“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Corinthians 1:17 (ESV)
In our examination of a biblical definition of the gospel, we begin with the truth that God exists. The gospel speaks of the truth of the existence of the biblical God; the God of the Bible. The God who is the creator of the universe, has chosen to reveal Himself through His creation in His inerrant Word: The Bible (Psalm 1; 19; 119).
The second truth of the gospel is that sin exists. What is sin? The Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” 1 John 3:4 says, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”
Sin is not only committing evil against humanity, society, others, or oneself, but also against God. Therefore, the biblical doctrine of God contains a multi-faceted meaning for sin. “Other gods, conceived of as capricious and characterless, exercised unlimited power in unbridled behavior; they engendered no such sense of sin as did Israel’s one God, holy, righteous, and utterly good,” explains the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.
The most frequent biblical words for sin speak of violating the holy character of God. The Hebrew word hata’ and Greek hamartia meant originally “to miss the mark, fail in duty” (Rom 3:23). As Lawgiver, God sets limits to man’s freedom; another frequent term (Hebrew, ’abar; Greek, parabasis) describes sin as “transgression,” “overstepping set limits.”
Other terms include pesha’ (Hebrew), meaning “rebellion,” or “transgression”; ’asham (Hebrew) denotes “trespassing God’s kingly prerogative,” “incurring guilt”; paraptoma (Greek) means “a false step out of the appointed way,” “trespass on forbidden ground.” “Iniquity” often translates ’aon (Hebrew, meaning “perverseness,” “wrongness”), for which the nearest NT equivalent is anomia (Greek, “lawlessness”) or paranomia (Greek, “lawbreaking”).
In the Book of Genesis, sin was a deliberate rebellion against God-given freedom. It was disobedience by Adam of a single prohibition (Gen. 3:1-7), which also affected Adam’s descendants (Romans 5:12-21).
The Prophet Ezekiel stressed the individual’s responsibility for their sin (Ezek. 18). The Prophet Jeremiah explained the need for an inward cleansing if outward behavior is to be reformed; the divine law must come from be within an individual if sin is to be overcome (Jer. 31:29–34; Ezek. 36:24–29).
“Psalm 51 offers a keen analysis of the inner meaning of sin. By affirming “in sin did my mother conceive me,” the psalmist confessed that his life had been sinful from the first. His whole personality needed “purging”; he was defiled. Ritual sacrifices offer no solution. Only a broken, contrite heart can prepare a sinner for God’s cleansing. The only hope, the sole ground of appeal, lies in God’s steadfast love and abundant mercy. In spite of its rigorous view of sin, the OT also contains gracious assurance of forgiveness (Ps 103:8–14 Isaiah 1:18; 55:6–7),” states the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.
There does seem to be much good news in examining the reality of sin. However, there is more to come. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 