This blog came about after reading 2 Chronicles, a Bible Book in the Old Testament; in reading the Old Testament, I get a clear view of the expectations of G-d in Biblical times, as these times are a window into His expectations for us in modern times. In Biblical times there were laws G-d commanded the Israelites to follow, and G-d was clear in His covenant with them, there would be consequences for not following these laws. For example in Deuteronomy 11:13-17 (Complete Jewish Bible) G-d asked the Israelites to love Him with “all their heart and all their being,” but if they “served other gods and worshipped them,” than He said “He will shut up the sky, so that there will be no rain (for their crops).”
Reading the Old Testament brings to mind conversations I have had with people who do not believe in the accuracy of Biblical teachings. There are those who believe in G-d but may not agree with man having “sinful natures”; they may also question why G-d would have such high expectations for the Israelites, and why their actions may not seem to be equal in value to the harsh consequences they received. It seems people often find it challenging to have faith in the G-d of the Old Testament and often do not agree with the way sin and it’s consequences are depicted in the Bible. This paper is to answer the question, as much as I can, as to why the Biblical view of sin and consequences for sin makes the most sense.
The Bible speaks of people who are “fallen” and the human struggle with sin. As a matter of fact, one does not get very far in the Bible, to realize man has an issue with sin. Of course, in the Old Testament, it is the story of Adam and Eve that first highlights man’s “sinful nature.” Adam and Eve did not obey G-d and the consequence of their sin was to be removed from access to the tree of life, the tree would have provided them a life free of death. The consequence, one that has an effect on all humanity, is a catastrophic repercussion from eating a piece of fruit. Why was this sin such a big deal? Perhaps because they believed in the lie of a tempter, rather than G-d, whom they were privileged to have a relationship with. Therefore G-d, who still loved them, had to seal their fate with a severe consequence, to teach mankind to keep our eyes on Him, and not to be seduced by the things of this world.
There are those, as stated earlier, who do not believe humans have “sinful natures.” The argument in favor of our having “sinful natures” states when Adam and Eve disobeyed G-d; they were no longer good, and therefore, became sinful. An alternative view states when Adam and Eve disobeyed G-d, they were no longer considered Holy, and were cut off from their relationship with G-d. What I understand from this view is they had something taken away from them; they lost their relationship with G- d by the choice they made, they had fallen natures but not necessarily sinful natures (Driskell, R. “What is the ‘Sinful Nature’? A Bible Study.” Retrieved from whatchristianswanttoknow.com). Some scholars speak of the New Testament’s view of sin, sinful nature is not something inside of man but something outside of man. This explanation states our flesh or our bodies try to get us to conform to living in a world without G-d, a world where there are temptations to act out in sinful ways. Therefore, we make choices to sin because of our flesh.
In all cases, whether we have “sinful natures,” make choices based on our disconnection from G-d, or our flesh is tempted by the world, as human beings we are continuously being tempted, and giving into these temptations leads to sin. The consequences for sin are many; but one of the worst consequences is it causes us to be separate from G-d. We can learn from Adam and Eve’s struggle with temptation, if we have an understanding we may have “sinful natures” or may be disconnected from G-d when we sin; we will be better prepared in the face of temptation. In the Bible, the tempter of Adam and Eve was a serpent. In our lives today, there are many tempters or temptations; we make decisions every day whether to give into temptation or not. The very act of temptation shows our need for G-d, by the way. Because without G-d, we are without the strength to resist temptation; and we may not have the desire to avoid acting on temptation.
One argument people often state in favor of our not having “sinful natures” is there are good people in the world and good people are proof people are inherently good. In the Bible there are many people who were considered to be good people, however the Bible depicts them as being human and struggling with sin. King David was described as having a very good heart, but he made mistakes and suffered the consequences of them, in his life. The point is just because you are good does not mean we will not struggle with sin. One could also consider it is impossible to be considered a good person, without G-d (or the Messiah), because we need G-d, as stated above, to help us resist our temptations; and through G-d’s forgiveness we are made new.
It may be difficult for people to consider we are fallen; meaning we are broken without G-d. To realize our brokenness, and our need for G-d is when we are most humble and can allow G-d to pick up the pieces and help us achieve wholeness. If we deny our brokenness, then we deny the fact we do not have the power to change our circumstances on our own. Even King David realized his need for G-d and cried out to G-d to forgive him, and in his weakness he called on G-d when he needed help. If people believe we are naturally good; rather than seeing humans as having a problem with sin, than it seems to follow they would not realize the need we have of G-d to rescue us from our sins and to forgive us of our sins. When we can be honest about our need for G-d; it is a gift because it has the potential of drawing us closer to G-d.
