What is sin?

 “In the middle of the garden stood the tree that gives life and the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad…’You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.’” (Genesis 2:16-17 GNB)

 “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. The huge dragon was thrown out--- that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

 “God, who is the Creator of all things, kept his secret hidden through all the past ages, in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms.” (Ephesians 3:9-10 GNB)  We are a “spectacle for the whole world of angels…” (1 Peter 1:12 GNB)  The Good News is referred to as “things which even the angels would like to understand.” (1 Corinthians 4:9 GNB)

 “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. The huge dragon was thrown out--- that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

 “polemos”  “polemics” – the art or practice of argumentation or controversy  “politics”

 “Now the snake was the most cunning animal that the LORD God had made. The snake asked the woman, ‘Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1 GNB)  “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden…” (Genesis 2:16 GNB)

 “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,’ the woman replied. ‘It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” (Genesis 3:2-3 NLT)

 “There is a notable change between what the Lord God had said and what the woman says. God said ‘you may freely eat’, but the woman omits the emphatic infinitive, saying simply, ‘we may eat.’ Her words do not reflect the sense of eating to her heart’s content.”  NET Bible footnotes

 “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,’ the woman replied. ‘It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” (Genesis 3:2-3)  “The snake replied, ‘That’s not true; you will not die..’” (Genesis 3:2-4)  “A blatant negation equal to saying: ‘Not – you will surely die.” (NET Bible footnote)

 “God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.” (Genesis 3:5 GNB)

 “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Then the LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:8- 9 NLT)

 “He replied, ‘I heard You walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’” (Genesis 3:10 NLT)  Crafty: ‛a ̂ ru ̂ m, aw-room‘  Naked: ‛e ̂ ro ̂ m, ay-rome', ay-rome'

 “From the very beginning he was a murderer and has never been on the side of truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies.” (John 8:44)

 Headache and fever….

 Breaking the rules?  “…anything that is not based on faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23, GNB)

 “Abram put his trust in the LORD, and because of this the LORD was pleased with him and accepted him.” (Genesis 15:6 GNB)

 Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God’s law, because sin is a breaking of the law. (1 John 3:4 GNB)  “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4 NKJV)  “nomia” = law  “anomia” = lawlessness

 “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (James 4:17 NLT)

 A believed lie about God’s character  “Eternal life is to know you…I have finished the work you gave me to do…I revealed your character to the men and women you gave me.” (John 17:3-6)  Broken love and trust  “Righteousness by faith”  Rebellious actions, fear, selfishness, “sinful behavior”  “What good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it?” (James 2:14)

 A believed lie about God’s character  Broken love and trust  Rebellious actions, fear, selfishness, “sinful behavior”

 “How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, while the inside is full of what you have gotten by violence and selfishness. Blind Pharisee! Clean what is inside the cup first, and then the outside will be clean too! How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins.” (Matthew 23:25-28 GNB)

 A believed lie about God’s character leading to broken love and trust  Bacterial infection of the meninges  Rebellious actions, fear, selfishness, “sinful behavior”  Symptoms of headache, fever, neck stiffness

 “This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed” (Romans 3:25 NASB)  “He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well.” (Isaiah 53:4-5 CEV)