Many face different addictions, from all walks of life day to day to the point where some are even diseased by it. So does that mean that addiction is sin? Can addiction be separated from sin as much as it is connected to it, and how does it affect salvation?
By definition, sin is a transgression of God’s law or an act that is highly reprehensible. Sin is often something that occurs in many facets of our everyday life, and it is very hard to escape the grasp of sin. In biblical society, the keeping of God’s law was taken more seriously and literally than it is today, so how then does our blatant disrespect of sin affect our chance of salvation.
Sin in the bible is referred to as “deviation, rebellion, burden of guilt, etc” . We see evidences of these definitions, by way of various verses like Ezekial 44:10 where it says, “But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, shall bear the punishment for their iniquity.” Another verse to look at is, James 4:17, “Therefore to him that knows to do well, and does it not, to him it is sin”. In these verses it is clearly stated that sin is basically, knowing what is right, yet choosing to do the opposite of that which is right. However, more often than none, we continue to sin, choosing the latter between good and evil.
Usually when people cannot help themselves from making the same mistakes over and over, and doing the same behaviors/actions over and over, it is considered an addiction. An addiction is defined as, “a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance or behavior”. Therefore could it be said that sin is some form of addiction, if it seems to be a pattern that occurs repeatedly, and is compulsive in nature.
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There are many different definitions in which people provide regarding addiction. May (1988) describes that addiction “is a state of compulsion, obsession, or preoccupation that enslaves a person’s will and desire” (p. 14). Individuals who suffer from addiction provide their time and energy toward other things that are not healthy and safe. The book
2 Delores S. Williams, a Womanist Perspective on Sin, from a Troubling in My Soul, Womanist Perspective
Sin-noun-an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. On occasion, sin can distort and mutilate the social norms of an entire society. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne sin bypassed the strictly religious puritan way of life with three characters: Reverend Dimmesdale, Pearl Prynne, and Roger Chillingworth. Dimmesdale represents hidden sin that continued to manifest as the story developed. Pearl represents the product of sin that is mutable to turn into a blessing with time and care. Chillingworth represents the depravity of hidden sin that becomes more powerful and influential on its owner. When these three forms of sin combine on one occasion both death and new life will originate and the progenitors will be the blame.
NLT). We are not to walk away from sin we are to run! God makes it clear. Sin is not a bargaining tool that we allow certain sins to be more deadly than others are. Sin is sin.
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Addiction is defined simply as a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as drugs) or do something like gambling (Addiction, 2016). Addiction can be crippling and can control all aspects of your life to the point of not being able to function as a productive member of society. Addicts can have a life long struggle, even once sober, or clean, from the addiction.
One might ask, What exactly are sins and where did they come from? According to Oxford Dictionary, a sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. Sin is what started the fall of humanity that is still manifested in today’s time. Adam was the first of God’s human creation. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:16–17). Sin entered the world when Adam disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. “God gave to man the power of contrary choice. Man of his own will, by no external compulsion or determination, used that power in the commission of sin… ” (Reddit 10). The effects of Adam’s sin are profound and and they affect everyone. A few things that stand out in Reddit’s explanation of it is that “sin is lawless, universal and results in satanic bond”. Sin is lawless because its is breaking God’s divine law. “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (1John 3:4). Sin is universal because, “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one” and the evil one who is Satan. An objection could be that
Sin is an offence against religious or moral law. Hester Prynne had a child out of wedlock which upset the whole town and caused controversy. Sin is recurring in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and it forms the characters into the people they become.
Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Addiction is normally thought of as drug abuse and alcoholism but people can also be addicted to things such as gambling and sex as well. The controversy on if addiction is a disease or a choice is a continuous debate. Everyone has an opinion on this topic, one side believes it’s a disease, while the other believes it is a choice. Although addiction has been assumed to be a lack of willpower and a weakness, addiction is actually a complex disease that changes the wiring of the brain. Addiction is a brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behavior (Leshner.) Both devolping
Main Point: What defines an addiction? According to Psychology Today, “Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance…. or engages in an activity….that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health.” This can range anywhere from drug use to eating disorders, to gambling, to even texting in today’s generation. Shocking to say the least, especially when most people do not even know they are addicted or are an addict until they realize this definition.
Addiction is a very strong word that brings along many negative connotations. When we think of an addiction we imagine someone who depends on a certain substance, most likely alcohol to have their needs met. Addiction is defined by the Webster dictionary as, "a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal." Even though our society sees addiction and only applies the word to drug addicts and alcoholics, there is a much wider range of subjects that fall under the umbrella of what an addiction truly is. An addiction is a dependency on any kind of materialistic object that you use on a day to day basis that brings
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Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward the One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself. Have you ever considered the deeper implications of the slightest sin, of the most minute peccadillo? What are we saying to our Creator when we disobey Him at the slightest point? We are saying no to the righteousness of God. We are saying, “God, your law is not good. My judgement is better than Yours. Your authority does not apply to me. I am above and beyond Your jurisdiction. I have the right to do what I want to do, not what You command me to