SIN: Psalm 51, Part 2

Study of Sin

WELCOME PRAYER SONG SILENCE

Psalm 51 – part II “SinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace.” May 11th 2025

Okay, last week we started-in on a study about Sin, prompted by David saying in Psalm 51:2-5

Psalm 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

We worked through the idea of sin being eternal because God is eternal, the very mark we seek to know, please and follow and so whatever is not Him, not His will, not part of what He wants – is sin. This idea was substantiated in the first verses of Genesis and added the notion of the Hellenistic understanding of sin being defined by the word, “harmartia” which means, missing the mark. So, at this juncture I want you to imagine the bullseye of a large dart board hanging on the wall of a den or bar. Try and see all the areas that expand out from that bulls eye-white center, red areas, green areas and thick black rings that radiate all the way out to the furthest point from the bullseye, a ring, creating the furthest distance from truth. Got that in your head. We are going to come back to it, but I want you to see hitting that bullseye as ONLY possible – ONLY POSSIBLE – for

The Role of the Nation of Israel

a member of the Nation of Israel to whom the Law was given to bring that specific Nation forth in such a way that it could serve as the portal through which their Messiah could come, and that That promised Messiah would take all that God had them do to please Him and He replaced all of it – all of it – with Faith and Love. It certainly does not represent God entirely and to assume it does or that keeping it is equivalent to becoming like God is one of the biggest errors a person of faith can have. Again, we will speak more on this barroom bullseye model later.

Understanding Free Will and Sin

The point of what the Law really is and does it, in my estimation, is I suggest it is the only way a “good and loving God” could and would orchestrate the ways and means of His human creations made in His image bar no other when all elements of mortal life are considered. It that is too much for you, and you think that God was irresponsible in this or that He gave the first couple a Law that they couldn’t obey, or that His foreknowledge of things diminishes Him somehow, you might look at the spiritual realm that God created and what He freely allowed all of it to do, choose, become and be. I mean, where on earth (or in heaven) did the serpent come from? Do you want to believe that the good God created Him to miss the mark or was the serpent simply spiritual evidence of God giving all of His creations free will? I prefer the latter point of view. Again, what about angels that He created for the heavenly economy? How did they “fall” or “rebel” against Him when they were in His very presence and could even “see” or actually “know” of Him? Then look on down the line of human history – was the Good God determining all the evil acts that has occurred on earth by the hands of human beings or were these simply more of God’s creations CHOOSING to miss His Mark? Think before you assign evil to our Maker. Think about every facet that could possibly be involved in the Dark, sinful, mark-missing-actions of everything our Good God has created and given freewill, right? Excepting His creations that act in ways that seem to lack such liberty – for whatever reason.

The Eternal Option of Missing the Mark

So, from before the very beginning of all things before us, all things in our heaven and earth, and then in humans beings made in His image, through a Nation He elected, we have a constant solid platinum cold wire of sin exposed in the face of self-driven, free-willed existence. We are going to continue on from the Garden and talk about sin – and ultimately the solution to what appears to be ubiquitous Sin but thus far we have some basic assumptions, including:

GRAPHIC PLEASE

Missing the mark is an eternal option

The Nature of Free Will

God established this possibility in our first parents and validates the nature of free-will agents to choose their own will over His. And these facts PROVE the goodness of God – that His love is manifested in every expression of evil and sin that chooses to miss His Mark. In the fact that He allows all free-will creatures to constantly choose; And in the garden setting He proves this by the make-up of the first parents AND by the offering to them of two distinct trees – one whose fruit leads to LIFE and one whose fruit leads to DEATHSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God..

So, here we are faced with principles upon which every sentient human being are constantly seeking and choosing:

GRAPHIC

LIFE or DEATH ETERNAL or TEMPORAL LIGHT or DARK ILLUMINATING or OBFUSCATING ENCOURAGING or DISCOURANGING SELFLESS or EGO-DRIVEN SACRIFICIAL (giving) or SELFISH INSUFFERABLE or IMPATIENT LIBERATING or CAPTIVE-TAKING FREE or IN-BONDAGE-TO

And in the end, “Him” (alone) or Sin. IF it’s Him AND – its IDOLATRY (sin).

The Central Focus

NO THING CAN BE ADDED TO THE BULLSEYE. NOTHING CAN BE USED TO DIMINISH, REWORK, REORDER, DISSOLVE, REFRAME HIM ALONE. Not the Bible. Not religion. Not humans. Not logic.

