Sin/Sinner

We have touched on the definition of “sin” a few times.  Most will see it as “breaking a rule,” but the one verse that actually gives us a definition provides a meaning that is far deeper than this.  If salvation, which we studied above, is based on faith and not works, then being condemned also must relate to something deeper than mere outward activities in the physical world.

The verse is this one, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1John 3:4)  As we have seen before, the phrase “transgression of the law” is a single word in Greek, anomia, and it does not mean “a breaking of the rules,” but rather, “a condition of lawlessness.”  It is a state of being, rather than a guilty disposition due to actions taken or omitted.  It is a matter of the heart and one’s faith, and this state naturally reveals itself outwardly in words and actions.

Similarly, when Christ says, “that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man,” (Mat 15:11) this means that the defilement made apparent is the existing condition of the heart, “for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45)  Furthermore, the words themselves have power, for what we testify becomes true… therefore if our hearts were initially upright, but we had not a testimony that we have overcome the world, our words will instruct our hearts, and our true condition will eventually match that which we speak outwardly, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Mat 12:37)

We must see how a testimony of having overcome sin is vital to our growth, and those under inspiration have said, “Take the word of Christ as your assurance. Has He not invited you to come unto Him? Never allow yourself to talk in a hopeless, discouraged way. If you do you will lose much. By looking at appearances and complaining when difficulties and pressure come, you give evidence of a sickly, enfeebled faith. Talk and act as if your faith was invincible.” [Christ’s Object Lessons, page 146, paragraph 5]  If even Adventists, who have had the benefit of these instructions, do not do this, what hope is there for the world?  By our actions, the saints must show the on-looking universe what sin is, in precisely this way – by showing them the dignity of man when it is absent.

By implication, then, a “sinner” is one who, because of the condition of his heart and the weakness of his testimony, cannot apply the Blood of the Lamb to his life. Remember that the redeemed overcome the powers of the world by these three things: “by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev 12:11) There is no way to recover or “improve” upon this condition… there is no way for a transgressor to evolve into a faithful servant any more than a snake can become a bird.  But we may experience a transformation, which is a very different thing. A transformation is a creative act, and we become adopted (which is a formal procedure, not a gradual process) as “sons of God,” (John 1:12) and this results in an entirely new being, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Cor 5:17)

Torment

This expression only occurs in the New Testament.  Some verses relating to humans that contain this word are: “And in hell [the rich man] lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” (Luke 16:23)

“The same [who receive the Mark of The Beast] shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev 14:10, 11)

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Rev 20:10)

As you can see, understanding this word is important for discussing the state of the dead and the ultimate fate of the sinners.

The word itself means just as one would expect based upon its modern, English use: pain or great discomfort.

The Luke 16 issue is a well-known one to Adventists, and it’s being thoroughly covered in the Baptismal guidebook that I am working on – as it has been covered in a number of other places.  To go over it very briefly, we know that this is a parable, since it is said in several verses that when Christ was with a crowd He always spoke in parables, (Mat 13:34, Mark 4:34) and we know that the audience for the Luke 16 passage consisted of His disciples, some Pharisees, and perhaps various other onlookers. (Luke 16:14)  We know that the name “Lazarus” appearing in the passage does not mean it is not a parable, since names do indeed occur in Biblical parables. (Num 23:7, 24:3)

We know, further, that parables are intended to convey a moral lesson, and frequently involve scenarios that are not literally true. (Mark 4:31, Judges 9:8)  The matter of the rich man’s “torment,” therefore, speaks of a moral condition that will meet its natural end in the lake of fire, when both death and hell are cast into this final place of destruction. (Rev 20:14)

The passage in Revelation 14 is not parabolic, but prophetic.  While it does use symbols, they accurately reflect the events portrayed.  What is important in that passage is that it is never said that a human’s torment goes on forever.  The results are forever; and here the symbol of the “smoke of their torment” is used.  The burning of sacrifices in the Bible is used in such a way in verses like Leviticus 2:16; and the smoke is referred to as “a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto Yahweh.” (Exo 29:18)  The destruction of sinners is the final revelation of the result of transgression to the universe, and this is a lesson that will never be forgotten. (Nah 1:9)  The sinners themselves, however, “‘shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up,’ saith Yahweh of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” (Mal 4:1)

