Jesus Creed

Jesus Creed

A Brother’s Wisdom 15

posted by Scot McKnight | 12:52pm Wednesday March 11, 2009

Tombs.jpgWe can’t analyze these three verses in James 1 all at once, but I want to provide the text today and offer a couple of comments:

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

In general, James sees “sin unleashed.” What I want to ponder today is how James frames sin. He blames humans. The result of sin is death.

I’m concerned with so many who see the outcome of sin as guilt or wrath, and I believe in both. But both Genesis 3 and the entire sweep of Paul’s letter to Romans reveals that the authors of the Bible see the final and ultimate result of sin to be death. They connected the word “sin” with the word “death” and tombs. They were morticians determining the cause of death and they found it in human sin.



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Rick

posted March 11, 2009 at 1:16 pm


But since James appears to be warning people, it seems that this “death” is a “not yet” reality. This “death” represents more of a spiritual and/or relational consequence. Therefore, can we read this type of death back into Genesis 3?
Also, please describe the picture used in this post? What, and where, is that place?



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RJS

posted March 11, 2009 at 1:38 pm


Rick,
Try wikipedia here: Myra
or
This blog



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Rick

posted March 11, 2009 at 1:54 pm


RJS-
Thanks!



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Jayflm

posted March 11, 2009 at 11:05 pm


I find the same biblical conclusion. John 3:16 tells us that God in love gave Jesus so that whosoever believes may not perish, not so that they can escape eternal conscious torment where they will wish they could perish.
I asked my college Biblical Greek professor about that once, and his answer as to how people got eternal conscious torment out of it was basically “Because”.



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angusj

posted March 12, 2009 at 2:05 am


Amen to that!
Genesis 2:16-17
Genesis 3:2-3
Ecclesiastes 12:7
Ezekiel 33:11
John 3:16
John 10:27
Romans6:23
Phil 1:27-28
James 5:19-20
However, we can always be accused of cherry picking verses without adequately explaining those verses (see below) which some believe do support ‘eternal conscious torment’. Having said that I believe these verses can be properly understood and are consistent with an annihilationist position.
Isaiah 33:14
Daniel 12:2
Matthew 13:40
Matthew 25:46,49
Mark 9:47
Jude 1:7
Revelation 14:9-12
Revelation 20:10



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