Sin and Free Will
What is sin? If I had to define the word, I would typically say something like "missing the mark." This implies a focus on missing a standard which we naturally conclude to be the Law. As you think of sin, what is the root? I have always understood and concluded that it was a breaking of the law. The law's purpose is to crush and reveal our sin. However, is sin deeper than breaking the law? I have started reading a book called Lutheran Theology by Steven Paulson because I wanted to better understand Martin Luther as the key turning point in protestantism. I know enough church history to remember his 95 theses, but really didn't know much more about his theology. If I had to summarize what I knew, it would have been "salvation by faith alone by grace alone." As I have been reading this book, a few thoughts have begun to percolate. They relate to sin and free will. Let's look at sin first. Luther defined sin as "incurvatus se" which means...