Fallen: A Theology of Sin
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Fallen: A Theology of Sin
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Overview
From marital infidelity to global war, the world is obviously broken, leaving people desperate to find an explanation for our universal sin problem. In the latest addition to the Theology in Community series, Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson have assembled an interdisciplinary team of evangelical thinkers to explore the biblical doctrine of sin from a variety of angles. Among other contributors, popular scholar D. A. Carson discusses the contemporary significance of sin; seasoned professor Paul House details sin in the Old Testament law, prophets, and writings; and New Testament expert Douglas Moo explores sin from Paul's vantage point. This team of top-notch scholars offers modern readers a comprehensive overview of this oft-neglected, biblical theme so that readers might learn to live better in a sinful world.
Part of the Theology in Community series.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781433522253 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Crossway |
| Publication date: | 09/30/2013 |
| Series: | Theology in Community , #5 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 320 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
About the Author
Christopher W. Morgan (PhD, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary) is a professor of theology and the dean of the School of Christian Ministries at California Baptist University. He is the author or editor of over twenty books, including several volumes in the Theology in Community series.
Robert A. Peterson (PhD, Drew University) is a writer and theologian. He taught for many years at various theological seminaries and has written or edited over thirty books.
Gerald Bray (DLitt, University of Paris-Sorbonne) is research professor at Beeson Divinity School and director of research for the Latimer Trust. He is a prolific writer and has authored or edited numerous books, including The Doctrine of God; Biblical Interpretation; and God Is Love.
D. A. Carson (PhD, Cambridge University) is Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is a cofounder and theologian-at-large of the Gospel Coalition and has written and edited nearly two hundred books. He and his wife, Joy, have two children and live in the north suburbs of Chicago.
Bryan Chapell is a bestselling author of many books, including Christ-Centered Preaching and Holiness by Grace. He is pastor emeritus of the historic Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois; president emeritus of Covenant Theological Seminary; and president of Unlimited Grace Media (unlimitedgrace.com), which broadcasts daily messages of gospel hope in many nations.
Paul R. House (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the former professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. He has been a pastor or teacher in churches, Christian colleges, and seminaries for over forty years. He is a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society and an active member of the Society of Biblical Literature. House is the author of several books, including Zephaniah: A Prophetic Drama; The Unity of the Twelve; Old Testament Theology; 1, 2 Kings (NAC); Lamentations (WBC); Daniel (TOTC); and Bonhoeffer’s Seminary Vision. He was the general editor of the ESV Concise Study Bible.
Bob Yarbrough (PhD, University of Aberdeen, Scotland) is professor of New Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He was previously professor of New Testament and department chair at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author or coauthor of several books and is active in pastoral training in Africa.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
SIN'S CONTEMPORARY SIGNIFICANCE
D. A. CARSON
* * *
At first blush it may seem as if this volume has the ideal order rather badly reversed. Would it not be the part of wisdom to work through the biblical and theological material on sin before reflecting on its contemporary significance? Certainly a good case could be made for such a traditional ordering. So what defense can we offer for the fact that the editors in their wisdom have placed this essay first?
In fact, the editorial decision displays considerable insight — a kind of homiletical insight. A preacher may, of course, reserve the application of the message for the end of the sermon; alternatively, he may interweave application all through the sermon. On some occasions, however, that preacher is wise who sets the stage for the exegesis and biblical theology by displaying the relevance of the topic at the beginning of the address. Especially is this the case if for any reason the subject has become unpopular, or if it is often misconceived or induces cringe factors. In such cases, displaying the significance of the topic may constitute a compelling introduction to it.
It may be worthwhile to distinguish the topic's intrinsic and contemporary significance. These two cannot, of course, be kept absolutely separate. Nevertheless, under its intrinsic significance we ought to recall what place sin holds in the Bible, in the entire structure of Christian thought; under its contemporary significance, we shall probe in what ways the Bible's teaching on sin addresses some of the characteristics of our own age and historical location. The former is the more important heading, for it laps into the latter. Indeed, to outline ways in which sin is intrinsically important to a biblically faithful grasp of the gospel is to argue for its perennial significance and therefore is also to display its contemporary significance. Only then are we better positioned to reflect on ways in which a mature grasp of sin speaks prophetically and powerfully to our own cultural context.
