50. 罪Sin
作者: 史鮑爾 (R.C. Sproul) 譯者: 姚錦榮
摘自《神學入門》《Essential Truths of the
Christian Faith》P130 ,更新傳道會出版http://www.crmnj.org/
罪可以用弓箭手射不中目標來形容。這當然不是說，人如果射箭不中紅心是大惡，它乃是說，聖經對罪所下最簡單的定義就是不中的。聖經所謂的鵠的，並非不關緊 要的，它乃是指神律法的規範或標準。神的律法彰顯出神的公義，這是我們行為的 最終標準。我們若達不到這標準就是罪。
聖經用達不到神榮耀的鵠的 ，來說明罪的 普遍性。「因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀 。」（羅 3：23 ) 俗語常說：「世上沒有完全人，人皆有過。」這些話其實就等於承認了罪的普遍性。我們都是罪人，都需要救恩 。
《西敏斯特大要理問答》這樣為罪下定義：「罪是未能符合或逾越了神的任何律法；神的律法是為管理有理性的被造者設定的。」（ 註 1 ) 此定義指出罪的三個重要 層面：
第一 ，罪就是不符合要求，未能達到神律法的要求。這種虧欠（omission ) 的 罪是指未能行出神的命令，例如 神命令我們去愛鄰舍，而我們不肯去愛，那就是犯罪。
第二 ，罪就是逾越律法》逾越律法乃是指跨過律法的界線，越出它的限制，因此我們有時也稱罪為過犯，即走在不准走的地 方。這種干犯神（commission) 的罪 ，就是做了神所禁止的事。神的律法有時是以負面的方式宣告的： 「不 可 …… 」我們若做了這些不可做的事，就是犯罪。
第三 ，罪是有理性的被造者的一種行動。身為有神形像的受造者，我們是自由的道德代理人。因為我們有思想、意志，所以能夠作出有德性的行為 。當我們做出自己知道是錯的事時 ，我們便是選擇違背神的律法，那就是犯罪。
基督教不接 受羅馬天主教將罪分為小罪（venial s in )和大罪（mortal s i n ) 兩種的說法 。傳統天主教神學對大罪 的定 義，是指那能殺死靈魂得救之恩典的罪，需要藉著 贖罪聖禮（sacrament o f p e n a n c e ) 的更新才能稱義；小罪則是指一 些較輕 微的罪，不會破壞救恩。
加爾文在其《基督教要義》一書（ 註2 ) 中宣稱，所有對神所 犯的罪都是大罪，都必帶來死亡；但沒有一 種罪是由於它 能毀 滅我 們 因信心所得的義，而變成大罪的。所有的罪都是嚴重的，即使一件最小的罪，也仍是背叛神的行為。每一件罪都大如宇宙中之叛國罪，因為每一件罪都是企圖推翻神至高無上的管治權。
可是聖經中也認為，有些罪比別的罪更加可憎。 邪惡有程度上的不同，因而在神的審判臺前，其懲罰也有程度上的不同。耶穌責備法利賽人忽略了律法中更 重要的事，祂也警告伯賽大和哥拉汛的人，他們的罪比所多瑪和蛾摩拉的人罪更重（太 11 :20 2 4 )。聖經也警告我們，犯罪愈多，罪咎就愈大。 然雅各說，犯一條律法就等於犯了眾條（雅 2 : 10 ) ，可是每多犯一條，罪咎就更大。保羅提醒我們，不要為自己積蓄忿怒，因為神審判的日子終會來 到 （羅 2 : 1 -1 1 ) 。我們每犯一件罪，就會為自己加添罪咎，而更加承受到神的忿怒。但是神的恩典也大過我們一切的罪咎。 聖經持極嚴厲的態度看罪，因為聖經存著極嚴肅的態度看神和人類。當我們得罪神時，我們干犯了神的聖潔；當我們得罪鄰居時，我們就是干犯了人性的尊嚴。
總結
1. 聖經對罪的定義是，不能達到神公義的目標。
2. 所有人類都是罪 人。
3. 罪包括沒有達到神律法的要求（缺欠），和逾越了神律法的限制（干犯） 。
4. 只有道德的代理人才會有罪咎。
5 . 基督教不承認罪有小罪和大罪之分，但承認罪有程度之分。
6 . 每犯一件，就會使罪咎更大 。
7 . 罪干犯神，也干犯人 。
思考經文：
羅2 ：1-11；羅3：10-2；6羅5 ：12
19；雅 1 ：12- 15；約壹1 ：8- 10
註 I.Westminster Larger Catechism (Committee for
Chris¬ tian Education and Publication, Presbyterian Church in America，1990)，
question #24.
