The apostle Paul informs us of a sad reality in his theological treatise to the Romans: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Our human nature invariably and inevitably fails to measure up to the flawless holiness of the Divine nature, and this failure is evidenced daily in our lives. We humans are "by nature children of wrath, ... indulging the lusts and desires of the flesh and of the mind" (Ephesians 2:3). The phrase "by nature," which Paul used in this passage, is the Greek word "phusis," which signifies one's "essence, nature; one's native instinct" [The Analytical Greek Lexicon, p. 432]. Thus, our natural condition, due to our human nature, is that, while on earth, we live lives that fall short of the Divine nature. We are not God in nature or essence; we are, and always will be, less than our Creator in every respect. We ALL "fall short" of that ultimate holiness, and if we claim otherwise "we are deceiving ourselves" (1 John 1:8). The primary Greek word used in the New Testament writings for this condition is "hamartia," which is typically translated by the English word "sin." That word simply means, "to miss the mark; to fall short of the target." Our goal (target, mark) is to be like our heavenly Father, to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16), yet He and we know only too well that such a goal is, by our human nature, an impossibility. Though we may (and should) desire such holiness, by nature we will always come short of it. Paul bemoaned this reality in his own life in a powerful self-evaluation found in Romans 7. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:18-19).

So, we humans - you and I - have a serious problem on our hands! SIN (our condition of always falling short of His holiness) separates us from our God (Isaiah 59:2). In some way this great gulf had to be bridged so that we could come into His presence and enjoy fellowship with Him. Yet not a single one of us had the ability to bridge that gulf. HE had to initiate that act of bridging, and He did so through the redemptive act of Jesus - the God/man, who perfectly represented both parties, and thereby brought the two together. By means of the Father's love and grace, and through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, SIN was dealt with "once for all." This state of separation was removed when God through Christ took away the condition/state of SIN. It was now gone! Does that mean you and I are now perfect and flawless? Of course not. We still fall short (just as Paul did), but that "state of fallenness" is no longer held against those who are IN HIM. By faith they embrace this free gift of His grace. We are redeemed, and the blood of Jesus continually cleanses (1 John 1:7) those who are IN HIM of ALL their daily missteps and misdeeds that "by nature" plague and trouble them as they seek to walk in the light as He is in the light. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). While dead in this condition, and thus powerless to alter our condition, HE stepped in and redeemed us (Ephesians 2:5). It was a GIFT of GRACE; we did nothing to bring it about, or to merit it. It is freely offered to ALL, and those who receive it BY FAITH are thereby transferred from a condition of death to a condition of life! The gulf is bridged, "so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:7-8). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith" (Romans 3:23-25a). "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

Yes, our sinful state (condition) has been dealt with by Deity. For those IN HIM, that condition no longer exists. We are now abiding in a state of GRACE. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Romans 5:1-2). However, we continue to stumble in our daily walk with Him, making multiple missteps as we attempt to grow, within that state of grace, to become more like Him in our attitudes and actions. Many of these acts that fall short of the mark are unintentional, and even unknown to us, and occur simply because we by nature are less than Divine in nature. That condition has been forever dealt with, but that in no way removes the fact of our daily failings. The good news is that these individual misdeeds, whether known or unknown, are continuously covered by the blood of Christ for those who receive that gift by faith. Yes, if we are aware of those times when our attitudes and actions are short of the mark, then we should acknowledge them before our God (1 John 1:9). To deny such failings, or to try and cover them up, is to be self-deluded. We are what we are, but He loves us and accepts us anyway and has made provision for the shortcomings of our human nature. So, rejoice in grace, yet don't presume upon it either: seek to grow ever more like Him with the aid of His indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:26f).

