Sinner

Have you ever ignored your conscience and either did something you knew you shouldn't, or didn't do something you knew you should? If so, you know what being a sinner feels like. My wild, uneducated guess is that, if there were no immediate apparent negative consequences from your decision to ignore your conscience, you thought nothing more of it. But that, to a Christian, would be sin.

Please explain the concept of being a sinner to me and why we are deemed evil and unworthy and in need of a saviour, I don't understand this concept.

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I've skimmed through this thread and thought I might add a few thoughts:

1. It might be better to say, in regard to their moral condition, that Adam and Eve were innocent rather than perfect. There is only One who is truly perfect, who is God.

2. I have used the following analogy a few times, but it seems it would be pertinent to the line of questioning of the OP:

Imagine a wood carver makes a carving knife. It must be strong and sharp so that it might carve wood well. Such a knife, however, in being able to carve wood also necessarily possesses the potential to cut and pierce human flesh. The intent of the maker of the knife is that it would be used solely to carve wood, but it is impossible to make such a tool without imparting to it the capacity to carve human flesh as well. If someone takes the carver's knife and stabs another person with it, he has exercised the knife's potential for human harm against the intent of the wood carver who made it. Likewise, God has given us the capacity to choose to do what is good and right. But that capacity to choose the good and right also necessarily entails the capacity to do what is evil. Just like the carving knife cannot be made able to carve wood without being able also to carve human flesh, we cannot be made able to choose what is right without being able also to choose what is wrong. And just like the wood carver's intent is that the knife he makes be used to a constructive, creative purpose, God's intent in giving us free will is that we would use it to choose a constructive moral purpose. We may exercise our free will against the intent of our Maker but that no more makes Him guilty of our sin than a person stealing the wood carver's knife to stab someone makes the wood carver guilty of the stabbing.

You are a sinner, not in comparison to the humans around you, but by the assessment of the perfectly holy God who made you. You (and all the rest of us) do not measure up to God's perfect moral standard. As the Bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Since God is just, He must judge and punish our sin, and His judgement is dire. God is certainly within His rights to cast every sinner into eternal punishment in hell, but, fortunately, He is also a loving and compassionate God. His love for us compelled Him to make a way for us to escape the eternal damnation our sin is due. That way of escape is the Saviour, Jesus Christ the Righteous. Through his atoning sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, Jesus made a way for you (and all sinners) to escape the eternal penalty of their sin. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Selah.

ConfuseddotCom said:

Please explain the concept of being a sinner to me and why we are deemed evil and unworthy and in need of a saviour, I don't understand this concept.

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Based on past interactions with atheists, I don't think I'm going to take the bait this time.

All I'll say is, if you're sincere in your question, then pick up a Bible and read Romans 5. It answers this question in detail.

If not, then do whatever you want.

ConfuseddotCom said:

Please explain the concept of being a sinner to me and why we are deemed evil and unworthy and in need of a saviour, I don't understand this concept.

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Ill explain in very few words : Our Creator is the epitomie of holiness, sacredness, morality, and purity . Due to our willful rebellion to him and his loving moral mandates to live by, we have become the opposite . An honest and careful examination of ourselves reveals a very dark side to our personality...this is called Sin which means missing the mark which is Gods character and will for our lives. Left like this, when eternity starts right after our earthly life is over, we would not be reconciled to God but separated forever because he cannot freely receive the way we are given his supreme justice . Therefore , the only solution was for him to send Christ his Son to live the life that we couldn't in perfect holiness and to become a living sacrifice for all of mankind. This bought our redemption in Gods eyes and if we make Jesus our King and Saviour of our sins , then God is pleased . God is further pleased because after we do that, we will have such gratitude well up in us if we've done it sincerely that we will want to live in a righteous manner serving God and Others in love . In addition, we will want to turn from lifestyle sins that grieve God . In short, we become a NEW creation reborn in Christ with Gods actual power and presence living in our very Soul. Its an inward reception that is demonstrated in outward living . Being MADE RIGHT in Gods eyes thru his Son, we have assurance that we are fine with God and that we will spend eternity with him in safety and an existence so incredible it cant be put into human terms.

Do you want this ? If so, then it requires a surrender of your Will to receive the righteousness of CHrist upon you . Many people wont do that because they think it asks too much of them. , so , they live their lives with SELF being on their throne of life instead of Gods rightful place. If you want to get right with God, its done essentially as Romans 10:8-12 says followed by your willingness to turn from lifestyle sinning and by asking for Gods power to consume your Soul and life. And, he will do that for you as he has for billions thruout time.

ConfuseddotCom said:

Thanks for the Gospel message, but as a former Christian I am already aware of it. Your post does not answer the question I asked. I didn't ask for a transcript of the Gospel message!!!

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You say you were a "former Christian", an Unbiblical idea, and yet, you've shown in this thread that you don't know what original sin is, you don't know what regeneration is, and you don't know what invincible ignorance is.

Maybe it's time for you to stop insisting you know the Gospel and listen politely to those people here who are trying to answer the question you asked.

Also, I've already asked you to stop PMing me. Next one and you get reported for harassment.

ConfuseddotCom said:

You are the one who came into my thread just to tell me you weren't going to respond.

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No, what I said was that I wasn't going to take the bait, not that I wasn't going to respond.

If you recall, I even cited a passage of scripture for you that answers your question in detail.

