Sin and the Nature of Man (Part 1)
Part I: Destiny
This is a first instalment of what I intend to be a three-part series on my opinions, views and beliefs regarding sin and man's interactions and perceptions of it. What I am writing is going to mostly be from personal experience and observation and will not have been thoroughly researched. All views expressed here are personal. You have been warned.
Because the concept of “sin” in intimately related to the concept of religion, I feel that I must, for the benefit of those who do not know or are uncertain about this, first briefly state what my religion is. I am a Christian, brought up in a Calvinist* denomination and environment, al be it with many secular influences. That is to say, I believe in the Holy Trinity of God (Ha Shem), the Holy Ghost (Ruach ha Kadosh) and Jesus Christ (Yeshua ha Mosiach). I have, however, removed myself from mainstream Christianity (as most people would know it), preferring rather the idea of Messianic Judaism.
For my introduction, I shall share with you my view on fate, destiny and free-will. This view is based on a particular definition of sin, namely the Greek word for it as used by Paul in the New Testament**. In the New Testament, Paul uses the word harmatia to mean “sin”. Literally, it means “missing the target”, as in the sense of archery or shooting. This piece of trivia in itself is not so interesting as in its interpretation. For me, at least, it describes a dualism whereby the world takes its course. The definition implies that there is some target (something you are destined to achieve) and that every action and decision you make is a shot at the target. A shot either hits or misses. A shot hits or misses not by chance, but through deliberation. Every miss removes you further from achieving your target (destiny). A single hit does not fore fill your destiny: a series of correct choices are needed for that. You may have multiple destinies in your life. Indeed, a destiny need not necessarily be some grand apex in your life, but it can be ordinary, mundane and everyday. To me, a destiny is what Ha Shem has planned for your life, big or small. If everyone lives by what is Intended for them, the world would be an exceedingly happy happy place.
But, just as the atheists and agnostics start to object to the notion of being “ruled over” and deprived of a self-will, we come the the flip-side of the dualism. When romantic Westerners speak of destiny, they believe it is some divine plan that will come to pass, bar all opposition. Hence we have notions such as “soul mates” and the like. While I believe that a destiny is necessarily a divine plan, I by no means believe that it will necessarily come to pass. This is exactly because humans have been imbued with free-will. The story of Adam and Eve applies to every single human being on every single day.
Adam and Eve were placed in the paradise of Eden. They lived happy lives, provided that they keep one simple rule. This was the Will of Ha Shem for them. It was their destiny. But by their actions they chose to forsake their destiny, and were subsequently punished. What makes us human is the ability of free choice. Without that, we are merely puppets. If we had no free will, then Ha Shem could simply have set up a pantomime whereby everyone lived happily every after. Why this is not so, I do not know. And what this train of thought implies for Heaven, I also do not know. All I know is that I sit here now, safe and sheltered, but outside the world is a sick and twisted place, despite scarce miracles and positive actions of profound faith. Humans are much more in control of their lives than most would care (or dare) to admit. Everything boils down to choice. Sin. Repentance. Penance. Faith.
So how do we know what is right and wrong so that we may make the choices that will lead us to our destiny? I do not know. If I find out, I promise I shall tell you. But, if it was possible to always clearly distinguish between right and wrong, would our lives not transform into that pantomime I was speaking about? Perhaps the answers to our moral dilemmas must rather come from within ourselves. Perhaps that is the ultimate goal of our lives: for us to reach a level of self-awareness which is so fine tuned that we can foresee the consequences of our actions within a Bigger Plan. I believe that, for Ha Shem, every situation has a right and a wrong outcome, no matter how morally grey the situation may seem to us.
If you look at things this way, you come to the realisation that either our nature adapts to our actions, or our actions adapt to our nature. Put another way, we are controlled by our habits, but also have the capacity to change our habits. It all depends on which choices you exercise. We also find that choosing not to make a choice is in itself a choice. Usually it is not a constructive one.