Sin's Intrinsic Significance
There can be no agreement as to what salvation is unless there is agreement as to that from which salvation rescues us. The problem and the solution hang together: the one explicates the other. It is impossible to gain a deep grasp of what the cross achieves without plunging into a deep grasp of what sin is; conversely, to augment one's understanding of the cross is to augment one's understanding of sin.
To put the matter another way, sin establishes the plotline of the Bible. In this discussion, the word sin will normally be used as the generic term that includes iniquity, transgression, evil, idolatry, and the like, unless the context makes it clear that the word is being used in a more restricted sense. In the general sense, then, sin constitutes the problem that God resolves: the conflict carries us from the third chapter of Genesis to the closing chapter of Revelation. Before the fall, God's verdict is that everything he made is "very good." We are not told how the Serpent came to rebel, but the sin of the first human pair introduces us to many of the human dimensions of sin. We find rebellion against God, succumbing to the vicious temptation to become like God, an openness to the view that God will not impose the sentence of death on sinners (and thus the implicit charge that God's word cannot be trusted), defiance of a specific command (that is, transgression), the sacrifice of intimate fellowship with God, the introduction of shame and guilt, eager self-justification by blaming others, the introduction of pain and loss, and various dimensions of death. The fourth chapter of Genesis brings us the first murder, and the fifth chapter the refrain, "and then he died." The following four chapters bring us the judgment of the flood and its entailments, but humanity is not thereby improved, as the eleventh chapter makes clear.
It would be easy to keep running through the drama of the Scripture's story line, carefully observing the shape and depth of sin in the patriarchal period, in the years of the wilderness wanderings, in the time of the judges, in the decay of the Davidic monarchy, and in the malaise of the exile and the frequent sinful lapses among those who returned. Those whom Jesus confronts in his day are no better. The apostle Paul's massive indictment against all humanity (Rom. 1:18–3:20) sets the stage for one of the deepest statements about what the cross achieved (3:21–26). Indeed, so much of what the triune God discloses of himself is revealed in the context of showing how each member of the Godhead contributes to the salvation of God's elect — their salvation from sin. It is not for nothing that the very first chapter of the New Testament establishes that the child born of the Virgin Mary will be called "Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Very little of the tabernacle/temple system of the old covenant makes sense unless one understands something of sin; certainly none of its antitype does, worked out with stunning care in the epistle to the Hebrews. Whether one considers the theme of God's wrath or the particular objects of his saving love, whether God thunders from Sinai or weeps over Jerusalem, whether we focus on individual believers or on the covenantal identity of the people of God, whether one stands aghast at the temporal judgments poured out on Jerusalem or stands in rapt anticipation of the glories of the new heaven and the new earth, the substratum that holds the entire account together is sin and how God, rich in mercy, deals with sins and sinners for his own glory and for his people's good.
Sin "offends God not only because it becomes an assault on God directly, as in impiety or blasphemy, but also because it assaults what God has made." Sin is rebellion against God's very being, against his explicit word, against his wise and ordered reign. It results in the disorder of the creation and in the spiritual and physical death of God's image bearers. With perfect justice God could have condemned all sinners, and no one could have justly blamed him. In reality, the Bible's story line depicts God, out of sheer grace, saving a vast number of men and women from every tongue and tribe, bringing them safely and finally to a new heaven and a new earth where sin no longer has any sway and even its effects have been utterly banished.
In short, if we do not comprehend the massive role that sin plays in the Bible and therefore in biblically faithful Christianity, we shall misread the Bible. Positively, a sober and realistic grasp of sin is one of the things necessary to read the Bible in a percipient fashion; it is one of the required criteria for a responsible hermeneutic.
