To sin, or not to sin, that is the question

Definition of sin:  Both Oxford and Webster’s dictionaries define sin as an offense against YAHWEH or the act of breaking a religious or moral law.

The Bible defines sin in 1 John 3:4.

Hebraic Roots Bible: “Everyone practicing sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is the breaking of the Torah.””Download PDF“.

Amplified Bible: “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness [ignoring YAHWEH’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will].”

Definition of Scapegoat: A person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others. For the atonement of sins, the ancient Hebrew priest would symbolically place the sins of the people upon the head of a goat and send it out into the wilderness. Yom Kippur (Lev. 16)

Sin has always been about breaking the command(s) of YAHWEH. Let’s start from the beginning with Adam and the first sin of man. YAHWEH commanded Adam in (Gen 2:16, 17) to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, making it clear that the punishment for disobedience (sin) was death (Romans 6:23). In Gen 3:6, we see that Adam chose to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil disobeying the command of YAHWEH which was a sin. Adam’s actions (Romans 5:12) introduced us all to the “law of sin” (Romans 7:23) and the “law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).

Our ancestors and parents passed down many things to us, such as physical traits, behavioral traits, illnesses, etc. Adam, however, passed down something more heinous than hair color, freckles, or even genetic disorders. Through Adam, humanity’s natural tendency, the urge to act or feel, has been inherently broken, twisted, and bent toward evil and lawlessness. We now struggle with the inherent sinful nature that dominates our flesh and wages war on the inside of us every day, bringing our mind, heart, body, and spirit into conflict. Paul describes this conflict best in (Romans 7:15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21), . Please read it.

The “law of sin” and “the law of sin and death” looms over humanity, and we struggle with a dominant sinful nature in an unwinnable fight. So what do we do about this dire situation we find ourselves in? We don’t want to be sinners, but we have an inherited inclination to sin, so we appear to be stuck and helpless. Paul identifies with this feeling and says in (Romans 7:24): “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this mortal body?” Paul realizes that no human effort(s) can justify him or us before YAHWEH. The only answer to Paul’s question is Yahshua Messiah, our Master. So, fortunately, we are not stuck. There is hope, and the hope (confidence) lies only in Yahshua (YAH is Salvation) and his redeeming sacrifice on that tree in Calvary (Roman 5:19, John 3:16).

Yahshua the only begotten son of YAHWEH (John 3:16) decided to be our scapegoat and took our sins upon himself (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24). Our sins were placed on him through the beatings and torment he endured. Yahshua was arrested, bound by soldiers, and made to stand trial all night in a Hebrew kangaroo court where lies were used to convict Him. He was not only the victim of lies and insults. He was spat on, blindfolded, beaten with fists, and slapped by members of this Kangaroo court which would have been about 24 grown men. Then, the guards took him and beat him (Mark 14:65). When morning came the Hebrews handed Yahshua over to the Roman authorities to gain a death sentence. During these trials, they taunted Him as a fake Messiah. The soldiers plaited (interweaved) a crown of thorns and placed it on Him (Mark 15:17). His forehead, temples, and the back of his head were punctured deeply by the long-thorned briar. The soldiers repeatedly “struck His head with a reed (staff) and spat at Him (Mark 15:19). Yahshua’s face must have been swollen, His eyes blackened, and His nose bloodied by the abusive members of the kangaroo court, their guardsmen, and the Roman soldiers.

Yahshua was beaten 39-40 times (Deut 25:3) with a scourge (a multi-thong whip embedded with bits of lead and stone). “Historians assert that scourging was a most dreaded punishment. Bits of lead and stone made the whip a brutal, slashing instrument of terror, ripping a man’s back and legs to shreds, occasionally even tearing out an eye or slicing open an ear“. He was then made to carry His 165lbs torture stake for about half a mile. The beam rubbed Yahshua’s shoulders raw, and due to his stumbling multiple times under the weight of the beam onto the rough streets, his knees, elbows, and hands were skinned.

Then He was crucified (Mark 15:24). Yahshua’s hands and feet were nailed to the tree, which was the only thing supporting his body weight. His body was stripped naked, and He was suspended in the air above the crowd for all to see. Every second on the tree was humiliating. Every minute his blood was flowing out of his body. Every breath was a struggle. Every movement produced excruciating pain. But Yahshua suffered cruel and inhumane torture and crucifixion for six agonizing hours for our sins as our scapegoat, and then He died.

An ancient manuscript suggests that when Mary (Maryam or Mariam), Yahshua’s mother, was escorted to the crucifixion, she looked up at the three torture stakes and asked, “Which one is He?” Indicating that Yahshua was beaten beyond recognition. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that Yahshua would be beaten beyond recognition and that many would be appalled at him. “His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness.” (Isaiah 52:14).

This is how he bore our sins upon himself as our scapegoat, and only because of this can we be saved from death (lake of fire).

By David Edwards