The second question to understanding sin and its relationship to G-d in the Biblical sense, would be to ponder what responsibility do we bear when we sin and whether the consequences of our sin are warranted? In the Old Testament, G-d gave the Israelites laws to follow, as discussed earlier; these were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. In the Mosaic covenant, G-d promises “to make the Israelites his treasured possession among all the people” (Exodus 19:5) and “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6) if they follow G-d’s commandments (Covenant (Biblical). Retrieved from en.m.wikipedia.org). Therefore, in the Bible, G-d spells out to the Israelites there will be consequences for their actions. It is important to understand when considering the responsibility we bear for our sins, to answer the question, why did G-d at times in the Bible respond with anger when the Israelites did not follow His commandments concerning idolatry (as an example)? G-d wanted to make His people Holy; for the Jews to follow His ways and bring up a people who worship Him and respect His commandments. His love for His people is shown by His making a covenant with them, and in order to protect them, He needed to keep His people separate from those who believed in other gods, as these people were committing sins. His anger with them, therefore, is understandable when you consider the consequences of the Israelites allowing unholy people in their lives. We can learn, in the modern day, the expectations G-d has for us from reading about the Israelites (please read my fourth blog). He wants a relationship with us too, and wants us to follow His ways, and He will keep His promises to us when we seek Him and put our faith in Him.
The beauty of a relationship with G-d is He forgives us, our humility when we repent of our sins brings us closer to Him and in relationship with Him. The G-d of the Old Testament loved the Israelites very much; and He loves us in the same way. There were many examples of times when His people cried out to Him for forgiveness; when they submitted humbly to Him, He softened His anger toward them. For example, in 2 Chronicles, “King Hizkiyahu was a king who did what was right from G-d’s perspective” (2 Chronicles 29:2 Complete Jewish Bible); however he had grown proud and took an unfavorable action in the eyes of G-d, and brought anger from G-d onto Judah and Jerusalem. Hizkiyahu and the people of Jerusalem humbled themselves before G-d; and G-d heard and did not strike the people of Judah or Jerusalem during the lifetime of King Hizkiyahu (2 Chronicles 32:25-26 CJB). King Yoshiyahu also obeyed G-d and he humbled himself and asked for forgiveness for the Israelites who were not following His covenant (a scroll of the Torah was found which revealed the King’s people were not following G-d’s ways as outlined in the Torah) (2 Chronicles 34:14-20 CJB). G-d listened to their prayers and gave them grace during the lifetime of Yoshiyahu (2Chronicles 34:27-28 CJB). The point is G-d rewarded their humility; though because they did not honor the covenant, the descendants were held responsible for the sins of their ancestors. The good news is we have a loving G-d who forgives us; and if we pray to Him and are humble to Him; He can forgive us and can help us change our ways, and our hearts can be transformed.
It would seem relevant to consider in this blog, what some religious leaders may be asking at this time, whether the current pandemic has been allowed to happen as a consequence of sin. This question is reasonable because there were times in the Old Testament when people suffered from plagues as a consequence of sin. I want to say emphatically, G-d would never intentionally cause the pandemic to happen or people to suffer because of it. However, if we believe in Biblical truths, we have to ask ourselves in this country whether G-d is allowing the pandemic to happen because we are engaging in sin that could be affecting our relationship with Him. G-d loves us and will forgive us of our sins when we sincerely repent of them, as He very much wants us to seek Him for forgiveness. We can also ask G-d, regarding the pandemic, “what is He trying to say to us,” as the Rabbi suggested at the congregation I attend, this question will help us make sure we are doing everything possible to grow in relationship with Him.
In conclusion, the ways of the Bible, even though written thousands years ago, have so much to do with our lives today. We can either choose to follow G-d or man. Personally, I am thankful we have a forgiving G-d who loves us. I have found in times of struggling, when I focus on the world and not on G-d, life can be painful. Furthermore, I am only truly fulfilled when focusing on Him and following His ways. Following Him does not mean we will live a life free of pain as we live in a broken world. Also, we all struggle with sin because we are human. However, G-d will make our hearts pure by following His ways and by forgiving us. To those who struggle with scrupulosity, an anxiety condition, where one never feels freely forgiven of sins, G-d does forgive you of your sins; and this article is not to increase people’s guilt about sins they have committed. G-d is very forgiving; and if we ask He will forgive us; even if we do not feel like He has.
The relationship of G-d through the Messiah is a way for us not be alone; because often in the world we are alone. And this relationship is much more important than anything the world gives us. I pray for those of you who are uncertain about G-d or the Messiah, that you pray to be shown the truth. He will show you as He loves you too. His love is not just for people who believe in Him but He is ready and waiting for those who do not believe to seek Him. May you find Him in these difficult times.