StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Sin Separates Us from God - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Sin Separates Us from God" highlights that the doctrine about God’s hatred for sin is important for Christians to act justly in all aspects of life. They learn what God says about Justice, and the punishment related to the offenses associated with acting unjustly…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.2% of users find it useful
Sin Separates Us from God
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Sin Separates Us from God"

Final Reflection Paper Introduction In general terms, the is of great importance to the Abrahamic faiths, and more so to the Christians. It is notably a good source of knowledge about God’s creation, the views of mankind on this creation, and how it is related to the worldly concepts. The course also provides an exposition to biblical books and what the contents of such books are of importance when dealing with issues that affect human beings. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd reflections of the course are a major step in guiding humanity to consider issues such as peace, justice, morality, mercy, and redemption as God-given, rather than as mere ideas formulated by religions. I consider the 2nd reflection as the most significant of the three with the reason that it builds the foundation of Christian understanding that were it not for Christ’s sacrifice, mankind could have perished in sin. It is through Christ’s redemption that all these things such as peace, forgiveness, justice, and life were granted to us. Considering that Christianity is the major religion in focus, all issues addressed in the course are based on the fact that all human beings are created in God’s image and thus have to do what is expected of them by God and what pleases him most. No person is superior to another and that guarantees equality in all spheres of life. Violating human rights as well as disrespecting others is sinful and against the teachings of Christ. Generally, all religions have some principles and beliefs that may be in common regarding humanity, thus they should act in unison to establish peace and seek for justice whenever necessary (Moore 440). The course has also taught me the biggest lesson that for all the above to be achieved, each individual has an obligation to act responsibly and account for his or her action. Self respect, morality, and repentance are the building blocks of peaceful co-existence. How the Christian doctrine, “God hates sin” provides resources that help Christians to respond to the global concern of Justice In one way or another, every human being has sinned against God, straight from the time of Creation in Genesis. Several Biblical teachings act as resources for teaching believers that God really hate sin and he punishes evil deeds. This is seen from Lot’s story when God turned her into a salt pillar on her way from Sodom. This was due to the crime of a backward glance, according to chapter 19 of Genesis. When a Christian reads this story, he gets to question himself if the act of turning back to look at her home really deserved a death punishment. Similarly, in Acts 5, when Ananias and Sapphira lied to the apostles, God stroke them to death in the midst of the entire church. Believers tend to struggle to get an understanding on how something that seems so minor could result into a severe judgment. One of the most fundamental tenets of justice is that the given punishment must be in line with the crime committed. This reminds Christians that God hates sin and that their actions qualify them for eternal sentence of sin. According to the doctrine, “God hates sin,” sin is any act of treason against the only judge of the universe and the sovereign lawgiver. Sin is described as ungodliness, rebellion, wickedness, abomination, ad lawlessness. In this sense therefore, sinners are traitors, who refuse to think, love, obey, and serve God who endowed them with breath, life, and everything on earth (Tiessen 249). Those who sin spurn the love of God, despise his sovereignty, look at his commandments with contempt, and mock his justice. God finds our sins morally revolting, cruel, monstrous, issues that are a reality. If people cannot view their sins the way God views them, then it stands to reason that they do not see the just judgment the way he sees it. Clearly, Christians live by this established principle that the seriousness of an offense is measured by its inherent nature as well as by the one offended. Our sins have offended a holy and glorious being and thus we must be punished in accordance to the crime. This shows Christians that God will by no means acquit the wicked, but gives the unbeliever what he really deserves. Prophet Isaiah commended, “Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, for what he deserves will be done to him” (“Isaiah 3:11”). We are warned that if we do not obey God, but act with hostility against him, he will also act with hostility against us and punish us seven times for our sins. We are therefore helped by this doctrine of how God hates and punishes sin, thus we have to obey and act in accordance to his commands so that his wrath cannot be upon us. Christians are also reminded to do good since the righteous judge of the entire earth will some day ascent and call every creature to account for his or her sins. He will open the books and rule out a just sentence for each sinful though, deed, and word. The best way for christens to respond to the above doctrine is to be baptized and to repent their sins. To escape the eternal wrath and penalty of God for sin, people must repent so that they can lead a more fulfilled, happier, and blessed life. It is true that thoughts give rise to deeds, and thus God shows us that not only are our actions wrong, but also our deeds. The book of proverbs chapter 31 teaches Christians about justice and the importance of judging righteously, as well as defending the rights of the needy and the afflicted. Several other Biblical teachings make it clear that every individual has a God-given mandate to liberty and life, which includes the freedom from affliction and oppression, whether at the hands of natural or human forces. Fortman argues that every human being and society leaders in particular, is given a moral duty by God to protect fellow individuals from social injustices. The doctrine about God’ hatred for sin is important for Christians to act justly in all aspects of life. They learn what God says about Justice, and the punishment related to the offenses associated with acting unjustly. For instance, it encourages them to be at the forefront to promote state-sponsored, conservative, and democratic values. They also employ Biblical and just values of protecting private ownership and properly rights, maintaining a less but efficient bureaucracy, developing a strong work local and a free market economy, defense of the traditional family, and the rights of the infirmed and unborn, while promoting religious tolerance and free speech. Conclusion Having known that sin separates us from God, Christians through this course get aware of the existing public injustices and evils that must be rectified. However, each one of us has a duty to keep our responsibilities right. The prime need of man to reconcile with God through faith in his son Christ is the only way in which the root cause of injustice can be adequately addressed. Christians should be cautious not to stick to questionable validity because not all social actions are positive and good even though they spring from genuine and good intentions. Righteousness and justice are part of the way of life that God expects us to abide by as his creation. This originates from the kind of character which humans possess, and it in turn reflects what God himself is and the way he acts. Justice is basically the outworking of this way of life and how we relate with others. It is thus mandatory to repent our sins and lead a practical life full of justly deeds in accordance to God’s will. Works Cited Fortman, Bas de Gaay. “Religion and Human Rights: A Dialectical Relationship.” e-International Relations. e-IR Publications Ltd, 5 Dec. 2011. Web. 2 June 2013. “Isaiah 3:11.” Bible Hub. Biblos.com, n.d. Web. 3 May 2013. Moore, James F. "Re-envisioning Christianity: A new era in Christian theological interpretation of Christian texts." Cross currents, 50.4 (2000): 437-447. Print. Tiessen, Terry. "God's Work of Grace in the Context of the Religions." Evangelical review of theology, 27.3 (2003): 247-267. Print. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Final Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1479582-final-reflection-paper
(Final Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1479582-final-reflection-paper.
“Final Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/religion-and-theology/1479582-final-reflection-paper.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Sin Separates Us from God

