Paul’s Testimony to the Doctrine of Sin 31 a formal definition of sin. But by studying the terms mostly on his pen we can determine his idea of sin. He uses mostly the noun apaprla (hamartia), 58 times, from the verb apapravoi (hamartano), to miss the mark, to sin. To miss what mark? In classical Greek it means “to miss an aim”, “to err in judgment or opinion”. With Paul to sin is to miss the mark e t h ic a l l y and r e l ig io u s ly . T wo other words used by Paul show us what the mark missed is: dSuela (adikia), unrighteousness, lack of conformity to the will of God; avopta (anomia), lawlessness, failure to act or live according to the standard of God’s law. So the mark missed is the Divine law. Jiapd/3aiTi's (parabasis), transgression, emphasizes the same idea, failure to measure up to the line of righteousness laid down in the law. On the other hand, sin is not merely a negation. I t is a positive quality. I t is a ‘‘fall” (Hapdirraipa, 15 times). This is graphically illustrated by Paul in his description of the Gentile world’s idolatry, sensuality, and immorality (Rom. 1:18-32). First, they knew God, for He taught them about Himself in nature and in conscience (1:19, 20). Secondly, they refused to worship Him as God, or to give thanks to Him as the Giver of all good things (1:21). Thirdly, they began to worship the creature rather than the Creator, then gave themselves up to idolatry in a descending scale, wor shipping first human images, then those of birds, then those of beasts and reptiles (1:22-25). Fourthly, this wrong idea o f God and false relation to Him degraded them into the grossest sensuality and blackest immorality (1:26-32). Is this progress of the race? If so, it is progress in the un folding of sin’s cumulative power, and that where human philosophy and culture were doing their utmost to stem the tide of vice and contribute to the advancement of human government, thought, art, and ethics—in the Roman Empire where flourished Hellenistic culture. But Paul was convinced from his own experience and his observation of society,
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