Before the coming of the Messiah, sin was largely defined by actions relative to a fixed set of rules. For the most part, one could look to the Law of Moses for guidance. This law is, however, insufficient to bring a person to his or her destiny. This is because it is possible to adhere to a set of rules without having love and compassion for others. Also, repentance of the transgression of these laws were difficult. Yeshua ha Mosiach came to teach us that we must listen more closely to find our destiny. That is why we need the Ruach ha Kadosh in our lives. The laws do not fall away, but they are no longer the major (only) indicator of how one should spend your life.
So what is sin? Sin is our actions and inactions which keep us from reaching Ha Shem's Will for our lives. This is not merely macroscopic, but rather boils down to the simplest of things in life: your relationship with your family and friends, your personal well-being, both physical and mental. Your happiness and prosperity. Our destiny (or, rather, destinies), is not some finish line we hope to someday cross (or, if we fail through sin, a race we drop out of). Rather, our destiny is fore filled or not on the day which we die. When we die, we are no longer able to make choices. A person's life will be judge on the choices that person made. Because a person may at any time choose to become attuned to Ha Shem's Message, I am led to believe that his Plan for us is not a static, but changes so that none of our failings are too great to ruin is Plan.
Many times people ask questions about specific moral issues which provides its own answer. These people would like to believe one side of the argument, but the fact that they ask the question means that they doubt themselves when they behave as they would like to believe is correct. If you have to justify something too much, especially towards yourself, you need to consider whether your motifs are pure or not. This point needs a post (or maybe even a book) of its own, but I hope that what I said will help someone somewhere. Learn to listen to Ha Shem. He speaks not in the thunder or the rain, not the hurricane or tornado nor the earthquake, but in the gentle breeze which hardly moves the leafs on the trees.
We can never rid ourselves 100% of sin, but we can choose to walk a path whereby sin will not mean our downfall and whereby we are not ruled by it. The next part in this series will look at the role of sin in the lives of certain prominent Biblical figures.
* Calvinism in South Africa is “purer” than European Calvinism. By “purer”, I mean that the fundamental teachings, beliefs and practises of Calvinism in South Africa resemble more closely those of Calvinism in its original form. This is because we were mostly shielded from the so called Enlightenment of the 19th century.
** There is actually another word which Paul uses: paraptoma, which means “transgression”.
This is a first instalment of what I intend to be a three-part series on my opinions, views and beliefs regarding sin and man's interactions and perceptions of it. What I am writing is going to mostly be from personal experience and observation and will not have been thoroughly researched. All views expressed here are personal. You have been warned.
Because the concept of “sin” in intimately related to the concept of religion, I feel that I must, for the benefit of those who do not know or are uncertain about this, first briefly state what my religion is. I am a Christian, brought up in a Calvinist* denomination and environment, al be it with many secular influences. That is to say, I believe in the Holy Trinity of God (Ha Shem), the Holy Ghost (Ruach ha Kadosh) and Jesus Christ (Yeshua ha Mosiach). I have, however, removed myself from mainstream Christianity (as most people would know it), preferring rather the idea of Messianic Judaism.
For my introduction, I shall share with you my view on fate, destiny and free-will. This view is based on a particular definition of sin, namely the Greek word for it as used by Paul in the New Testament**. In the New Testament, Paul uses the word harmatia to mean “sin”. Literally, it means “missing the target”, as in the sense of archery or shooting. This piece of trivia in itself is not so interesting as in its interpretation. For me, at least, it describes a dualism whereby the world takes its course. The definition implies that there is some target (something you are destined to achieve) and that every action and decision you make is a shot at the target. A shot either hits or misses. A shot hits or misses not by chance, but through deliberation. Every miss removes you further from achieving your target (destiny). A single hit does not fore fill your destiny: a series of correct choices are needed for that. You may have multiple destinies in your life. Indeed, a destiny need not necessarily be some grand apex in your life, but it can be ordinary, mundane and everyday. To me, a destiny is what Ha Shem has planned for your life, big or small. If everyone lives by what is Intended for them, the world would be an exceedingly happy happy place.
But, just as the atheists and agnostics start to object to the notion of being “ruled over” and deprived of a self-will, we come the the flip-side of the dualism. When romantic Westerners speak of destiny, they believe it is some divine plan that will come to pass, bar all opposition. Hence we have notions such as “soul mates” and the like. While I believe that a destiny is necessarily a divine plan, I by no means believe that it will necessarily come to pass. This is exactly because humans have been imbued with free-will. The story of Adam and Eve applies to every single human being on every single day.
