Reflection Paper on Old Testament Theology: Its History, Method, and Message (Pages

273-310)
There is sin that is characterized by falling short of God's requirements or "missing
the mark"; there are cultic sins (failure to observe the ritual requirements), political and social
sins, and "spiritual" sins (e.g., envy, hate, etc.). Basically, human beings never try to avoid
sin. They are trying to reduce it. Sin is not a part of the Original creation (Gen 1:31, 3:6, 23).
It is not only doing wrong but also separating from God. God gives capacity to human to
make moral choice. At the same time they uses their abilities, capacity, possibility, reason to
make sin. The effect of sin is broken relationship; God and Men, Men and Men. In Roman
5:12, Sin is an individual acts. In psalm 51:12, it is a personality, comes from desire. Sinner is
responsible for his choice, attitude and action. Typical sins that occasion conviction include
illegitimate sexual relations, ungodly deeds, and false teaching. The guilty are shown the
wrong-ness of such activity and are pointed away from it toward repentance. Conviction of
sin implies an educative discipline. The inflexible standard of divine righteousness is brought
to bear on sin, and a turning in obedience to God is shown to be the desirable alternative to
remaining in a sinful state. Whatever the origin of sin, the testimony of the biblical writers is
that sin is universal, something that enslaves every person individually and that corrupts
society collectively. Further, the enslavement of sin is something from which the human race
cannot extricate itself by its own efforts. Perhaps the most persistent motif permeating the
pages of the Bible is that of human sin and God's activity in dealing with it. In the OT
writings, the emphasis is upon God's covenant with the Hebrew people, the establishment of
a new relationship between God and the people such that all people could somehow learn
about and enter i Whatever the origin of sin, the cumulative testimony of the biblical writers
is that sin is universal, something that enslaves every person individually and that corrupts
society collectively. Further, the enslavement of sin is something from which the human race
cannot extricate itself by its own efforts. Perhaps the most persistent motif permeating the
pages of the Bible is that of human sin and God's activity in dealing with it. In the OT
writings, the emphasis is upon God's covenant with the Hebrew people, the establishment of
a new relationship between God and the people such that all people could somehow learn
about and enter into the proper divine-human relationship.