Sin Barrier Summary

Doctrine Summary of Sin Barrier between God and man

Overview Outline

1. The Sin Barrier
2. Removal of the Sin Barrier
3. Personal Application

Doctrine: The Sin Barrier Between God and Man

1. The barrier is the sin wall that exists between God and man because of man’s fall from innocence to sinfulness as recorded in Genesis 3.
2. The five aspects of the sin barrier are sin, penalty of sin, physical birth and spiritual death, man’s relative righteousness, and position in Adam.
   • The first aspect of the barrier is man’s sin: imputed sin, sinful nature, personal sin.
   • The second aspect of the barrier is the penalty for man’s sin.  The penalty is spiritual death and physical death.
   • The third aspect of the barrier is man’s physical birth and spiritual death. Man is born physically alive but spiritually dead.
   • The fourth aspect of the barrier is made up of man’s relative righteousness which contrasts with God’s perfect righteousness.
   • The fifth aspect of the barrier is man’s position in Adam or the kind of life we have because we are Adam’s offspring or people who share Adam’s propensity for sinfulness.
3. The conclusion: man is incapable of correcting the problem.

Doctrine of the Removal of the Barrier

1. Only God is qualified to remove the sin barrier because of his nature, attributes, perfections, and because of mankind’s sin.
2. Bible words that  identify the Bible truths concerning the sin barrier and its removal.
   • Reconciliation—the larger word for what God did—he made peace between God and man by removing the sin barrier (2 Corinthians 5.18-20; Colossians 1.20-22).
   • Substitution—the way God provided reconciliation—God’s son, Jesus Christ, substituted himself for us and took God’s righteous judgment instead of us and in our place (Romans 5.6-8; 1 Peter 2:24).
   • Love—God highly values people and because he does he sacrificially gave his unique son as the substitute for our sin (John 3.16-18; Ephesians 2.4-6).
   • Mediator—one who brings two parties together, not because he compromises between the two, but because he is qualified by both parties. He is God and Man (1 Timothy 2.5; Hebrews 9.15).
   • Redemption—Jesus Christ, by his death in our place, paid the just price to free sinful mankind from the slave market of sin (Ephesians 1.7; 1 Peter 1.18-19).
   • Unlimited atonement—Jesus Christ died for all the sins of all people (1 Timothy 4.10; 1 John 2.2).
   • Propitiation—the work of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied all of God’s righteous and just demands (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2).
   • Regeneration—God gives spiritual life to each person who believes in Jesus Christ as savior (John 3:5-8; Titus 3:5).
   • Imputation—God credits or puts righteousness on the account of each person who believes in Jesus Christ as Saviour (Romans 4:22-24; Philippians 3:9).
   • Justification—God looks at each believer in Jesus Christ and sees Christ’s righteousness on his account and therefore declares him righteous (Romans 3:24, 5:1; Titus 3:4-7).
   • Forgiveness—God frees the believer from the charges of sin that were against him (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 2:13).
   • Position in Christ—when a person believes in Christ the Holy Spirit puts the believer in relationship with Christ, identifies him with Christ’s body the church, and the Holy Spirit indwells him (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 12.13).
   • Grace—the act by which a person (God) does something for a person without any meritorious requirement, a free service or gift (Ephesians 2.8-9; Acts 15.11).
   • Faith—the accepting what God said is true, depending on God, trusting God. Here depending on God to forgive one and give everlasting life because Jesus Christ took the punishment for our sin in our place (Romans 4.1-5; Galatians 3.22).
3. The Bible views reconciliation—the work of Christ—from different aspects.
   • Man’s sin was solved by redemption and by unlimited atonement.
   • The penalty of man’s sin was solved by substitution.
   • Physical birth and spiritual death was solved by regeneration.
   • Man’s relative righteousness was solved by propitiation, and justification.
   • Man’s position in Adam was solved by position in Christ.
   • Since Jesus Christ has solved the sin problem mankind benefits from the work of Christ by believing in Christ as Savior—believing that God will give you eternal life because of the work of Christ (John 1.12; John 3.16; Acts 16.31; Ephesians 2.8-9

Personal Application

1. Believer. Appreciate, depend on, and pass on the message of forgiveness and everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ as the only substitute sin bearer. He is our Lord of Lords.
2. Not yet a believer. Hear, understand, and believe the gospel from and about Jesus Christ.