#151 A Biblical Study of Sin
Introduction
The pastoral counselor must understand the doctrine of sin to aid those who are broken by sin or the sin of others. This research is important because when mistakes are made people may hold themselves and others accountable for those mistakes. The way a pastoral counselor approaches these issues must be inline with what the Bible has to say about the nature of sin and how people are to get right with God. This paper addresses the issue of sin and how it affects the pastoral counseling process. This examination is accomplished through the careful examination of Psalm 51 and Romans 3. This paper examines the words used for sin in these passages. The theological implications of sin are considered, as well as how a proper understanding of sin informs the counseling process. Pastoral counselors are engaged in a spiritual battle and understanding sin is to understand the tactics of the enemy. As Adams put it, “Counselors must become cognizant of the fundamental themes of sin.” This equips the pastoral counselor to respond to sin issues in their various forms.
Biblical/Exegetical Studies of Sin
Introduction
While the Bible presents many passages about sin, the effects of sin, and how God responds to our sin, this paper will highlight sin in Romans 3 and Psalm 51. By highlighting these two passages the pastoral counselor gains perspective about the words used to describe sin in the Bible and some of the nuances that flow from these passages. Romans 3 highlights the idea that the whole world is sinful and the process of justification. While Psalm 51 exemplifies a sinner returning to God and a method for understanding their sin. There are many words in the Bible to describe sin. But in general it can be said “All sin has first and finally a Godward force. Let us say that a sin is any act—any thought, desire, emotion, word, or deed—or its particular absence, that displeases God and deserves blame.” Sin is a part of all areas of human life as “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 (NASB).
The Idea of Sin in Psalm 51
Psalm 51 describes the personal dynamics of sin and how they relate to the individual's relationship with God. Psalm 51 is a Psalm of David when He sought forgiveness from God for His sin of sleeping with Bathsheba. Erickson writes, “Here we find a strong emphasis on the idea of sin as an inward condition or disposition, and the need of purging the inward person” In verse 4 David wrote, “Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight.” That verse creates a paradigm for the issues with sin. That sin is an issue between an individual and God. Others may be affected by the sin such as Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite but the sin is against God because it is “what is evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4). The idea of sin being an issue between God and an individual is further fortified in Psalm 51:10 where it says “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” This shows that the only way for a sinner to be restored to God is by God. Wright considers Psalm 51 by writing, “God will be vindicated, as Psalm 51 declares in the face of massive human sin (specifically, David’s sin, to which Paul will return in 4:7f.).” Paul writes in Romans 4:7 “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN.”
Words for Sin in Psalm 51
Psalm 51 uses three words to describe sin which each appear multiple times in the passage and interrelate to each other. Including וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י which in its lexical form means sin or to miss the mark appears in verses 2, 3, and 9. מֵעֲוֹנִ֑י appears in verses 2, 5, and 9 and it means iniquity or guilt. The third word for sin in the passage is פְ֭שָׁעַי meaning transgression or rebellion and it appears in verse 1 and 3. Each of these words hint at the nature of what sin is. Taken as a whole sin may be understood as the defamation of the relationship between man and God by man. Psalm 51:2-3 reads “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity ‘מֵעֲוֹנִ֑י’ And cleanse me from my sin ‘וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י’. For I know my transgressions ‘פְ֭שָׁעַי’” Those two verses exemplify the interrelated nature of these three hebrew words and the sin that David experienced. The first word מֵעֲוֹנִ֑י is David’s guilt or the thing that he feels because of how he harmed his relationship with God. וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י is an indication of David being the one to have made a mistake. But in the same verse the call on God to “cleanse” indicates that David is not capable of restoring the relationship, only God is able. Thirdly, פְ֭שָׁעַי in a wraps up the idea by restating that David knows how he has messed up.
The Idea of Sin in Romans 3
In the New Testament in Romans 3 Paul builds on the idea of sin from the Old Testament by applying Christ as the solution to humanity's failure to live up to God. The main message of Romans 3 is “the availability of God’s righteousness to all who respond in faith” in Romans 3:21-31. Yet a necessary precursor to an acceptance of this righteousness is an understanding of our need to be made righteous which is where the doctrine of sin comes into play in the first part of Romans 3:1-20.
Words for Sin in Romans 3
In Romans 3:20 Paul writes that, “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” In other words we cannot justify ourselves; it is up to God to make us just in His sight. Paul adds emphasis to this when he writes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” this points to humanity’s fallen state. Then in the following verses Paul describes how the only way to be justified is through a relationship with Christ.
Romans 3 has two words for sin and four different descriptions of sin. The words for sin in Romans 3 are ἁμαρτίαν meaning sin. In verse 5 the word ἀδικία is used and means unrighteousness. Two other words for sin are also used tangentially in Romans 3. Παράπτωμα is used to describe transgression and is hinted at in Romans 3:12 with the idea of turning aside. The other word for sin in Romans 3 that is hinted at is ἀνομία meaning lawlessness. The idea of this sort of idea for sin can be observed in Romans 3:20 which says “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” That verse places the law in opposition to sin.
