Index: evil

5

We believe that sin came into the world through the disobedience of our first parents, and death by sin. We believe that sin is of two kinds: original sin or depravity, and actual or personal sin.

5.1

We believe that original sin, or depravity, is that corruption of the nature of all the offspring of Adam by reason of which everyone is very far gone from original righteousness or the pure state of our first parents at the time of their creation, is averse to God, is without spiritual life, and inclined to evil, and that continually. We further believe that original sin continues to exist with the new life of the regenerate, until the heart is fully cleansed by the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

5.2

We believe that original sin differs from actual sin in that it constitutes an inherited propensity to actual sin for which no one is accountable until its divinely provided remedy is neglected or rejected.

5.3

We believe that actual or personal sin is a voluntary violation of a known law of God by a morally responsible person. It is therefore not to be confused with involuntary and inescapable shortcomings, infirmities, faults, mistakes, failures, or other deviations from a standard of perfect conduct that are the residual effects of the Fall. However, such innocent effects do not include attitudes or responses contrary to the spirit of Christ, which may properly be called sins of the spirit. We believe that personal sin is primarily and essentially a violation of the law of love; and that in relation to Christ sin may be defined as unbelief.

(Original sin: Genesis 3; 6:5; Job 15:14; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9–10; Mark 7:21–23; Romans 1:18–25; 5:12–14; 7:1–8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:1–4; Galatians 5:16–25; 1 John 1:7–8
Personal sin: Matthew 22:36–40 {with 1 John 3:4}; John 8:34–36; 16:8–9; Romans 3:23; 6:15–23; 8:18–24; 14:23; 1 John 1:9–2:4; 3:7–10)

21.2

SECOND. By avoiding evil of every kind, including:

  1. Taking the name of God in vain (Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; James 5:12).
  2. Profaning of the Lord’s Day by participation in unnecessary secular activities, thereby indulging in practices that deny its sanctity (Exodus 20:8–11; Isaiah 58:13–14; Mark 2:27–28; Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10).
  3. Sexual immorality, such as premarital, [or] extramarital, or same-sex relations[,]; perversion in any form[,] or looseness and impropriety of conduct (Genesis 19:4–11; Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Matthew 5:27–32; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; Galatians 5:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–7; 1 Timothy 1:10).
  4. Habits or practices known to be destructive of physical and mental well-being. Christians are to regard themselves as temples of the Holy Spirit (Proverbs 20:1; 23:1–3; 1 Corinthians 6:17–20; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:18).
  5. Quarreling, returning evil for evil, gossiping, slandering, spreading surmises injurious to the good names of others (2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:15; Ephesians 4:30–32; James 3:5–18; 1 Peter 3:9–10).
  6. Dishonesty, taking advantage in buying and selling, bearing false witness, and like works of darkness (Leviticus 19:10–11; Romans 12:17; 1 Corinthians 6:7–10).
  7. The indulging of pride in dress or behavior. Our people are to dress with the Christian simplicity and modesty that become holiness (Proverbs 29:23; 1 Timothy 2:8–10; James 4:6; 1 Peter 3:3–4; 1 John 2:15–17).
  8. Music, literature, and entertainments that dishonor God (1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 6:14–17; James 4:4).

Index

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