It may be helpful to lay out a handful of the theological structures that are shaped by what the Bible says about sin and that in turn shape our understanding of sin.
Sin Is Tied to Passages That Disclose Important Things about God
First, sin is deeply tied to any number of illuminating passages that disclose important things about God. Consider Exodus 34:6–7, where God intones certain words to Moses, who is hidden in a cleft of rock on Mount Sinai. Moses is neither permitted nor able to gaze directly on God; should he do so, he would die (33:20). He is permitted to see no more than the trailing edge of the afterglow of the glory of God. But he is permitted and able to hear: God discloses himself to Moses supremely in words, and those words are simultaneously moving and puzzling (the italicized words draw attention to what is puzzling): "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation." Here is the God who forgives "wickedness, rebellion and sin," yet who "does not leave the guilty unpunished." Is this some sort of strange dialectic? Alternating procedures, perhaps? The tension is not finally resolved until Calvary. Certainly the focus of this strange tension is sin.
Or consider the words of David after his seduction of Bathsheba and his cold-blooded arrangements to murder her husband. Brought low in brokenness and repentance, he not only begs God for mercy (Ps. 51:1) but tells him, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (v. 4). At one level, of course, this is blatantly untrue: David has sinned against Bathsheba, her husband, her child, his family, the military high command, and the nation as a whole, which he serves as chief magistrate. Yet there is something profound in David's words. What makes sin sin, in the deepest sense, is that it is against God. We let ourselves off the hook too easily when we think of sins along horizontal axes only — whether the horizontal sins of socially disapproved behavior or the horizontal sin of genocide. What makes sins really vile, intrinsically heinous — what makes them worthy of punishment by God himself — is that they are first, foremost, and most deeply sins against the living God, who has made us for himself and to whom we must one day give an account. In other words, this psalm of repentance from sin discloses important things about sin's relation to God.
Or we might remind ourselves of the fourth Servant Song, including the words:
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
Here is penal substitution by Yahweh's own design, taking our suffering, our transgressions, our iniquities, our punishment, and our sin.
Again, once we recall how in John's Gospel the word world commonly refers to the human moral order in deeply culpable rebellion against God (that is, the word world commonly means "this sinful world"), the words of John 3:16 shout matchless grace. God's love for the world is to be admired not because the world is so big but because the world is so bad. God so loved this sinful world that he gave his one and only Son — and the context shows that the locus of this gift is not in the incarnation only but in Jesus being "lifted up" in death (cf. "lifted up" in vv. 14–15, and the consistent use of ???? in John). The plan of redemption for this sinful world is driven by God's undeserved love, most magnificently expressed in the gift of his Son, whose death alone is sufficient to lift the sentence of condemnation (vv. 17–18). To reject such love — that is, to continue in sin — is to remain under the wrath of God (v. 36). Even this handful of verses says much about God, his character, his redemptive purposes, his love, and his wrath — and the axis around which these themes revolve is sin.
One could easily draw attention to hundreds of passages where similar dynamics prevail between God and sin, but I shall restrict myself to one more. Toward the end of his famous chapter on the resurrection, Paul raises two rhetorical questions in words drawn from Hosea 13:14: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15:55). Then he answers his own questions: "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (vv. 56–57). In other words, the death-dealing power of sin has been defeated by God's resurrection of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Once again, then, the display of what God has done, supremely in the resurrection of his Son, is occasioned by sin and all its brutal power.
Sin is deeply tied to any number of illuminating passages that disclose important things about God, and if about God, then about the salvation that God has wrought in Jesus Christ.
Sin Is Tied to the Work of Satan
Second, sin is radically tied to the work of Satan and of demonic forces. Otherwise put, sin has a cosmic/demonic dimension. The first human descent into sin is stimulated by the Serpent (Genesis 3), later identified as Satan himself (Rev. 12:9). The text in Genesis does not tell us how it happened that he first sinned, but the opening lines of Genesis 3 make it clear that, since he was made by God, the Serpent has no independent status akin to God's but in darker hue. And since everything in the creation that God made was "very good" (1:31), one assumes that this was also true of the Serpent: when he was created, he was good. The obvious inference is that the Serpent had himself fallen at some point antecedent to the fall of Adam and Eve — an inference that Jude is prepared to draw (v. 6).