He is the white flat circular focus of our will and ways – or not. And herein lies the key, my friends, HIM AND ALL OF HIM . . . or sin.

So we come to another period in biblical history – from CAIN to MOSES.

It was a time where humankind was only able to live and respond to conscience as their law. Because of this, God saw the ways of Man as sinful for the most part, but He typically did not hold humanities ways against them. Typically.

Paul’s Teachings in Athens

In Acts 14:16 Paul preaches that in “their past” God suffered the nations to walk in their own ways. And then in Acts 17 we read of Paul where it describes him arguing with Jews in Athens, as it reads

Acts 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. 17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. 18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Yeshua, and the resurrection. 19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? 20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. 21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)

Man, there really is nothing new under the sun is there?

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, “Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”

The Areopagus

Now, here is the backstory of this place called the Aeropagus and the people/judges there known as Aeropagites. “The Areopagus” refers to both a specific hill in Athens, Greece, and a historic council that met on that hill. The name, meaning “hill of Ares,” is derived from the Greek god of war. This council, once composed of ex-archons, played a significant role in ancient Athenian society, particularly in matters of justice and religious oversight.

In ancient Athens, an “archon” was the chief magistrate, and initially there were three primary archons: the Eponymous Archon, who was the chief magistrate the Polemarch, who was responsible for military matters and the Archon Basileus, who overseen the religious stuff. You will note the term archon comes from the term, “archae” which means first, primary and above all other things and that I maintain that Christ alone is the Archon and nothing is above or shared by Him.

So Paul is here on The Areopagus Hill which was a rocky hill located west of the Acropolis in Athens and it was there where the Greeks would both worship and debate and hold court. Fascinatingly, the Athenians named this Hill “the rock” and

The Nature of God and Humanity

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Meaning we humans are made in His image, originally, but turned, as His freewill offspring, to become more like animals, serving our own will instead of Him. Then Paul adds Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:

The Role of the Law

(WHY?) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the oikonomea (it says world in the KJV) in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. While so rife with meaning and purpose this speech, I wanted to point it out where that God once winked at the human ignorance and idolatry that this speaks directly to the time from Cain to Moses in addition to His view of the whole Gentile world up until the time of fulfillment when Christ returned for His Bride.

So, let’s now talk about “sin” from the time from the Fall (or Cain) up until Moses giving the Nation of Israel the Law. We know the story – we studied it verse by verseTGNN’s Bible teaching series—book-by-book, through the lens of fulfillment and spiritual liberty. – but Moses was led to lead the Nation out of Bondage. And once emancipated he and Aaron were led to take them into the wilderness toward the Promised Land. This was a time where the Nation was relearning how to abandon all the ways they absorbed from their time in Egypt which were pagan and a mixed bag of gods, allegiance and worship. Moses had a massive task on his hands, didn’t he?

As a means to help him, in part, in my estimation, “YAHAVAH gave them His Law.” His Law. What did that amount to? SIN. 1st Corinthians 15:56 “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Why did God give the Nation the Law? Paul tells us –

Justification by Faith

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. It is so very difficult to describe to religious souls. They want Law because to be obedient to it allows them to feel justified and to fail in it allows religion to serve to bring people into their pews.

Back to the Nation of Israel, at Sinai, we remember that the Ketubah contract ten-word-original command was, Exodus 20:2-3 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. With all the other added laws thereafter on the tablets and then subsequently through His prophets. But consider Psalm 81 says, starting at verse 8

Psalm 81:8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Oh

The Challenge of Following the Law

that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I think it’s important to realize that for a member of the Nation of Israel to try and even hit that bullseye that YAHAVAH gave them was tough, even that straight on segment of Him – that little white circle in the center of the bulls eye. I mean they have to know it, choose it and practice it to follow it – with repetition and exactness because it was a material law before them and it always pointed them to an impossibility to do it right (and I am talking about the first ten words). WHY?

Because to be wholly without sin a person had to be wholly without idols of any kind. Why? Because idols exist outside of Him. They ALL MISS THE MARK. The material executions under the numerous dictates of the material Law put them in bondage to the Law of Sin! And then when focusing on the Law pride filled their hearts and the Law of Sin and Death took them captive. That is how Paul could write, the incomprehensible words of Romans chapter 8.

Paul’s Personal Struggle

What some don’t realize is Paul, the Apostle, before writing Romans 8, he said the following about himself – again – as an apostle in Romans chapter 7 –

Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Hope Through the Spirit

Then following in right after this Pauls writes to the Church at Rome

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies.