How The Idea of Sin in Psalm 51 and Romans 3 Interrelate
Psalm 51 provides an individual framework for understanding sin while Romans 3 expands on the nature of sin and shows how God restores our relationship with Him then starts to lay out the doctrine of justification. The connection between Romans 3 and Psalm 51 is observed when Paul writes, “THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED” Romans 3:4 which reiterates the words of Psalm 51:4 “Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight.” Bonhoeffer writes that “Our justification is grounded exclusively in God’s justifying God.” We cannot be justified except when God is justifier and when He is justifying Himself through us. Psalm 51 exemplifies the repentant sinner yet David is left unjustified before God. It is not until Jesus dies on the cross that the doctrine of justification may be developed in Romans 3.
Theological Implications of Sin for Pastoral Counseling
Ways That Sin Shows Up in Pastoral Counseling
Sin takes many forms in the pastoral counseling process. There are three main ways that sin affects the counseling process as Lambert writes,“The doctrine of sin informs three different contexts for counseling ministry.” Those contexts are the sin of the counselee, sin that affects the counselee, and issues that result from the fallen nature of the world. When the counselee is the one who sins it may look like David when he slept with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11, when Peter denied Christ three times in Luke 22:54-62, or when the prodigal son left his father in Luke 15:11-32. This type of sin is when the counselee is at fault. They have distorted their relationship with God and likely harmed others in the process. When the counselee is affected by sin it may take any number of forms. It is when another person has sinned and that has affected their life. Such as when Joseph was betrayed by his brothers in Genesis 37, or Tamar in 2 Samuel 13. In either case the individual was harmed by the sin of another person in some way. The third type of sin is general suffering that is the result of all of humanity being sinful. When people die of old age, or disease, or when people suffer in general. This may be observed in the story of Job’s suffering in Job 1-2, or Paul’s thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
Theological Implications of a Proper Understanding of Sin
There are many theological implications to a proper understanding of sin. Particularly in the area of justification and how to be made right with God and others. A proper understanding of sin shows that sin is something whereby we fail to live up to God’s standard yet God makes a way for us to be made right with Him. The knowledge of sin does not justify people but acceptance of Christ does justify people. As people sin they must acknowledge their sin, realize they cannot justify themselves before God and in turn place their trust in Jesus who justifies them. A proper understanding of sin highlights our fallen nature, the complete depravity of humanity, the glory of God, and the need for the cross. Since we are totally depraved it means that “even the unregenerate person’s altruism always contains an element of improper motive” and that “sin is a matter of the entire person.” When counselees become aware of the extent of their sin the Word “comes to us as a gracious call to follow Jesus; it comes as a forgiving word to the fearful spirit and the broken heart.” Bonhoeffer writes this of Psalm 51:17 which says “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” When a counselee is aware of their sin it becomes a good sacrifice and God draws near to them.
How a Proper Understanding of Sin Influences the Counseling Process
When pastoral counselors understand the serious nature of sin it becomes the focal point of the counseling. It is the work of the pastoral counselor “not only to identify the sin but to help people deal with it.” The counselor first attempts to identify the relationship of sin to the counselee; their sin, another's sin, or the result of a fallen world. Then the counselor determines whether or not the counselee has been saved by faith or not. This step serves to direct the counseling process either towards a saving faith in Christ or towards further alignment with God’s Word. A proper understanding of sin may clarify the issues presented in the counseling process leading to a better resolution of the issues presented. Without a proper understanding of sin the counselee is left in a state of self justification which is not possible. Yet when we realize our sin and place our trust in God we no longer need to attempt to justify ourselves. When we discover “that we don’t need to justify ourselves because we have been justified by God, we experience both contentment and vitality” as it is written in Romans 8:33.
Conclusion
In conclusion when the pastoral counselor has a proper perspective on the doctrine of sin and how it affects those who are affected by it they more fully effect change in others. This research has shown why it is important to understand the way sin affects the lives of counselees and the nuances of their relationships in light of sin. The way a pastoral counsellor approaches sin issues ought to be inline with what the Bible says about sin and how they are to get right with God and each other.
Bibliography
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Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Discipleship. Edited by Martin Kuske et al. Translated by Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss. Vol. 4, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003.
Erickson, Millard. Introduction to Christian Doctrine. 3rd ed. Edited by L. Arnold Hustad. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015.
Lambert, Heath. A Theology of Biblical Counseling: The Doctrinal Foundations of Counseling Ministry. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
Moo, Douglas, The Epistle to the Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996).
Peters, Ted. Sin Boldly!: Justifying Faith for Fragile and Broken Souls. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2015.
Plantinga Jr., Cornelius, Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 13.
Wright, Tom. Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2009.
