What About Sin; Do You Believe in the Devil and Hell?
Romans 5: 12-21; Matthew 10: 26-33
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
August 5, 2018
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, just as sin exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise dominion through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Romans 5: 12-21
Jesus said, ‘So have no fear of [those who persecute you]; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.
Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. - Matthew 10:26-33
Puddy made a grand entrance into the living room. He’s got blue jeans, a team jersey, and his face was painted red and black like a devil. Elaine nearly tripped over herself – “What is that?”
Puddy: “I painted my face. Gotta support the team.”
Elaine: ‘Well you can’t go looking like that. It’s insane!”
When Puddy opened the door to let the rest of the gang inside, Jerry Seinfeld was speechless and Kramer was scared straight. Puddy was absolutely loving it as he walked out the door screaming: “Let’s get it on! Let’s go Devils!”[1]
You gotta love a devil mascot – maybe even a Duke Blue Devil - but what do we really think theologically about the devil? It leads us to our next question from the pew today: “What about sin? Do you believe in the devil and hell?”
John Milton thought so much about this question that he wrote Paradise Lost in 1667. His poem, which encompasses over 10,000 lines of verse, has since been acclaimed to the likes of Homer and Shakespeare.
Four years before he began writing Paradise, Milton became completely blind. He was mourning the death of his second wife and was in a dark place physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Milton dictated the poem for his daughters to write. “Paradise Lost is an attempt to make sense of a fallen world: to “justify the ways of God to men”, and no doubt to Milton himself.”[2]
Milton attempted to understand why Adam and Eve went against God’s orders. Milton wrote Satan was once a glorious angel created by God. Pride and ambition caused him to go against God, for he resented giving gratitude to God. Milton wrote as a result Satan lost a great war with God, was thrown into hell, and became the king of evil. Stirred up with envy and revenge, Satan escaped hell to come back to earth; he took the form of a serpent to trick Eve.
Paradise Lost has since shaped our perceptions of sin, the devil, and hell. Milton’s writing gave Satan quite a powerful and heroic persona. But Milton’s work is not a biblical commentary.
The Bible does not state a war of good and evil between God and Satan were brewing at the beginning of Creation; the Bible does not state the origins of the serpent; the Bible does not state the serpent in the Garden of Eden was Satan or the devil; nor does the Bible state where evil comes from.
Last week we talked about interpreting the Bible through the Reformed tradition. “The Bible is largely a narrative of God’s people who are trying to figure out their lives in relation to God” (Hayner)[3]. This overarching narrative is written in different biblical literary genres.
Remember that these genres push against literal interpretation. To respect the Bible’s authority is to recognize God’s authority is always seeking to reveal deep truths about who God is and who we are in God’s covenant love. This is by the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul interprets the beginning point of this narrative from Genesis’ third chapter. It sounds impossible to live in right relationship with God with the problem of sin.
Paul does not blame the serpent not does Paul blame Eve. Paul interprets the Garden account as revealing the truth about the human condition of sin – sin inhibits humanity’s ability to fully live into God’s will for our lives. It is a trespass that leads to death – spiritual and physical (Romans 5:12).
We were created to live in relationship with God and one another, for we are made in God’s image and God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Gen 2:26; Romans 5:5).
And yet Paul compares Adam and Christ as individuals whose acts had opposite consequences for humanity. Therefore, Adam and Christ stand at the heads of God’s old creation and new creation [4].
The consequences of sin that it causes us to hide from God, causing estrangement. We suffer from the hurt we cause ourselves and others “when we contradict our humanity in God’s image” (Guthrie) [5]. And we are left feeling the weight of shame. Sin led to humanity’s exile from the Garden.
But never forget that God’s grace covered humanity’s vulnerability in this first exile (Genesis 3:21). Never forget that we are created good in God’s love.
Sin entered the world and taints all human life and creation too. And God’s covenant love promises to redeem us through Jesus Christ through the free gift of grace that Paul calls justification (Romans 5:16).
That means that Christ’s death and resurrection has made us right with God – just as if we had not sinned – which leads us to eternal life through our Lord (Romans 5:21). This is the new creation that Paul is talking about; for God’s forgiveness of sin makes us a new creation in Jesus Christ by the power of Holy Spirit. God is faithful through Jesus Christ even when we are not (Romans 5:18-19; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Even as we proclaim this bold truth of who we are in God’s steadfast love the struggle to follow God’s will and ways continues in Scripture and in our lives too.