It follows, then, that sin has dimensions that stretch beyond the human race. I am not referring to the consequences of humans in that stretch beyond the human race — the corruption of the entire created order, the subjection of the created order to frustration, bondage, and decay (Rom. 8:20–21). Rather, I am referring to the sin of rebellious heavenly beings, of angels themselves. Although Scripture says relatively little about this wretched reality, the small windows it does provide into this antecedent fall are highly illuminating. Part of our own struggle is "against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12): there is a cosmic, indeed heavenly, dimension to the struggle, glimpsed again in the first two chapters of Job.
Three further characteristics of this angelic, nonhuman sin function in the Bible to provide something of a foil to the way human sin plays out: (1) the initial human sin infected the entire human race and brought down the wrath of God upon the entire human race; the initial angelic sin corrupted those who sinned, while the rest remained unaffected. Whether this fundamental difference in the way sin is structured in the two races turns on the nonorganic and nongenerating nature of angelic existence (according to Jesus, angels do not marry: Matt. 22:30) is nowhere made explicit. (2) In God's grace, there has arisen a redeemer for fallen human beings but none for angels: "For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants" (Heb. 2:16; cf. 2:5). The horde of demons lives utterly without hope: they know there is an "appointed time" for their endless, conscious torment (Matt. 8:29; cf. Rev. 20:10). None of them discovers that the words "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28) are for them. At very least, the recognition of this truth ought to engender in redeemed men and women awestruck humility and gratitude at the sovereignty of grace. (3) No text depicts angels as having been made imago Dei, the way this claim is made of human beings (Gen. 1:26–27). Moreover, to sweep these three observations together, the culminating blessing for God's redeemed image bearers, once their sin has been entirely done away with, is the beatific vision: they will see his face (Rev. 22:4) — unlike the highest order of angelic beings, who in the presence of God constantly cover their faces with their wings (Isa. 6:2; cf. Rev. 4:8).
There is at least one way in which the outcome of the sin of Satan and his minions is akin to the outcome of the sin of unregenerate, unrepentant human beings: it ends in eternal conscious suffering (Rev. 20:10; cf. 14:11). Satan does not stop being Satan and become wonderfully pure and holy when he is finally and forever consigned to the lake of fire. Forever he will be evil and will be punished. Similarly there is no scrap of biblical evidence that hell will be filled with purified human beings. Its denizens will still pursue self-justification rather than God's justification, they will still love themselves while hating God, and they will continue to receive the punishment that is sin's just due.
Sin Is Depicted in Many Ways
Third, so far I have primarily used the generic word sin, but sin is depicted by many words, expressions, and narrative descriptions. Sin can be seen as transgression, which presupposes laws that are being transgressed. Sometimes sin is portrayed as a power that overcomes us. Frequently sin is tied ineluctably to idolatry. Sin can be envisaged as dirt, as missing the target, as folly, as tied to the "flesh" (a notoriously difficult concept to capture in one English word), as unbelief, as slavery, as spiritual adultery, as disobedience. Sin is the offense of individuals, but it is profoundly social and multi-generational: the sins of the fathers are visited on the children to the third and fourth generation, and sins committed in the days of Hezekiah carry their own inescapable entailment in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. The Bible frequently depicts sin in terms of the guilt of individuals; at other times it shows how the sins of some parties turn others into hopeless victims.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Fallen"
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Copyright © 2013 Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson.
