Old Testament Foundations: A Biblical View of the Relationship of Sin and the Fruits of Sin: Sickness, Demonization, Death, Natural Calamity, by Peter H. Davids

The same could be said for all of the effects of sin. While in the present some people bow to Jesus (i.e. are evangelized), in the future “every knee will bow” (Phil 2:10). While in the present people are brought together in the church, where there is reconciliation of the various divisions of humanity (most notably the Jew-gentile division, Eph 2:14), in the coming age there will be one city, “the holy city Jerusalem,” (Rev 21:10) which appears to unify many of the themes of Scripture (e.g. the Twelve apostles and the Twelve tribes) and which answers to the search for community (Enoch, Gen 4:17; Nimrod’s cities, Gen 10:8-11). While there are stories in Scripture of the present provision of food and protection from the danger of natural disaster, in that age “they will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat” (Rev 7:16). Obviously the same type of “already—not yet” tension is present in the case of disease and the demonic. While Paul performs all types of healing miracles, at least once he must leave a co-worker behind sick (2 Tim 4:20; cf. Phil 2:26-27; 1 Tim 5:23; Gal 4:13-14); yet there is no disease whatsoever in the heavenly city, where every tear is wiped away (Rev 21:4). In the case of the demonic, Christians expel demons now but may not be able to expel every demon in the world, and there is no indication that Christians will expel the principalities and powers Paul speaks about. Yet in Revelation the demonic has disappeared into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:10; cf. Mat 25:41).

The point which needs to be underlined is that in no area are the effects of sin completely reversed in this age, although in all areas there is some reversal of each of the effects of sin.³⁵ There is always some tension remaining, even if there is a significant taste of “the powers of the age to come” (Heb 6:5).³⁶ While this protects the church against a triumphalism which denies the reality of the present battle, it also points in hope to the coming final victory and the present experience of the partial reversal of the fruits of sin. The “not yet,” while inducing a longing for the future, should give faith and hope in the present as we see the “already” and realize that as it happens, as the fruits of sin are reversed, it is not perfection, but simply a down payment on what is coming.

 

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Notes

¹ Both of these first two statements would be accepted by all orthodox Christian theologians of whatever stripe. For example, The Westminster Confession of Faith’s article VI. “Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof” describes the original sin and its effects (G. I. Williamson, ed., The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes [Philadelphia: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1964] 53-61), but so does the popular Mennonite work by Paul Erb, We Believe (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1969) 19-22, and Seventh-day Adventists Believe … (Washington, DC: Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1988) 87-91. We could go on and multiply examples, but these scattered ones should be sufficient.

² The text refers to the multiplication of conceptions and childbirths and the connection of labor with this process, the same type of labor which will be associated with farming (3:17). It appears that the original design was that conceptions would be fewer, for there was no death to be overcome, and pregnancy and delivery would be without difficult labor. Of course we have no example of this happening through which to compare the before and after, so unlike some of the other consequences, this one is more of an extension from the text.

³ See Jacques Ellul, The Meaning of the City (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1970). While the city in scripture is usually a human attempt to overcome alienation, even Jerusalem becoming the abode of evil so that before the exile and again in Revelation it can be compared to Sodom (Rev 11:8), the vision of Rev 21 is of a new Jerusalem in which the idea of the city (or human community) is redeemed, for God is in that city and all sin is outside of it.

⁴ Like all Old Testament law, one cannot simply assume that this is appropriate for disciples of Jesus Christ. Instead, Christians must carefully examine the implications of the new era which has dawned in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and from that learn how this law may or may not apply to their behaviour now.

⁵ We can observe this from archaeology when we compare the relative equality of tenth century Israel (although the living standard was modest) with the stark rich–poor contrasts of eighth century Israel. See Roland De Vaux, Ancient Israel, Its Life and Institutions (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1973) 72-73.

⁶ The blight and mildew were certainly classed with human sicknesses, for the laws of leprosy (Lev 13-14) include mildew in houses along with skin diseases under the same general category. Perhaps drought and scorching heat were also seen in this category or it may be that they are included here because they also led to human deaths.

Tags: Biblical, calamity, davids, death, demonization, foundations, fruits, natural, peter, relationship, sickness, sin, testament, view

Category: Biblical Studies, Fall 2006