In the Old Testament there are 10 instances named as obstacles to follow God [6]. And it’s interesting to note that the Hebrew word is satan (saw-tawn). The Hebrew translation is “adversary” or “accuser;” it is not a proper name, enemy, nor a physical being. It is merely a military or legal obstacle to following God’s will but one in which God works through.
In ancient biblical times, it was the Persian culture that had a worldview of good and evil as a battleground of two opposing forces [7]. The Persians believed in a ruler over evil who had demons as servants [8]. Language brought forth additional words for satan, such as Belial, and Beelzebul, which was a mythical god worshipped by the Philistines.
In the culture of the New Testament, society believed that physical and mental sickness, natural disasters, and sin was caused by demons; an influence of Persian worldview. The gospels, the epistles, and of course the book of Revelation name the tempter (Matthew 4:3), Satan (Mark 1:13; Matthew 4:10; Rev 20:7), the devil (Matthew 4:5, 8, 11; Luke 4:2, 5, 9, 13), the prince of demons (Luke 11:15), the ruler of this world (John 12:31), the accuser (Rev 12:10), and the great dragon (Rev 12:7-9, 13, 17).
Each of these accounts are held in relation to God’s victorious authority in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, I share theologian Shirley Guthrie’s wisdom:
Christians do not ‘believe in’ the devil. We confess our faith in “God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, and in the Holy Spirit… Our interest in the devil must not become so central and intense that its reality becomes more important to us than the reality and power of God. Whenever Satan and his demons appear in Scripture it is always the story of God’s power over them and of their defeat and destruction. The devil – as opposition to God’s will – is by definition power in which God in Jesus Christ has already opposed and defeated. Even now this power is limited and controlled by the risen Christ. And finally, God will utterly crush and destroy [the devil according to Revelation] [9].
The overarching narrative of Scripture proclaims God’s authority in all things and God’s steadfast love to redeem this broken and sinful world to bring forth a new creation that points to God’s glory.
So, you might be saying, ‘Well, preacher – what about hell?” In the gospels when Jesus speaks of “hell,” the word in Greek is translated as Gehenna. The first century hearers knew this to be a valley south of Jerusalem. It was also known as the Valley of Hinnom. Gehenna was Jerusalem’s smoldering city dump. It yields an expression of judgment, suffering and being cut off from the world.
Jesus’ words in Matthew urge us to revere God alone, the One who is the giver of life; the One who is right to judge; and the One who graciously cares for creatures and humanity alike. How are we to understand God’s judgment and grace, as well as the future of heaven and hell?
John Calvin said: Many persons … have entered into ingenious debates about the eternal fire by which the wicked will be tormented after judgment. But we may conclude from many passages of Scripture that it is a metaphorical expression … Let us lay aside the speculations, by which foolish men weary themselves to no purpose, and satisfy ourselves with believing that these forms of speech denote, in a manner suited to our feeble capacity, a dreadful torment, which no man can now comprehend, and no language can express [10].
And so, we read Scripture with a sense of humility knowing there are great mysteries that we cannot fully comprehend nor explain. The truth is that all of us have fallen short of the glory of God. You and I - we deserve God’s judgment. But God is faithful when we are not.
Let us remember we are chosen, claimed, and tethered by God’s grace.
Whatever obstacle that interferes with your walk with God, remember “We shall not fear the battle if Christ is by our side / nor wander from the pathway if our Redeemer will be our guide [11].”
In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
[1] “The Face Painter” Seinfeld, episode 109
[2] Benjamin Ramm, “Why You Should Re-Read Paradise Lost,” BBC Culture, April 19, 2017
[3] Kristina Robb Dover, “Reading the Bible for All Its Worth”
[4] The Harper Collins NRSV Study Bible 1989, National Council of Churches of Christ (New York: HarperOne, 2006), annotation note regarding Romans 5: 12-21, p. 1917.
[5] Shirley Guthrie, “Christian Doctrine” (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994), p. 226.
[6] Numbers 22:22, 32; 1 Chronicles 21:1; 1 Kings 5:18; 1 Kings 11:14,25; Zechariah 3: 1-2; 1 Samuel 29:4; 2 Samuel 19:23; Psalm 109:6; Job 1-2.
[7] Michael Coogan, “A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures” (NY: Oxford University Press, 2006), p. 534.
[8] Paul Achtemeier, “Bible Dictionary” (New York: Harper Collins, 1996), definition for Satan.
[9] Shirley Guthrie, “Christian Doctrine” (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994), p. 180.
[10] John Calvin, “Institutes of the Christian Religion” (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eedrdmans Publishing, 1989), p. 442.
[11] Glory to God, “O Jesus I Have Promised,” (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), hymn No. 724.
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