. And God's Attributes (Love, Truth, Holiness, and Wisdom) are comprehended for Eternity, Glorified, seen as Spiritually Perfect.
God is eternity minded. God has done all He can do to provide salvation to us. Man's mind is lost in his own navel (Rom 7:25) because of demons, self concerns, and the cares of the world (Matt 13: 3-9, 18-23). Our flesh nature, the world, and the devil are our Eternal enemies.
How many people do we know who have lived so-called good lives, gone to church and supported church activities, given to charities, been respectable people, and have eschewed corruption or obvious evil, yet they will go to hell when they die? Why? Because they remained children of their own smug pride (self-serving with status and approval of men, their god). The Love of Truth was never their primary concern (2 Thess 2: 10-12). They were: "comfortable with what I believe" (Prov 18:2-3).
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