Deity, Supernatural Beings, And Humanity In Mythology

god then created a beautiful garden Eden so that Adam could live in it.... god then brought animals into the garden so that Adam can name them.... However, seeing his loneliness and lack of company god created the first woman and named him Eve.... Adam and Eve were forbidden by god to touch it.... They failed to obey the order of god and this instilled in their minds a sense of guilt.... When god asked Adam if he has eaten the fruit he put the blame on Eve....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

A Matter of Faith: Is Mormonism Christian

Instead, he was visited by god himself and his son, in the flesh.... It offered things that some believers could not previously find answers for, new revelations, denial of original sin, and the potential for man to obtain perfection, become more god-like.... There is a multitude of religions from all over the world that people place their faith in, many diametrically differ from many others.... That said, the argument is a good one from both sides of the issue....
7 Pages (1750 words) Term Paper

Converting my Catholic Neighbor

I would argue contrary to the catholic beliefs by convincing them that the universe is a product of the works of two gods; the good god plus the Evil god.... I would argue contrary to the catholic beliefs by convincing them that the universe is a product of the works of two gods; the good god plus the Evil god.... For example, I would tell them that the current world sufferings emanate from the god of evil and that a good god is not responsible for the creation of such a world full of suffering (Warner 2007)....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Religions of the World

The difference between the goals of these two religions, though, is that followers of the Christian faith strive to become Godlike so that they can bridge the wide chasm that separates them from god as a result of the sinful nature of humankind (“The basics of Christian beliefs”).... Humans are born naturally apart from god due to their inherent sin.... Mormons strive to conduct their lives in ways that reflect the characteristics of god....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

The Image of God in Man: Sin Corrupted That Image

The author of the following paper under the title "The Image of god in Man: Sin Corrupted That Image" will begin with the statement that according to the Christian account of creation, as recorded in the book of Genesis, god created man in his own image.... What exactly does it mean to say that man is created in the image and likeness of god?... The notion of man being the image of god obviously indicates the presence of god in every individual human person....
17 Pages (4250 words) Essay

Comparison of Christianity and Buddhism as Universal Religions

uddhists believe in no god.... For the Buddhists, a supreme god is not known.... In addition, Buddhism believes in no creator, omnipotent or omnipresent god.... This implies that god does not exist.... Christians, on the other hand, believe that there is a god who is all-loving and all Christians must have a relationship with Him.... However, the existence of a loving and caring god to the Buddhists reflects ignorance....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Gods Commands in the Old Testament

From the paper "god's Commands in the Old Testament", the passage from Deuteronomy 6: 1-9 falls within the category of Law Books, called the Torah.... The unique characteristic of the Torah, in general, is that the books major contains events that are characterized by god's instructions to humankind.... Most part of the first five books of the Bible, of which Deuteronomy 6: 1-9 is a part, have to do with god's instructions for mankind.... They record the kind of relationship god was trying to establish with humankind based on decrees, commandments, and laws....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

St. Augustine's Theology of Grace

His well-reputed work, under the title 'The Confessions', reveals the very facts about his conversion from paganism to Manichaean and further to Christianity subsequently, which he declares to be happened by the grace of god.... Similarly, his 'the City of god' throws light on the notions the original sin, theology of grace, free will and others that serve as the guiding light for the intellectual development of the future generations to come.... Catechumens, outsiders contemplating entrance, continued to be only fringe members of the community; it was still the custom to exclude them from the communion service of the liturgy....
14 Pages (3500 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us