In Scripture there are a number of differing ways that these individual failings of our human nature are identified. We read of "lawlessness" and "lawless deeds." We find such words as "iniquity" and "transgression," we read of "crimes" and "offenses." In fact, Dr. John F. Walvoord, who served many years as president of Dallas Theological Seminary, and who was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation, wrote an article in 2008 titled "Thirty-Three Words for Sin in the New Testament," with these thirty-three coming from ten root words, illustrating the diversity of meaning when it comes to our "sinful" attitudes and actions. The apostle John even speaks of sin leading to death and sin not leading to death (1 John 5:16-17), and elsewhere we hear of sins of omission as well as sins of commission, as well as the "unforgivable sin." It can all get rather confusing for those unfamiliar with the original language of Scripture, as well as those who don't yet grasp God's love and grace as it applies to the sinful state/condition and to sinful acts/deeds. In this present study, however, I want to focus on a distinction we find in Ephesians 1:7. In this text, Paul uses a lesser known Greek word for "sin," one that appears only 23 times in the NT writings (16 of which are used by Paul; as for the other seven: 6 are used by Jesus, 1 is used by James). Ephesians 1:7 reads as follows: "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (King James Version). Other translations use various other English words: "trespasses" ... "offenses" ... "failures" ... "transgressions" ... "wrongdoings" ... "sinful ways" ... "wrong ways."

The Greek word in question in this text is "paraptoma," and it appears in plural form. Thus, it is not speaking of a state or condition of sin (which would be singular), but of "sins" (more than one; a series of "sinful" acts or deeds). The word literally signifies "a fall; a false step; a stumbling aside; trespass; transgression" [The Analytical Greek Lexicon, p. 305]. We also know that Paul intended something different in this term than the meaning of the more common word "hamartia," for in Ephesians 2:1 he uses both: "You were dead in your trespasses and sins." Thus, prior to coming by faith to Jesus, our "deadness" was due to both the state of sin in which all men existed, as well as individual deeds in which we engaged. It was a double whammy. But, returning to the text, what did Paul have in mind when he used this particular word? Why was it specifically chosen? Dr. Marvin Vincent, in his classic "Word Studies in the NT," says that the various words for "sin" in the NT writings "are expressive of different aspects of wrong-doing" [vol. 1, p. 44]. This particular word in classical Greek, he states, "is often used of intentional falling" (i.e., to throw oneself down on purpose), "and this is the prevailing sense in biblical Greek, indicating reckless and willful sin; ... it is a conscious violation of right" [ibid]. In other words, it is a deliberate falling short of God's expectation; it is knowing right from wrong, and willfully choosing the latter. Dr. W. E. Vine, in his "Expository Dictionary of NT Words," says it "denotes a deviation from uprightness and Truth." This word in Ephesians 1:7 is translated "deliberate offenses" in the "Kingdom of God Version."

"Here in Ephesians 1:7, however, the reference is not to sin (hamartia) as in Colossians 1:14, but to sins (paraptoma) or deviations from the right path. The first term denotes a sinful condition; the second, sinful acts. Forgiveness deals with both" [The Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 11, p. 25], thus displaying the rich abundance of God's grace in our redemption and in the removal of the sin-state and the remission of individual deliberate acts of disobedience due to our fallen nature. Dr. Heinrich Meyer, in his "Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the NT," stated that this Greek word used by Paul in Ephesians 1:7 "denotes always the actual individual sins; hence Paul has not mentally included a forgiveness of inborn sinfulness." In other words, Paul's emphasis is on our deliberate acts of disobedience, rather than the universal condition of sin that mankind collectively shared by virtue of Adam and Eve's fall. "Dr. Charles Ellicott distinguishes the two words translated 'trespasses' and 'sins,' by taking the former as pointing more to sins on the side of commission - sinful acts; the latter to sins as the result of a state - sinful condition" [A Popular Commentary on the NT, e-Sword]. Paul, therefore, is speaking of our individual acts which we have chosen to commit, "as distinguished from 'hamartia', which is applied to sin as a condition" [The Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. 3, p. 255].

"Through one man, sin (hamartia - as a state/condition) entered into the world" (Romans 5:12), and the "wages of sin (hamartia) is death" (Romans 6:23). This state of sin that existed between God and man resulted in mankind's separation from God. In Romans 5:15, though, Paul shifts to a different word for "sin," using the same word he used in Ephesians 1:7, thus informing us that the state/condition of sin was the result of a singular deliberate act on the part of man (i.e., Adam - and, of course, also Eve). Paul wrote, "But the free gift is not like the transgression (paraptoma). For if by the transgression (paraptoma) of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many." "For if by the transgression (paraptoma) of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression (paraptoma) there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners (hamartolos - those in a state of sin), even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:17-19). By a willful deliberate act mankind entered into a state of sin resulting in death, a condition that all men thereafter experienced. But by another willful deliberate act of loving self-sacrifice by Jesus on behalf of all those cursed by this condition of sin, all men now have access by faith to the free gift of life. Thus, Jesus dealt with both the deliberate act, as well as the resultant state that resulted from that act. Paul's point is that both are forever dealt with by God through Jesus Christ.

