Chapter 6 | What Went Wrong? Hamartiology: The Doctrine of Sin

Key Verses: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 (ESV) For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NIV) 

For Further Study* 

Book: 

The Story of Reality, by Greg Koukl 

The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis 

Mere Christianity, CS Lewis 

Article: 

“What Motivates Sin (and How to Fight It),” by Amy K. Hall, Stand to Reason

 “The Nature of Sin,” by Christopher Morgan

“Original Sin: A Tool for Decoding Human Nature,” by Michael McClymond, White Horse Inn

Video: 

“The Doctrine of Sin,” Paul Tripp

Theology with Old Friends: 

Michaelangelo and St. Athanasius on creation and the image of God 

Kids’ Content: 

What is Sin?, The New City Catechism

Summary: 

Brief Definition: Humanity, created in God’s image to represent Him, sins and rebels against Him resulting in exile, depravity, and death.

Sin is rebelling against God and His created order. Sin is believing God is foolish and we are wise. Listening to the Word of the Lord conforms us to the image of God. Listening to the word of the liar conforms us to the image of the serpent. Sin is disordered affections and distorted knowledge. 

Sin is rebellion because it elevates our will above God’s. It is looking for a better title and a better task, tragically failing to realize that God has already given us the greatest title and task we could have. We chose rivalry rather than representation, placing ourselves on the throne rather than revering and representing its rightful occupant. 

Sin is relational because it impacts our relationship with God, with self, and with one another, and even with creation as a whole. It separates us from our Maker, obscures our identity, and frustrates our shared purpose of fulfilling the cultural mandate. 

God uses their exile to remind them there is a home they long for. Humans who were made to enjoy the presence of God are cast out from the presence of God. We are all exiles looking for and longing for the presence of God. 

Sin is a contagion, and we have all been infected. Total depravity means that sin infects every aspect of our being. Because of Adam’s sin, all humans are born predisposed to sin. We are not born morally neutral. We are still born as image-bearers, but we are born “in Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:22), with a distorted nature that leads inexorably to sinful behavior. 

We are born in Adam, but new life comes from being born again in the second Adam—Christ. The fall destroys our ability to not sin. The cross restores it. 

The consequences of our rebellion are not just exile and depravity, but also very real spiritual and physical death. Death is the great enemy that, since the garden’s catastrophic event, has plagued all of humanity. We can all agree there is something wrong—something wrong in the world and something wrong in us. But if we don’t know what the problem is, we won’t know what the solution is. 

Our only hope is that one day, God will make all things right. That our exile will end so we can enjoy the presence of God forever. That our depravity will be healed so we can live in obedience to God. And that, one day death will be defeated, so we can stand over the grave of death, mocking it, declaring: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55) 

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. How have you seen the catastrophic effects of sin in your own life or in the life of someone you love? What current circumstance makes you long the most for the end of sin and death?

2. How comfortable are you with the idea of original sin, that Adam represented you and all humanity in the fall? What thoughts contribute to your discomfort? To your acceptance?

3. Before we sin, Satan assures us our sin has no consequence; after we sin, he convinces us our sin is unforgivable. How have you found this to be true in your own life?

4. How might the habit of confession of sin be an act of bringing order out of the chaos of sin’s effects? How should confession shape our attitude toward our sin and the sin of others?

5. How might the habit of forgiving those who sin against us be an act of bringing order out of the chaos of sin’s effects? How should forgiveness shape our attitude toward our sin and the sin of others? 

*Disclaimer: Our ultimate authority and resource will always be the Bible, and any other resource should be used as a supplement. While we believe the authors represented here have done excellent work to provide insight and clarity in these topics, we may not endorse every statement, or position they hold (past, present, future).