The Fall & Sin

1. The Fall & Sin with thanks to Dr. Veli-Matti Karkkainen

2. You have not yet considered the exceeding gravity of sin.- St. Anselm

4. Orientation • Change of attitude in our Western culture to the concept of sin • Plantinga: sin as vandalism of God’s shalom

5. Biblical Theology Nature and effects of sin

6. biblical Terminology • Missing the Mark • Transgression • Rebellion • Treachery • Perversion • Abomination, Ignorance, Error, Inattention, Evil, Guilt

7. Basic Dimensions of Sin In the Bible (see Garrett, systematic Theology 1) • Sin as violation of God’s law or disobedience • Sin as breaking the covenant • Sin as willful and prideful rebellion against God • Sin as idolatry • Sin as Unbelief • Other dimensions • Sin as Selfishness • Sin as sloth or apathy • Sin as both a quality of fallen human nature and “lists of sin” (e.g.. Gal. 5.19-21)

8. Sin in the Christian Tradition Nature and effects of sin

9. Eastern church • The Fall • theosis

10. Roman Catholic • Augustine • Aquinas • Contemporary View • Use of both Augustine and Aquinas • “By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen sate. It is a sin which will be transmitted by propagation to all mankind, that is, by the transmission of a human nature deprived of original holiness and justice.” New Catholic Catechism #404 • “…original sin does not have the character of personal fault in any of Adam's descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted…an inclination to evil that is called concupiscence.” NCC #404 • Baptism imparts Christ’s grace and erases original sin and turns man back towards God, but the consequences in terms of nature and our inclination for evil persist, leading to constant battle with sin

11. Protestant reformers • Luther • Humans totally incapable of doing good which God requires • Root of sin is unbelief • Chief manifestation is pride • Calvin • Follows Augustine: sin inherited and transmitted through procreation • Follows Luther: total depravity and helplessness • Source is faithlessness conjoined with pride

12. Classical Liberalism • Sin as a preparation for grace rather than grace repairing damage of sin • Sin is arresting God-consciousness not so much a willful moral rebellion against God • Sin is not hereditary but sinful tendencies spread through social networks • We will pick up on this later with contemporary views of sin

13. Contemporary thinkers • Emil Brunner • Karl Barth • Bonhoeffer • Pannenberg

14. Social sin

15. Towards an evangelical theology of sin