We are redeemed by Jesus, therefore we are now reconciled to our God. The state of separation resulting from the state of sin is gone, and all of our individual acts that fall short of His glory, whether known or unknown, whether willful or out of weakness, are coved by the blood of Jesus. Further, we are now ambassadors of this ministry of reconciliation, sharing this Good News with all around us who are in need of this gift of grace. "God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses (paraptoma) against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Thus, we as redeemed ones are called to "restore anyone caught in any trespass (paraptoma), doing so in a spirit of gentleness" (Galatians 6:1). James writes, "Confess your sins (paraptoma) to one another, and pray for one another" (James 5:16). Jesus taught, "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions (paraptoma)" (Mark 11:25). In the Sermon on the Mount, we find this same statement by Jesus following the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:14). All of which makes the statement in Ephesians 1:7 all the more meaningful to us: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses (paraptoma), according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

Let us rejoice in the Good News that "God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions (paraptoma), made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:4-9). "The degree of this forgiveness was controlled by the riches, wealth, abundance, plenitude of God's grace. This forgiveness is therefore a complete, an unqualified, an unchanging one, since it is controlled by the plenitude of God's grace, and that plenitude is infinite in proportion. The freeness of this divine favor in the form of grace, the unmerited nature of the divine goodness, is what Paul most frequently magnifies with praise and wonder. This magnificent conception of the wealth of the grace that is bestowed on us by God, and that which is in Christ for us, is a peculiarly Pauline idea" [Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies from the Greek NT, vol. 1 - Ephesians, p. 41].

From a Pastor/D.Min. in California:

Thanks again for your work, Al. I've found your thinking both helpful and stimulating.

From a Pastor's Wife in Georgia:

Al, I just wanted to write and let you know that my husband and I love reading your Reflections articles!

From a Reader in Ohio:

We're currently studying the Bible regarding what happens after death. My congregation is very conservative. Of course, when discussing this topic, the Rich Man and Lazarus has come up. I am personally convinced that it is actually a parable, and not our Lord's teaching on literal after-death situations. I've also been thinking about the Transfiguration. How can I account for the two dead people meeting with Jesus? Thank you in advance for any help you can provide on this question. PS - Please send me the digital copies of all four of your books on thumb drive that you advertised in your Special Book Offer. I sent payment to you via PayPal. Thanks!

• The evidence for the account in Luke 16:19-31 being a parable is overwhelming, and I have dealt with that in quite some depth in Reflections #28 - "The Rich Man and Lazarus." I have also written a book on the topic of what the Bible teaches on the "afterlife," and the fate of both the wicked and the righteous. That book, with a Foreword by Edward Fudge, is titled "From Ruin to Resurrection." As for the appearance of "the two dead people" at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36; cf., 2 Peter 1:16-18), only one of them had died (Moses); the other one (Elijah) had been spared death by God. This, I believe, evidences the truth that is conveyed in Matthew 22:32 - our God is Lord over both the living and the dead. He has the power to preserve the life of or resurrect to life ALL men, regardless of their physical condition. In that same passage, Jesus also makes this point about the resurrection with regard to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I examined this truth more fully in my article titled "Judaism's Three Dead Patriarchs: The Great I AM of the Living and the Dead" (Reflections #538). -- Al Maxey

From an Author/Publisher in Nevada:

Dear Al, I want to thank you for your article on Deborah: "The Honey Bee of Israel: Deborah - Prophet, Poet, Patriot" (Reflections #872). Good research and good writing! It's too bad that many Church of Christ preachers have taken 1 Corinthians 14:34 completely out of context. Thank you for NOT doing so!! I've read your two articles on this: "Male Chauvinism's Proof-Text: Reflective Study of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35" (Reflections #499) and "Challenging a Corinthian Quotation: Paul's Powerful Refutation of Church Sexism" (Reflections #592). That second article's sub-heading is a 100,000 megawatt one! Legalism's sexist interpretation of verse 34 is purposeful: they think it keeps women out of public participation! They couldn't be more wrong! BTW, my new book is at the printers; I'll be sending you one. Soldier on, Al.

