Bible Doctrine (Hamartiology)

By Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD

GOLDEN TEXT.

1 Timothy 4:16 16Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

LESSON NOTES:

     I.            WHAT DOES HAMARTIOLOGY MEAN? Hamartiology is derived from the Greek word "Hamartia" meaning sin. 

II.            DEFINITIONS.

A.             SIN DEFINED. Sin is a volitional transgression against God and a lack of conformity to the will of God. 

B. TRANSGRESSION. To step over God’s boundaries. 

Proverbs 13:15 15Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.

C. INIQUITY. To be wicked. 

Isaiah 59:2 2But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

D. COMMISSION. To do what God told you not to do. 

E.  OMISSION. To fail to do what God told you to do. 

James 4:17 17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

III.            THE ORIGIN OF SIN. Sin, the Bible teaches, began in the angelic world 

Ezekiel 28:11-19 11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

Isaiah 14:12-20 12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 18All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 19But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. 20Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

Luke 10:18 18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Revelation 12:7-8 7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

IV.            HOW DOES SIN PASS TO HUMANS? Sin is transmitted into the blood of the human race through disobedience and deception; motivated by unbelief.

Hebrews 3:12 12Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

IV.            ADAM’S ROLE IN SIN. Adam's sin, committed by eating of the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil earned with it a permanent pollution or depraved human nature to all his descendants. 

V.            ADAMS SIN IS CALLED “ORIGINAL SIN.”

A.             BECAUSE IT WAS TRANSMITTED FROM THE HEAD OF THE HUMAN RACE.

Romans 5:12 12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

B. BECAUSE IT IS PRESENT IN THE LIFE OF ALL FROM BIRTH.

Psalm 51:5 5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

John 3:3 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

C. BECAUSE IT MOTIVATES ALL ACTUAL SINS. 

Romans 3:23 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

D. THIS SIN IS NOT IMPUTED (OR ONLY ACCOUNTED) TO US BUT INHERITED; therefore, in Adam all humans are guilty and liable to the punishment of death.

Romans 5:12. Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death passed unto all men, for all that sinned.

V.            THE RESULTS OF ORIGINAL SIN.

A.             TOTAL DEPRAVITY (CORRUPTION) OF HUMAN NATURE. 

I Corinthians 2:12

II Corinthians 1:9; 5:17 

Romans 3:10-12; 5:12

Genesis 2:17

Ephesians 2:1-3, 12

Jeremiah 13:23

Psalm 51:5

John 3:3, 19; 5:21; 6:53; 14:16 

Job 14:14

Matthew 11:25

Proverbs 30:12

Acts 13:41

B. BROKEN COMMUNION WITH GOD AND HIS HOLY SPIRIT 

Ephesians 2:1 1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Ephesians 4:18 18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Ephesians 5:12 12For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

C. SHAME AND GUILT 

Genesis 3:7-12 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

D. SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL DEATH. 

Genesis 3:19 19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

E.  ADAM AND EVE WERE DRIVEN FROM THEIR RESIDENCE. 

Genesis 3:24 24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

VI.            CURRENT STATE OF HUMANITY. Humans by nature, are sinful and are fallen from a glorious and righteous state from which they was created, and have become unrighteous and unholy. 

VII.            YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. Humans, therefore, must be restored to a state of holiness from which they have fallen by being born again. 

John 3:7 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

VIII.            PRAYER FOR SALVATION. As we close, if you have not received this Jesus pray this simple prayer:

"Father, I know that I have sinned against You. Please forgive me. Wash me clean. I promise to trust in Jesus, Your Son. I believe that He died for me—He took my sin upon Himself when He died on the cross. I believe that He was raised from the dead. I surrender my life to Jesus today.

"Thank You, Father, for Your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Please help me to live for you. In Jesus' name, Amen."