Excerpted by permission of Good News Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
List of Abbreviations,
Series Preface,
Acknowledgments,
Contributors,
Introduction,
1 Sin's Contemporary Significance D. A. Carson,
2 Sin in the Law Paul R. House,
3 Sin in the Former and Latter Prophets and the Writings Paul R. House,
4 Sin in the Gospels, Acts, and Hebrews to Revelation Robert W. Yarbrough,
5 Sin in Paul Douglas J. Moo,
6 Sin in the Biblical Story Christopher W. Morgan,
7 Sin in Historical Theology Gerald Bray,
8 A Theology of Sin for Today John W. Mahony,
9 Satan, Sin, and Evil Sydney H. T. Page,
10 Sin and Temptation David B. Calhoun,
11 Repentance That Sings Bryan Chapell,
Selected Bibliography,
What People are Saying About This
“These essays provide a very thorough mapping of sin’s ugly reality. Rarely do we meet such realism as we find here.”—J. I. Packer, Late Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology, Regent College
“In this fine little volume, Morgan and Peterson provide an excellent one-stop treatment of the doctrine of sin. As we have come to expect with all of the volumes in the Theology in Community Series, Fallen treats the doctrine of sin biblically, theologically, historically, and pastorally. This text should work very nicely for undergraduate or graduate students.”—Bruce Riley Ashford, Professor of Theology and Culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; coauthor, The Gospel of Our King
“Sin is serious—that’s the thrust of this timely collection of essays and, more importantly, the teaching of the Scriptures. But in our postmodern society where there are no absolutes, and in an effort not to offend anyone concerning the issue of sin, we sometimes use other language: ‘done wrong,’ ‘erred,’ or ‘made a mistake.’ Here is a bold book that encourages us not to be afraid to talk, preach, or teach concerning the Bible’s understanding of sin and its effects both personally and societally. The Puritans were right—it is only when we have first grasped the depravity of the human heart that can we ever fully appreciate the greatness of the love of God in salvation.”—Trevor J. Burke, Former Professor of Bible, Moody Bible Institute; visiting lecturer; author, Adopted into God’s Family: Exploring a Pauline Metaphor
“Sin is the great spoiler. It spoils our relation to God, each other, ourselves, and our environment. This important volume shows not only that sin is the great spoiler but also how to understand sin biblically and to face the temptation that comes with it. Without this dark backdrop, the coming and cross of Christ make little sense. A team of excellent scholars has served the church so well in this work. I commend it highly.”—Graham A. Cole, Emeritus Dean and Emeritus Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; author, He Who Gives Life and Faithful Theology
“Homiletical in arrangement, exegetical in essence, theological in content, and contemporary in expression, Fallen meets the need of the contemporary church to reflect on an often overlooked essential of the biblical story line and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Starting with a fresh note of application, the contributors skillfully and pastorally move through the topic, showing biblical foundations and offering fresh applications for the church today. Fallen helps believers rejoice in sin’s defeat through the cross of Christ, discern sin’s traces and impact on contemporary society, and warn us as believers, as Luther did, that we are at the same time just and sinner. A must-read for pastors, seminary students, and lay persons eager to learn more about the foundations of the faith.”—John D. Massey, Associate Professor of Missions, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
“The doctrine of sin has never been a very popular teaching, but it is an irreducible essential for every generation to grasp or else the gospel will be redefined or rejected. Counterfeit Christianity heralds a message about a God without wrath bringing people without sin into a kingdom without judgment. The removal of sin removes the very guts of what makes the gospel good news. The book you hold in your hands is the most far-reaching, well-rounded modern treatment of sin that I have ever read. I commend it very highly.”—Jason C. Meyer, Lead Pastor, Urban Refuge Church, Minneapolis
“Sin is the inconvenient truth, the bad news that we are tempted to hurry past in our rush to get to the good news of the gospel. The authors of Fallen do not rush past this hard subject; they examine it carefully, patiently, and thoroughly, in all its biblical, historical, systematic, and practical implications. Exceptionally well unified for a multi-author work, Fallen may be the most complete resource on the doctrine of sin in this generation and will certainly serve well as a comprehensive introduction to this neglected topic.”—Fred Sanders, Professor of Theology, Torrey Honors College, Biola University; author, The Deep Things of God