Adam and Eve were placed in the paradise of Eden. They lived happy lives, provided that they keep one simple rule. This was the Will of Ha Shem for them. It was their destiny. But by their actions they chose to forsake their destiny, and were subsequently punished. What makes us human is the ability of free choice. Without that, we are merely puppets. If we had no free will, then Ha Shem could simply have set up a pantomime whereby everyone lived happily every after. Why this is not so, I do not know. And what this train of thought implies for Heaven, I also do not know. All I know is that I sit here now, safe and sheltered, but outside the world is a sick and twisted place, despite scarce miracles and positive actions of profound faith. Humans are much more in control of their lives than most would care (or dare) to admit. Everything boils down to choice. Sin. Repentance. Penance. Faith.
So how do we know what is right and wrong so that we may make the choices that will lead us to our destiny? I do not know. If I find out, I promise I shall tell you. But, if it was possible to always clearly distinguish between right and wrong, would our lives not transform into that pantomime I was speaking about? Perhaps the answers to our moral dilemmas must rather come from within ourselves. Perhaps that is the ultimate goal of our lives: for us to reach a level of self-awareness which is so fine tuned that we can foresee the consequences of our actions within a Bigger Plan. I believe that, for Ha Shem, every situation has a right and a wrong outcome, no matter how morally grey the situation may seem to us.
If you look at things this way, you come to the realisation that either our nature adapts to our actions, or our actions adapt to our nature. Put another way, we are controlled by our habits, but also have the capacity to change our habits. It all depends on which choices you exercise. We also find that choosing not to make a choice is in itself a choice. Usually it is not a constructive one.
Before the coming of the Messiah, sin was largely defined by actions relative to a fixed set of rules. For the most part, one could look to the Law of Moses for guidance. This law is, however, insufficient to bring a person to his or her destiny. This is because it is possible to adhere to a set of rules without having love and compassion for others. Also, repentance of the transgression of these laws were difficult. Yeshua ha Mosiach came to teach us that we must listen more closely to find our destiny. That is why we need the Ruach ha Kadosh in our lives. The laws do not fall away, but they are no longer the major (only) indicator of how one should spend your life.
So what is sin? Sin is our actions and inactions which keep us from reaching Ha Shem's Will for our lives. This is not merely macroscopic, but rather boils down to the simplest of things in life: your relationship with your family and friends, your personal well-being, both physical and mental. Your happiness and prosperity. Our destiny (or, rather, destinies), is not some finish line we hope to someday cross (or, if we fail through sin, a race we drop out of). Rather, our destiny is fore filled or not on the day which we die. When we die, we are no longer able to make choices. A person's life will be judge on the choices that person made. Because a person may at any time choose to become attuned to Ha Shem's Message, I am led to believe that his Plan for us is not a static, but changes so that none of our failings are too great to ruin is Plan.
Many times people ask questions about specific moral issues which provides its own answer. These people would like to believe one side of the argument, but the fact that they ask the question means that they doubt themselves when they behave as they would like to believe is correct. If you have to justify something too much, especially towards yourself, you need to consider whether your motifs are pure or not. This point needs a post (or maybe even a book) of its own, but I hope that what I said will help someone somewhere. Learn to listen to Ha Shem. He speaks not in the thunder or the rain, not the hurricane or tornado nor the earthquake, but in the gentle breeze which hardly moves the leafs on the trees.
We can never rid ourselves 100% of sin, but we can choose to walk a path whereby sin will not mean our downfall and whereby we are not ruled by it. The next part in this series will look at the role of sin in the lives of certain prominent Biblical figures.
* Calvinism in South Africa is “purer” than European Calvinism. By “purer”, I mean that the fundamental teachings, beliefs and practises of Calvinism in South Africa resemble more closely those of Calvinism in its original form. This is because we were mostly shielded from the so called Enlightenment of the 19th century.
** There is actually another word which Paul uses: paraptoma, which means “transgression”.
posted by phantom-99w at 09:59
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