From an Author in Alaska:

As you know from exposure to some of my writings, the foundational problem of most churches, including ours (Church of Christ), is that we make converts (via various salvation protocols: e.g., the 5 steps), but we fail to make disciples (Christ-followers); we give spiritual development (becoming more like Jesus, which is a clear scriptural imperative) a backseat to churchly activities. So-called "worship services" become an end in themselves (with an undue emphasis on peripheral issues: e.g., women's roles, instruments, etc.), rather than a means to an end (a focus on developing Paul's fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, or Peter's building blocks in 2 Peter 1:5-12, or putting into practice all the multi-layered lessons in the parables or Beatitudes). Christianity has thus been too often turned into a religion, rather than in the ongoing pursuit of godliness involved in becoming more like Christ, our purported namesake. At the Judgment, my concern is that many churchgoers will hear those dreaded words that God didn't know them. And why? - Matthew 7:21-27; 25:31-46 lays out the unfortunate scenario. One cause of that institutional failure will be too much emphasis on orthodoxy (right doctrine) at church buildings, and not enough emphasis on orthopraxy (right practice) in the lives of so-called Christians. Various sociological studies have documented that churchgoers don't differ that much from general society in ways that they should be different if they were truly in the process of becoming more Christ-like, a lifelong spiritual development goal that should be aided by the most mature believers in each congregational fellowship. Yet, how often does that really happen?! Thank you for your work, Al, and blessings to you in your ministries!

From a Reader in Washington:

Al, your articles are always so interesting ... from what I can understand of them! You need to write some "Reflections for Dummies." (LOL)

From an Author in Florida:

Al, I admit to appreciating your wisdom and study habits, and your irenic spirit is still evident, and I admire it. You are a master at detail, while my material is mostly devotional. I may be too lazy to do the research required for more in-depth themes (LOL), and am usually too impatient to take the time to read lengthy treatises. What I really need is a Reader's Digest condensed version of your lengthy articles. Am I the only one who has been truthful enough to suggest this? If not, take heed. Brevity can be our friend at times! Love you, brother!

• Every now and then I get comments like the two above. I know both individuals very well, by the way, and have for decades, and love them both dearly. They do bring up an important point, however, and that is that my studies do not meet the needs of everyone. Some love them and benefit from them greatly; others ... well, not so much. Some get more from simple studies; some from shorter studies. But, on the other hand, there are those who truly desire something that digs deeper into various biblical texts and themes, and which forces them to do some heavy thinking. Early on in my ministry I consciously decided to focus on the latter group, for there were already plenty of writers providing the alternative. In my view, there is room "out there" in cyberspace for both approaches, as there are certainly a great many "out there" who are nourished and encouraged by each. I remember the late Dr. Leroy Garrett, a dear friend and supporter of my writings, who several times wrote to me, thanking me for not producing abbreviated studies, but rather for believing that there were a great many disciples of Jesus who still longed for and appreciated spending time digging deeper into various texts and topics. Both writing styles ultimately serve the purpose of our God, each in its own way, and in so doing more seekers are reached and influenced. -- Al Maxey

From a Minister in New Zealand:

I just read your study on "Piercing the Side of Jesus: Pondering the Puzzling Outflow of Blood and Water from Our Savior" (Reflections #873). GREAT article, Al ... much to ponder!

From a Reader in Texas:

Dear Al, although it is always very difficult for me to read about the crucifixion of Jesus, I found your article "Piercing the Side of Jesus" very enlightening as to all the symbolism involved with that piercing, and with the blood and water. Thank you for this detailed explanation and the spiritual context that you provided. You are the best!!

From a Reader in Texas:

Brother Al, just a quick note to affirm that I love and respect you very much! Yours is a refreshing voice for people today who are more interested in Bible Truth than Church Tradition! Thank you.

From a Minister in India:

My Dearest Brother Maxey, I am edified by your article "Piercing the Side of Jesus." It is full of insights, and it is most convincing. God bless you, sir.

********************
If you would like to be added to or removed from this
mailing list, Contact Me and I'll immediately comply.
If you are challenged by these Reflections, feel free to
send them on to others and encourage them to write for
a free subscription. These studies are also offered on a
special thumb drive. Check the link below for the
details, and for all past issues of these Reflections:
https://www.zianet.com/maxey/Reflect2.htm