Now in Revelation 20, it appears to be saying that Lucifer, a created being, is tormented for eternity along with the beast and the false prophet.  This is another area where a little understanding of the original helps a bit.  First, there is a comma issue.  The passage in the King James version gives the impression that Lucifer is the subject of the phrase “tormented day and night for ever and ever.”  If we move the comma, however, it reads:

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Rev 20:10)

In other words, the beast and false prophet, that are not creatures at all, but systems, suffer everlasting destruction akin to the “everlasting shame” that some in Daniel’s described judgment face.  As I describe in the relevant The Highway of Holiness section in greater detail, this speaks of an eternal rejection of the principles espoused by these systems, and not the everlasting pain of those individuals involved in those systems.

But, is there justification for shifting the comma?  There is… in the Greek language, the verb “shall be tormented” is plural; it refers not to Lucifer (singular) but to the beast and false prophet (plural).  While it is linguistically possible to include Lucifer along with the beast and false prophet in this “torment,” to do so would be to come into conflict with the stated judgment of Satan as declared by the prophets in earlier books.  “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.” (Ezek 28:18b)  Once again, by harmonizing all the verses that refer to a single incident, we can obtain a complete picture.

Worship

 This word is very important for our understanding of the Book of Revelation.  When people read this word, they immediately get the idea of kneeling before someone or some thing and bowing with a visible sign of deep reverence.  This is a reasonable conclusion, because the word for “worship” indeed comes from a root that means “to bow down,” in Hebrew or “to kiss the hand” in Greek, and in general this is how it is used in Scripture.

It does not only refer to outward signs of reverence, however.  We read, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand…” (Rev 14:9)  We know that men do not generally “worship” kingdoms or organizations, but they give allegiance to them, and pledge themselves to be servants of the principles they espouse.  In this sense, to “worship” a system means to become identified in philosophy with such a system, to come into a state of agreement.  Idolaters “worship the work of their own hands” (Isa 2:8) not because they think their hands have any special power, but because they are in agreement with the power that their image supposedly represents.

Wrath

There is an earthly wrath and a divine wrath, just as there is a distinction between the earthly and heavenly in terms of such matters as love and jealousy.  Knowing how to distinguish the two is a key element of reading the Bible for principle, and drawing from it an accurate picture of the character of Yah.

The Wrath of Yah does not involve hatred or unjust anger.  It is a principle, like His love, that is impartial and always mitigated by as much mercy as possible.  In many cases, as is stated explicitly, the “wrath” of the Almighty is simply His withdrawing His protection for a time so that we can reap the natural consequences of errors. We read, “‘For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee,’ saith Yahweh thy Redeemer.” (Isa 54:7, 8)

Toward His people, the wrath of Yahweh is a corrective force.  We read that “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb 12:11)  Christ also said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent.” (Rev 3:19)

Toward those that are not His people, the wrath of Yahweh is still a merciful act, but it is an active “pouring out,” and the mercy manifests itself differently.  First, it ends the sinful life of those who would only continue to suffer spiritually under the power of the Tempter.  We read of that here: “And Yahweh shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Rev 21:4)

While this passage is referring primarily to the saints, we understand that there will be no more death, sorrow or crying anywhere; the redeemed have no need for sorrow, and the lost have no capacity for it, being destroyed. “We know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now,” (Rom 8:22) but this is only a temporary state until the “new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered [see the entry on this word above], nor come into mind.” (Isa 65:17)

In a secondary sense, the destruction of the wicked is a mercy to the rest of the creation.  As long as there is suffering anywhere in the universe, the sympathy of the redeemed, who have hearts of perfect love, would be pricked by that suffering.  Simply being “in Heaven” does not immunize one to the pain of others.  Christ was in the Eternal Kingdom, and He could not bear the pain of men on earth; He came down in order to make atonement between us and the Father. (Rom 5:11)  The idea, then, that there will be an eternal torture of the lost while the saved ones are either ignorant, insensitive, or comforted by some warped idea of “justice” is simply not a proper reflection of the facts of a holy character.  But if we truly understand the “Wrath” of Yahweh, then all His dealings with humanity make sense, and reflect the perfection of His character.