註2.John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian
Religion, trans. Henry Beveridge, 2 vols” bk. II (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975), 1:362.
Sin
Sin
can be pictured as an archer releasing an arrow from his bow and missing the
target. It is not, of course, that failure to hit the bull's-eye in target
shooting is a grave moral matter. Rather, the simplest biblical definition of
sin is "to miss the mark." In biblical terms, the mark that is missed
is not a target filled with straw; it is the mark or "norm" of God's
law. God's law expresses His own righteousness and is the ultimate standard for
our behavior. When we miss achieving this standard, we sin.
The
Bible speaks of the universality of sin in terms of missing the mark of God's
glory. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23). To say that "nobody's perfect" or "to err is
human" is to acknowledge the universality of sin. We are all sinners in
need of redemption.
Sin
has been defined as "any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, any
law of God, given as a rule to the reasonable creature." In this
definition there are three crucial dimensions. First, sin is a lack or want of
conformity. It is nonconformity to the law of God. A sin of omission is a
failure to do what God commands. If God commands us to love our neighbor and we
fail to do so, that is sin.
Second,
sin is defined as a transgression of the law. To transgress the law is to cross
its boundaries, to overstep its limits. Hence, we sometimes describe sin as a
"trespass." We walk where we are not permitted to walk. Here we speak
of sins of commission whereby we commit actions prohibited by God. When God's
law is pronounced in negative terms, "You shall not," and we do what
is disallowed, we commit sin.
Third,
sin is an action performed by reasonable creatures. As creatures made in the
image of God, we are free moral agents. Because we have a mind and a will, we
are capable of moral action. When we do what we know is wrong, we choose to
disobey God's law and sin.
Protestantism
rejects the classic distinction in Roman Catholic theology between venial and
mortal sin. Traditional Catholic theology defines a mortal sin as a sin that
"kills" grace in the soul and requires renewed justification through
the sacrament of penance. A venial sin is sin of a less serious sort. It does
not destroy saving grace.
John
Calvin declared that all sin against God is mortal sin in that it deserves
death, but no sin is mortal in the sense that it destroys our justification by faith.
Protestantism affirms that all sin is serious. Even the smallest sin is an act
of rebellion against God. Every sin is an act of cosmic treason, a futile
attempt to dethrone God in His sovereign authority.
However,
the Bible still regards some sins as more heinous than others. There are
degrees of wickedness even as there will be degrees of punishment rendered at
the bar of God's justice. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for omitting the
weightier matters of the law and warned the towns of Bethsaida and Chorazin
that their sin was worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 11:20-24).
The
Bible also warns us about the guilt incurred from multiple sins. Though James
teaches that to sin against one part of the law is to sin against the whole law
(James 2:10), nevertheless there is added guilt with each particular
transgression. Paul admonishes us against heaping up or treasuring up wrath
against the day of wrath (Romans 2:1-11). With each sin we commit we add to our
guilt and exposure to the wrath of God. Nevertheless, the grace of God is
greater than all our guilt combined.
The
Bible takes sin seriously because it takes God seriously and it takes human
beings seriously. When we sin against God, we do violence to His holiness. When
we sin against our neighbor, we violate his or her humanity.
1. The biblical meaning of sin is to miss
the mark of God's righteousness.
2. All human beings are sinners.
3. Sin involves a failure to conform to
(omission) and a transgression of (commission) the law of God.
4. Only moral agents can be guilty of sin.
5. Protestantism rejects the distinction
between mortal and venial sin but affirms the gradation of sin.
6. Each sin committed incurs greater
guilt.
7. Sin violates God and people.
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