Clearly, you didn't read it and, clearly, my suspicions about you and your motives were correct.

ConfuseddotCom said:

So God makes the rules and then makes us to ensure we break them so we beg him for help, that seems very self centred of God.

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Ultimately, God is very self-centered. You seem to think it a bad thing.

(Full disclosure: I am baiting you, in a nice way and with good intent.)

ConfuseddotCom said:

But God made us with that freewill, therefore He made sin!

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Confused,

Allow me a bit of philosophizing; it may help a bit.

For A to exist in any meaningful way, there must be a NOT A. Otherwise A is just another word for "everything".

Christians believe God exists. For this to mean something other than everything is God, there must be something NOT God. What is not God is what we call sin or evil. So, in a sense God's existence does cause NOT God, i.e. sin, to exist.

Sure hope this doesn't inspire you to rename yourself VeryConfusedDotCom

BTW, I really like your questions.

ConfuseddotCom said:

Whatever!!!

Thanks to everyone else that responded with constructive answers, these are much appreciated.

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In what way do you believe the chapter I cited for you, the one which answers your question in detail, is "not productive"?

South Bound said:

In what way do you believe the chapter I cited for you, the one which answers your question in detail, is "not productive"?

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Can I suggest an answer to this question? This person is clearly not responding to you in a productive way, and I am certain it is not the way you wish.

Dear ConfuseddotCome. We are all sinners, because we are selfish and always want our own wishes and wants. What God wants from us is: "Love God
with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds. Secondly: love our neighbour as we love ourselves." In Matthew 22: 35-40: Jesus tells us:
the first and great Commandment is: Love God first with all our beings, and then love our neighbour, as we love ourselves. In verse 40, Jesus tells us:
" On these two Commandments hang all the Law and all the Prophets." Love shown and love given, is very important to God our Heavenly Father.
We start by asking God for Love and Joy, then thank God and share all Love and Joy with our neighbour. (Matthew 7: 7-10, ask and you shall receive)
We keep asking for Love and Joy, then thank God and share all Love and Joy with all around us. God will see our loving efforts, and God will approve and bless us. A Christian`s strong weapon is Love and Joy, and with love we will overcome all anger and wrong behaviour. Love is also very catching, and we will find that people around us, will treat us the same as we treat people.
The Bible tells us: "Repent and be Born Again," we change our selfish wishes and wants for: loving and caring and the occasional helping hand.
The Holy Spirit will help and guide us, and Jesus our Saviour will lead us on our way: JESUS IS THE WAY. Ask and receive will change us into sons and daughters which God wants us to be, then we share all Love and Joy with our neighbour. If we keep doing this sincerely, we will change into sign-posts to
God our Heavenly Father. I say this with love, Confuseddotcome.
Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

ConfuseddotCom said:

Please explain the concept of being a sinner to me and why we are deemed evil and unworthy and in need of a saviour, I don't understand this concept.

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Freewill simultaneously means division. Freewill but without division is a square circle. When you are given the choice of 1 and 2, you will have the ability to choice either 1 or 2. Then some will choose 1 while others will choose 2 in a pool of free wills.

Sinning is the breaking of God's Law, as a result of free will. Adam broke the Law and was driven out of Eden (a realm of God). Once Adam was driven out, humans are no longer living in the realm of God. Humans however are given the second chance to return to God's realm (Heaven).

Law to a certain extent, acts as a measurement to see who can be qualified to re-enter heaven. Without God's grace however, it is expected that no one (who are outside God's realm) can make it pass the judgment of Law. That's why we are all sinners (law breakers when judged by God's Law).

ConfuseddotCom said:

Please explain the concept of being a sinner to me and why we are deemed evil and unworthy and in need of a saviour, I don't understand this concept.

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MY FRIEND,

To quickly grasp the understanding of the answer to your question:

#1. Read the morning paper and/or watch the evening news.

#2. After praying honestly to God for self knowledge and understanding, spend ample time delving within your own heart to come to an understanding of the real you residing therein.

#3. Ask God to hook you up with His Son as your much needed (if you are completely honest!) Savior, and thankfully surrender when He arrives.

A GREATFUL SINNER,
ephraim

I sometimes like to think of sin in terms of it being a disease; A deadly disease for which there is no cure. When Adam and Eve elected to allow sin to enter into the world, they exposed all of us to the effects of that sin - all of us, no one is immune (well, okay there was this one guy). We are all exposed, vulnerable, literally surrounded by the stuff and it's killing us! Now we can fuss about whether that's fair or whether that's not fair, and maybe it is and maybe it isn't, but the truth is it really doesn't matter. That sin runs rampant in this world is evident (to me anyway) by viewing any newscast on any given day. It's just the way it is and deciding whether or not that's fair isn't going to help us anymore then deciding whether or not it's fair that someone contracts a deadly disease by getting on a cruise ship which had been infested through no fault of their own. What we don't need is fairness, what we do need is help.

That's the bad news. What's the good news is that although God tells us our disease is incurable in this world, he also tells us that it's manageable in this world and curable in the next:

Romans 6:23 (NIV) said:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Think of it (and then I promise I'll let go of the metaphor) sort of as how some sick people are able resist the effects of their disease and to continue to feel well by receiving blood transfusions from healthy donors. For this disease there is only one healthy donor - our savior Jesus, who's donated every last drop of his blood so that we all might be saved.

Just my $0.02