Sin Is Rebellion
What is the essence of sin? How does the Bible define it? First John 3:4 (NIV) states: "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness." The New Living Translation reads "Sin opposes the law," while the traditional KJV rendering defines sin as "transgression of the law." But it is not just any law that humanity has broken-it is God's law. Humans have rebelled against their Maker, pretending that they themselves are the measure of all things rather than in humble trust submitting to the wisdom and love of God.
What do the following Bible passages reveal about the essence of sin? Gen. 3:1-7, Isa. 14:12-14, Rev. 12:7-9.
Why did God punish Adam and Eve for what seemed to be an insignificant matter? It may have seemed unimportant, but there was a crucial principle involved. "There was nothing poisonous in the fruit itself, and the sin was not merely in yielding to appetite. It was distrust of God's goodness, disbelief of His word, and rejection of His authority, that made our first parents transgressors, and that brought into the world a knowledge of evil. It was this that opened the door to every species of falsehood and error."—Ellen G. White, Education, p. 25.
What will be a major characteristic of God's people in the time of the end? Rev. 14:12. How does the issue of obedience come into play here?
God has done for us all that infinite love could. In return He asks of us love and obedience. In a time in which the world is plagued by rampant lawlessness and a relativistic philosophy—which claims that good and evil depend simply on cultural circumstances and communal and personal preferences—there must and will be a people who will staunchly defend God's standard of holiness, the Ten Commandments.
| We tend to think of rebellion as an outright attack and rejection of authority. Yet, it can come in much more subtle forms. How could you tell if, perhaps, you yourself are harboring some rebellious attitudes toward God? |
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