What is sin?
- Greek: The word for
sin was hamarita, which means missing the mark, and the
Greek philosophers often equated sin with ignorance.
- Hebrews: The verb
pasa and the noun pesa mean rebellion.
- Augustine: All sin
is turning from God, but perhaps the most deadly sin is
the attempt to take over from God.
- Westminister: Sin
is any want of transgression of the law of God.
- Bible: Sin is anything
which does not express, or which is contrary to, the Holy character
of God.
Original sin/corporate sin/Adamic sin
- Dead Sea Scrolls and other post-biblicial
Jewish literature: there is a tendency
to speak of sin less an individual deed than as a power
that governs humans and inspires their conduct.
- Roman 5-7: Sin, like
death, originated with Adam.
- Schleiermacher: In
each the work of all, and in all the work of each.
- Reinhold Niebuhr:
Moral man and Immoral Society
- D. Myers: It is irresponsible
to say that we are not responsible for our sin because we are
affected by or inherit other people's sin. On the contrary, since
we realize that our own sin may bring negative impact to others,
we should be more responsible for our behaviors.
What if an infant die?
- Baptists:
Children who die before they reach the age of accountability
will be covered by the grace of God and spend eternity in heaven.
It is generally said that 8 or 9 year of age is when most people
reach the age of maturity or accountability.
- Catholics and Lutherans:
It requires a belief in the sacrament of baptism which
transmits God's grace to the infant.
- Calvinism:
This view stresses salvation comes through the regenerating work
of the Holy Spirit rather than the free will of human. And all
infants who die are viewed as being part of the elect.
- Dennis Shaw:
Infants are still subject to the punishment for the original sin.
But our prayer can bring them to Christ even without the
decision of their own.