The Spirit and Adoption

by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The Incarnation and Blood Atonement

OF course, the response to sin, in whatever form it may come, could only by by and through the Mark itself. Sin cannot be overcome, redeemed, fixed by a sinful thing. And for this reason we have the incarnation of God Himself, the Mark Himself, and because He was made flesh, by His own Hits the Mark Blood. I was having a conversation with a friend the other say and she asked, Why the incarnation, why the blood shed and all of that. We can only use scripture to make the reply, and so the scripture says, Five times in the Penteteuch there are statements that support Leviticus 17:11 which says,

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

“Human life, as Ben Franklin once quipped, “is made of increments of time.” To steal human life, it to steal the time each of us has been given to freely act and live. Another way we can describe sin in the human realm is to steal time from another. If we take their bike, we take the time it took to buy the bike, the labor, the money, we steal the time and money it takes to replace it, and we steal the sentiments surrounding the bike a person may have toward it. That is just the theft of a bike. Sin is the diabolical theft, therefore, of another persons life and because our lives are in the blood, only the shedding of blood can redeem or pay for the act. Of course not just any blood – but the act of animal sacrifices served as a type for the only real solution promised to the Nation.

Sacrifice and Redemption

Herein lies a subtle nod to the fact that Yeshua was God with us because ONLY the Mark, in its perfection, in spirit and truth, as the way, the truth and the life, could EVER make the payment for mark missing. And this is especially true when we consider the breadth and depth and height and width of His sacrifice. I mean, if or since God the Mark became flesh, meaning a living human being, His blood was incomprehensibly effective in paying for not just the Nations sin, not just those who believe on Him’s sin, not just the sin of that age, but the sin of the kosmos, our heavens, our earth and once done, that offering redeemed the kosmos, reconciling the world to the father, as 2nd Corinthians makes plain saying, 2nd Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

We make a grave error in our understanding of His sacrifice when we assign its application to certain periods of time. Some want to believe that His offering was to Israel Only, some for Adam’s sin alone, some to believers who have right faith on Him alone, and then we have those who embrace the idea that His atonement for sin was universal – which is true – but fails to acknowledge the biblical importance of faith and love. The scripture is plain with regard to sin and His payment and must be seen in context of the ages and economies in which we have lived. Speaking of the sin of Adam, Paul wrote

Romans 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and

The Gift of Righteousness

Of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. Speaking to the Nation, the Jews, and their sin under the Law, we read, Hebrew 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 19 ¶ Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Assurance of Faith

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Role of Yeshua and the Church

Then looking to the Bride of that day, composed of both Jews and Gentiles, the writer of Hebrews concludes (specifically to Jews) Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Yeshua the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Paul also wrote to the Church at Colosse saying, Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. 18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen,

The Concept of Sin and Salvation

19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Here is where things get difficult because the Bible, especially the Apostolic Record, literally and actually ties the forgiveness of sin to them having faith in Christ. We cannot get around this fact. But at the same time, it also ALSO describes the fact that Christ paid not only for Adam’s transgression, not only for those who lived between Adam and Moses, not only for the those who believed on Him in that day as members of the Bride, but also for the world.

When we allow the context to slip, and assign sin and the forgiveness of it to our having faith, we misappropriate an ancient text to ourselves, making salvation conditional on our efforts and our works instead of seeing the solutions as being conditioned on the age in which we live. The scripture is plain folks with what appear to be contradictory messages – ONE, to the people of that day – the Bride, Christ their promised Messiah came and did what YAHAVAH promised them before the wrath of God fell on those people then and to receive Him and escape from sin, death, Satan and hell, they had to believe. But TWO, in and through God performing this work as promised and offering it to the BRIDE, the world was unconditionally saved from sin, death, hell, and Satan and the forgiveness was made possible by the purity of His shed blood and forfeited life; that we now place our faith on His faith, and our salvation is not merited by our faithfulness but by His.

Historical Context of Sin

We are going to do a part III on sin next week, but before we leave today, consider the following in your education of all that God has done.

Stages of Sin Understanding

SHOW GRAPHIC

S I N

GARDEN – The wages of sin introduced
CAIN TO MOSES – The Mercy of God Revealed
MOSES to CHRIST – The strength of sin is the Law.
BRIDE – The necessity of faith and love to be saved.
FULFILLMENT – The Universal reconciliation and forgiveness of sin.
Eat from the TOKOGAE

“God winked”
Response from the Law
Pure without wrinkle or spot
Failing in faith and love

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Act17:28-30 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 9 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.

Romans 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 1st Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 5:27 That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 2nd Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Romans 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.